Work By Rob van Avesaath
Pay a compliment
Do we really pay for our compliments? Or do we have to pay for compliments we receive? Does anyone mind paying for compliments? What do they cost? Does it depend on the giver and how big the compliment is? The sincerity of the payer? But do you actually have to pay when you receive them too?
Adding value to compliments
The more graciously you receive a compliment, the more valuable it becomes. Can you trade or cash in a compliment? Fishing for compliments is a social no-no, but is it permissible to ask people to donate a compliment? Is that too presumptuous? No, you just have to wait for the compliments to be paid and hope that they are overheard. Nothing worse than a private compliment. There is an existentialist whiff about something so social without an audience. To be of any value, it has to have existed in the real world, it has to be overheard by others. Others who like to cash in on the complimentary culture.
Complimentary culture
When one thing is in harmony with another it is often said to be complimentary. Yet when you receive something that is described as complimentary you are usually paying too much for the main event. Still no-one seems to ever be alarmed by the complimentary gift. We are just too elated by the something-for-nothing rush. Tricky business the compliments game.