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Comment by ryandrake | Hacker News Reader

The same reason people live in cheap houses with crappy aluminum siding on 3 sides, and fake brick material on the front. The same reason people wear knock-offs of designer clothing. The same reason cars play fake engine noise over their stereo system. The same reason people rent Ferraris for the day. The same reason people go on "vacations" where they spend 5 minutes at each destination taking selfies.

People care more about the image of something rather than the actual thing. Authenticity is now something to be faked and posted to Instagram.

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Of all of your examples, the one that comes closest to matching fake cakes is the fake engine noises that many vehicles play over speakers. A key difference is that most consumers are unaware that their car's engine noise may be fake, and if they find out they feel defrauded and tend to get upset.[a] The Washington Post calls fake engine noise the auto industry's "dirty little secret."[b]

In all your other examples, consumers are at least getting something of value. Cheap houses provide actual housing, at less cost. Knock-off clothes provide actual nice-looking clothing, at less cost. Rented Ferraris provide the actual enjoyment of driving a Ferrari, for less cost. Taking selfies on vacation spots provide some people with a temporary superficial pleasure from "showing off" to their friends.

What value does fake food provide when it is used only for display and no effort is made to pretend it's real?

[a] For example, see the comments here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lQPc9VXBzk

[b] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/americas-bes...

Fake cakes provide themed decoration, just like the fancy lace curtains or floral centerpieces that are also common at weddings. It's basically the exact same reasoning you gave for knockoff clothes.

Thanks for your analysis. The common theme I’m going for is that people are choosing something that looks opulent over actual opulence, where there is a third alternative: choosing something real but not as opulent. People could choose the less luxurious-loooking house, or the store brand clothing but narcissism, vanity and the constant need to self promote won’t let them.

I once worked with a guy who probably made close to what I made (similar title/seniority), but he lived in a very affluent neighborhood and loved to mention it whenever the opportunity even slightly arose. I ended up needing to drop something off at his house once (he was out on an extended sick leave) and when he greeted me I had a look behind him into the house. It was totally empty! He probably slept on a cot in one of the 5 unused and unfurnished bedrooms. He was a total phony!

I think we can agree that the examples I brought up represent a small fraction of the phoniness we see all around us—they were just the few that came to mind while typing. It’s an epidemic as far as I’m concerned.

Yes, I see what you mean... and agree with you:

There seems to be much faking of authenticity and faking of opulence today.

:-(

PS. Your comments remind me of the "Rich man in the car paradox" -- see #3 here: http://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/the-psychology-of-mone...

Thanks for the link! Excellent read

Hey, renting a Ferrari for the day is sometimes just a way to drive a Ferrari once!

Yeah, the last thing I'd want is to be surrounded by people. I want open road!

> Authenticity is now something to be faked

See also: fake hardwood/marble paint effects applied to pine, in Victorian era houses.

Versailles Palace has a number of rooms with trompe l’oeil marble. Authenticity has always been something to fake.

Do some cars really play fake engine noises on the speakers?

The Jaguar I-Pace does this [1]. It's the stupidest thing.

[1] https://electrek.co/2018/03/07/jaguar-i-pace-artificial-moto...

I was under the impression that some electrics and hybrids in electric mode played simulated engine noise through speakers to both alert nearby pedestrians that the vehicle is moving and to reassure the driver that it is operating normally.

I wouldn't put it past a manufacturer or aftermarket parts maker to play "vroom vroom" noises over the sound system at speeds too low for the driver to actually hear anything from the passenger compartment. If you can put an aluminum spoiler on a stock Honda Civic, you can put an engine noise simulator on your sound system.

Yep. It's pretty much industry standard on mid-range performance cars and trucks. Many manufacturers are moving to smaller I4 and V6 turbocharged engines on models that traditionally had big V8s. These smaller engines provide great efficiency and good performance, but they're much quieter and blander-sounding than the old V8s. Subtle digital augmentation of the engine note restores some of the feeling of performance at trivial cost.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles/f-150s-fake-engine-nois...

Some BMWs do this: https://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/23/active-sound-design-enha...

Your comment is absolutely correct, except for one word: "now". Humans didn't radically change in the last several thousand years. We have always been this way.

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