Hot Button

Did you ever notice these fake buttons in cars? They are not really buttons but just plastic placeholders indicating that, in higher-end models, there would actually be a real button with a real function. Do you know why the manufacturers put these fake buttons? Just you remind you that you have been a cheap bastard when the time came to write the check. Just out of grudge that you have been smart enough not to buy the higher-end model with unreasonable and inexplicable pricing.

You know what's worse? Any time you are giving a ride to a friend and trying to show off the ultra-modern navigation system, which does everything short of actually teleporting you to your destination, the friend asks, "What does this button do?"

You: Nothing. It's just a piece of plastic
Friend: But it looks like a button
You: (Gee, did you figure all that by yourself?) Ya, but it does nothing
Friend: How come?

Here you have two choices. You could tell the friend you didn't want to pay exorbitant amount for the high-end model. Or, you can just say you don't know and be done with it. Of course, if you are a man, you would probably die before you admit you didn't know.

You: It does whiz-bang in a higher-end model.
Friend: Really? How much more would that model cost?
You: 4k
Friend: So if you paid 4k you could've got the whiz-bang?

Some people just love to state the obvious inferences. It's not that they don't know the answer. These are the kind of people who, if they ever stumble on a dead horse, would beat the hell out of it.