Althouse: "A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment. The gifted item should not be owned by the recipient."

१० डिसेंबर, २०१४

"A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment. The gifted item should not be owned by the recipient."

The first 2 sentences of the woefully brief Wikipedia entry for "Gift."

I guess the article could be expanded with more sentences about what a gift is not, but I wanted some elaboration of the history of gifts and gifts in different cultures. There is a list under the heading "Custom, on occasions (often celebrations) such as..." and this has some useful items like potlatch and lagniappe, but it ends (inappropriately, I'd say) with: "Ironically, gift giving also refers to an HIV negative person consensually receiving the HIV virus. See Bugchasing."

Anyway, in case you were wondering, it's not really a gift if the thing is already owned by the recipient. But who hasn't felt the urge find to wrap up something in the house and put it under the tree, to be opened by the the person who already owns it on Christmas Day? Works great for people who say they already have everything they want and people who have forgotten the value of the things they already have.

ADDED: One of the many definitions of "gift" in the Oxford English Dictionary is: "A white speck on the finger-nails, supposed to portend a gift." (1708 Brit. Apollo No. 17. 2/1 Q. What is the Cause of little white Spots, which sometimes grow under the Nails of the Fingers? And what is the reason they say they are Gifts? A. The reason of their being call'd Gifts is as Wise an one as that of Letters, Winding Sheets, &c. in a Candle.")

२० टिप्पण्या:

Mark O म्हणाले...: It's a Seinfeld episode.; १०/१२/१४, १०:५६ AM
HoodlumDoodlum म्हणाले...: Ann Althouse said...Works great for people who say they already have everything they want and people who have forgotten the value of the things they already have.

But in that case the gift isn't the physical item itself, but the increased appreciation for the things the person has, so I think you can still count that as a gift (they didn't own the enhanced appreciation/understanding they obtained through your action prior to your taking that action).; १०/१२/१४, १०:५९ AM
Ann Althouse म्हणाले...: "It's a Seinfeld episode."

Regifting in "Seinfeld" would be where the gift is something the giver already owns (where the thing was received as a gift). It's not giving something the recipient already owns, which is a much ballsier move.; १०/१२/१४, ११:०० AM
rhhardin म्हणाले...: The idea of gift is inconsistent, and Derrida has a book on it, I think _Given Time_, if you want to wander back and forth across the terrain of the gift.

Mauss and potlatch comes up.

The problem is, as I recall at a distance of 20 years, that the giver gets something out of it, be it only credit, which contradicts the idea. Various authors Derrida cites try to deal with this.; १०/१२/१४, ११:०० AM
Ann Althouse म्हणाले...: "But in that case the gift isn't the physical item itself, but the increased appreciation for the things the person has, so I think you can still count that as a gift (they didn't own the enhanced appreciation/understanding they obtained through your action prior to your taking that action)."

That's right, and so make sure you are ready with that bullshit when your parents open their under appreciated knickknack that you nicked from the china closet and wrapped.; १०/१२/१४, ११:०१ AM
Ann Althouse म्हणाले...: "The problem is, as I recall at a distance of 20 years, that the giver gets something out of it, be it only credit, which contradicts the idea."

Nice to know that Derrida applied his powers to arrive at the most banal insight about gifts. The gift of giving... I'm looking for the Derrida section of the Hallmark Card Shop.; १०/१२/१४, ११:०३ AM
Ann Althouse म्हणाले...: That suggests bullshit to use on anyone that you think you should have gotten a gift for or did not.

Mom, I thought of giving you some beautiful earrings that I saw in Tiffany's but then I thought, what is this? What am I really doing? Why, I am trying to bring credit to myself! I realized that the greatest gift I can give to you is to accept your gift to me and to cause all the credit to go to you for gift-giving and not to cancel out that credit by giving you a gift in an unseemly grab for credit for myself. I realized that o exchange gifts is a cancellation and that I must restrain myself. I must not cancel the benevolence of my mother! To you then, is this, the greatest gift: no gift. You are welcome."; १०/१२/१४, ११:१० AM
Ann Althouse म्हणाले...: This is especially good at Christmastime, because Jesus said:

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."; १०/१२/१४, ११:१३ AM
American Liberal Elite म्हणाले...: "Gift" is German for poison.; १०/१२/१४, ११:२३ AM
rhhardin म्हणाले...: The system of credit and debt is essential to the idea of the gift.

Nevertheless that system also defeats the gift.

It's both called for and impossible.

Some terms are like that.; १०/१२/१४, ११:२४ AM
JAORE म्हणाले...: "Anyway, in case you were wondering, it's not really a gift if the thing is already owned by the recipient."

I know that is from the Wiki, but is anyone really wondering this?

"But who hasn't felt the urge find to wrap up something in the house and put it under the tree, to be opened by the the person who already owns it on Christmas Day?"

Well, me for one. Would never have occurred to me.

If credit is due, proper "credit" for the gift should include the time, effort and angst caused by selecting the gift. I have a DIL for whom I struggle to buy a gift every Christmas Very specific tastes in everything, and very obvious in her reactions if you miss the mark.; १०/१२/१४, ११:२५ AM
rhhardin म्हणाले...: If you like wandering in the OED over gift then you'd like Derrida.

He draws from wider sources.

Essentially Derrida is a virtuoso reader.; १०/१२/१४, ११:२६ AM
Ann Althouse म्हणाले...: "Essentially Derrida is a virtuoso reader."

So, a secondary source.; १०/१२/१४, ११:३६ AM
Peter म्हणाले...: "Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity ..."

As far as I know, it's a near-universal (all cultures, all times) that a gift does create an expectation of reciprocity. Although the when, where, what and how of that reciprocity vary.; १०/१२/१४, ११:४२ AM
rhhardin म्हणाले...: Derrida puts a trajectory together for you.

You can't say what a gift requires.

Perhaps there are gifts that nobody recognizes as gifts, and those are wnat are required.

The gift as normally conceived is a formalization that doesn't work.

As, for Augustine, charity was thinking the best of somebody rather than the worst; not giving money.

Giving money was only a formalization of Augustine's requirment for charity.

Who would recognize charity today, if it turned up. Nevertheless it is required.; १०/१२/१४, ११:४३ AM
m stone म्हणाले...: "As far as I know, it's a near-universal (all cultures, all times) that a gift does create an expectation of reciprocity."

Good point, Peter.

In the Japanese culture, reciprocity requires that the recipient actually give a better gift in return. It used to be that way in the 1990s at least.; १०/१२/१४, १२:०१ PM
HoodlumDoodlum म्हणाले...: Ann Althouse said...That's right, and so make sure you are ready with that bullshit when your parents open their under appreciated knickknack that you nicked from the china closet and wrapped.

But it's technically correct--the best kind of correct. Nicking a knickknack sounds like a good way to get one's paddy whacked.; १०/१२/१४, १२:१० PM
Coconuss Network म्हणाले...: Lil Gifts from our pets is an entirely different matter. I think gifts are great mainly because it's a means of communication. No gifts at all is lonesome and sends such a negative message, despite the debate of reciprocity. Germans are not that much into gifts, which is probably why people are only shopping a couple weeks before Christmas, and mostly for their children. It's hard being American and living in Germany where gifts are actually regifted in front of your eyes, or even returned. Takes the joy out of the holiday spirit. So gifts are reduced to a bag of cookies. If they get regifted, well, maybe someone who really appreciates cookies will enjoy them. I love my online shopping experience for my American family. They love everything I send.; १०/१२/१४, १२:२४ PM
southcentralpa म्हणाले...: "But who hasn't felt the urge find to wrap up something in the house and put it under the tree, to be opened by the the person who already owns it on Christmas Day? Works great for people who say they already have everything they want and people who have forgotten the value of the things they already have."

I can honestly say that that has never occurred to me. I'm guessing this means I come from a much poorer family than yours. (And I'm okay with that.); १०/१२/१४, २:०५ PM
traditionalguy म्हणाले...: A gift is a necessary mark of respect and value that, if accepted, opens doors to a relationship.; १०/१२/१४, ९:२५ PM