[ProgSoc] Clubs Trivia 29/08/08
John Elliot
jj5 at jj5.net
Mon Jul 14 16:54:31 EST 2008
Rob Howard wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 04:04:09AM +0000, Nora F wrote:
>> the best dressed team gets $250.
>
> This sounds like a challenge.
Indeed.
On what criteria will "best" be established?
Presumably the best clothing would be the lowest cost, lowest
maintenance, least energy intensive, and most durable attire for
comfortably protecting the body and regulating its temperature within
its local environment.
That's the function of clothing, isn't it?
Or is it that we shall be compelled to compensate for tendencies to
interpret our clothing and other aspects of our appearance as a sign to
others placed within a context of contemporary consumer-oriented popular
culture wherein the expense of time, energy and materials on specific
features of our attire over-and-above those necessary to meet functional
needs is held to be in some way desirable?
If the former, then a trip to the local army disposals store might well
be in order.
If the latter, then it would seem we will need to have prior knowledge
of the judges' arbitrary prejudices in order to increase our chances of
victory. Will we have foreknowledge of such, or should we perhaps take
for our guide a random selection of prototypical stylisations as
presented and held as amiable in the adverts and popular media of our time?
In either scenario, if the cost per individual required to win the
artificially constructed competition exceeds an average of $31.25 then
collectively we lose even if we win, particularly if in our personal
valuation of the winning attire we regard it a sunk cost.
Perhaps the best course of action is to take an expansive view of our
community, and recognise that if we take no action and fail to win the
competition, then at least less time and materials were lost among the
collection of UTS clubs, and we can be happy knowing that the $250
received by some other club helps to mitigate in some way the "broken
window" of their appearance? I dunno. It's all a bit too tricky for me.
p.s. I'll come! Fair warning though: I may well be a liability. :P
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