Mona Lisa effect

[Alan Barnard]

Ron N said: "The basic premise is widely accepted without question, and
those accepting it are relieved of the burden of having to learn different."

I think that is a profound way of describing every prejudice, from pianos
to people, race to religion, and the way so many (most?) grow up with fixed
and darned near intractable ideas about the world. Intellectual laziness.
Mental mire. Cerebral concrete. Premature hardening of the categories.

Part of it is anxiety, I think. People get comfortable with a belief system
(of any sort, but religion is the classic example) and are afraid to think
beyond it because they want to believe the matter is settled and done with,
that they are on the right road, as it were.

Now, regarding Steinway & Sons: If your job is to peddle $45,000 (and way
up) pianos that are not proportionately better or more costly to build than
a Kawai, fr'instance, then you have GOT to be a TRUE BELIEVER (or a
dangerous sociopath), else how could you sleep at night. I'm grinnin' here,
but there's an element of truth to it, isn't there?

Alan Barnard
Salem, Missouri


> [Original Message]
> From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman@cox.net>
> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 10/06/2005 7:53:58 AM
> Subject: Re: Mona Lisa effect
>
>
> > Well, Steinway owns Kelly and Kluge now so they are genuine.  The Mapes 
> > strings and Renner parts………I don’t know.  I’m just curious if this is 
> > what people are thinking when they ask the “Is it still a Steinway” 
> > question.  Do they really think we’re drawing a mustache on the Mona 
> > Lisa?  
>
> I'm not sure they're thinking at all. Common knowledge is that 
> Steinway makes the ultimate piano, so any changes from presumed 
> perfection have to be either negative, or unnecessary. The less 
> people know about pianos, the more this attitude prevails. At least 
> that's my experience. It's like the old "Graphics applications 
> require a Mac" computer mantra. The basic premise is widely accepted 
> without question, and those accepting it are relieved of the burden 
> of having to learn different.
>
>
> >If so, you have to admire the marketing effort that built this image.
> > 
> > dp
>
> Absolute genius!
>
> Ron N
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives