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lbrito | on: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
People surprised by Mr. $3000-cocktail party's expenses are forgetting about class and wealth differences.

Up to a point, expenses are elastic and proportionate to income. Across different incomes, things like "dinner" or "cocktail" mean (and cost) very different things, to the point that someone on either end of the scale doesn't even know what is on the other end. A very wealthy individual might not know about the $1.50 Costco dog, and a less wealthy individual won't know about the $10,000 bottle of cab sauv (okay I'm making that up, I don't know either, but you get the point).

If you have $100k you'll make do with that, if you have 10x more, most people will find ways to scale the expenses accordingly. If you have 1,000x more, that's just wasted cash that does nothing for society, but that's another discussion...

tsunamifury | parent
Also bog standard middle shelf cocktail liquor, wine, glassware, food, and additional (forks, knives, small plates, food prep) for 50 people is gonna cost 3k almost anywhere.

I was highlighting partially how it's just generally expensive to host the first time a large group.

pardon_me | root | parent | next
What planet are you on? $60/head for a simple party with middle shelf drinks and basic food is necessary "anywhere" for passing acquaintances?
oblio | root | parent
> glassware, and additional (forks, knives, small plates)

Do you guys break all the plates like at traditional Greek weddings?

tsunamifury | root | parent
No you have to buy it for the first time though.

It’s amazing to me how classically foolish so many HN comments are.