# To what extent should we limit what we make based on what people NEED?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-should-we-limit-what-we-make-based-on-what-people-need/538075>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 2, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-should-we-limit-what-we-make-based-on-what-people-need/538075 "2010-05-02T22:51:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-should-we-limit-what-we-make-based-on-what-people-need/538075/101 "2010-05-11T16:43:48Z")

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> [@xtisme](#):
>
> If what I said came out this way then it wasn’t what I intended. I’m well aware that people often buy much more than they can afford. I’m not sure which of my statements lead you to believe this is what I meant, so if you quote it I might be able to translate. It’s always possible I was less than coherent when I wrote whatever I wrote there.
> 
> -XT

From post 4

> [@](#):
>
> No, I think it’s a load of bullshit that people who don’t understand economics use in order to explain consumerism. People buy what they can want and need, limited by factors such as what they can afford (as well as a host of other factors). Companies don’t manufacture demand…they fulfill demand. Or they go out of business, if their products aren’t in demand. Pretty simple, really.

To a certain extent you’re right, in that waiters don’t buy $100K cars. I was mostly being snarky about those who get into debt by buying things they cannot afford - and things they don’t really need.

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**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-should-we-limit-what-we-make-based-on-what-people-need/538075/102 "2010-05-11T16:56:01Z")

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Well, I was using ‘afford’ there more loosely than ‘within their budget’. And I did put in the caveat about ‘as well as a host of other factors’. As with this entire discussion, how one judges what one can ‘afford’ is as unique as how one defines what one ‘needs’ (vs simply ‘wants’).

Certainly there are people who buy things that you or I would not consider something they ‘need’, and almost certainly each of us would have a very different idea of what someone can (or can not) ‘afford’ would be. The trouble is when someone tries to dictate to others what those terms SHOULD be (based on what the one dictating them thinks they should be), instead of letting people decide for themselves…and pay the consequences if, to paraphrase from The Last Crusade, they choose poorly…

-XT

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