Been home sick lately. (Got home Sunday, slept in Monday, went to work on Tuesday, woke up sick on Wednesday.) Didn't do much except sit on the couch drinking fluids and watching daytime TV.
And while I was watching "The Price is Right" and "Let's Make a Deal," I noticed a certain risk-averse nature in the contestants. Nearly every time, when the contestant had the choice between $2000 in his or her hand, and a chance for way more than that (or nothing), the contestant would keep the $2000. "$2000 is a lot of money," they'd say, "I'm keeping it." And even when they'd find out that they would've won $10,000 or the prize of their dreams, they seemed genuinely happy to have the risk-free $2000. (I was most struck by a group of three fraternity brothers on "Let's Make a Deal" -- when each given a laptop computer and an iPad, they each stuck to the laptop and iPad through three different offers to trade them for the chance at something better. Because it's a laptop and an iPad, and the mere possibility of having had a laptop and iPad and losing them in a greedy attempt to get something else was too great a risk to take.)
I'm sure this is the result of the economic downturn. I mean, if you've got $2000 you can blow on whatever you want, you'd probably be willing to risk a free $2000 for something better. But if you don't, you're not going to easily part with a free two grand.
I admit that I'm sorta pleased to see this level of rationality in the current crop of game show contestants. Then again, it does make for really boring television.
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