Irrational Buying.

During the 1950s American businessmen began to suspect that consumers could not be trusted to know what products they wanted to buy. Makers of everything from cars to catsup regularly lost money when they offered Americans what they said they wanted. A survey revealed that most beer drinkers would prefer a "light, dry" beer; but when questioned further, no one could explain how a "dry" beer would taste. Further, as U.S. companies produced goods in increasing amounts, it was in their interest to stimulate demand — that is, to convince consumers that they wanted (or, better yet, needed) products that otherwise would begin stacking up in warehouses. In 1955 the religious magazine Christianity and Crisis lamented the pressure on Americans to "consume, consume and consume, whether we need or even desire the products almost forced upon us." That same year...