A question I have no good answer for.

[WhiteEagle22]

Hey all,

Yesterday, while I was working, a customer asked me the following question:

How come people are willing to pay a penny for your thoughts, but do not want to listen to your two cents worth?

I still have not come up with a good answer for this general question (I call it a general question cause it combines two common phrases.) after thinking for it for almost a full day. It is making me to be totally honest. If anyone has a good answer, I would like to hear it.

Thanks,
WhiteEagle22 (Nathan P.)

 

[Adrogans]

I know, I been asking that for a long time.

edit - sorry mine is If its a penny for your thoughts but you put in your two cents where does the change go?

 

[Leonel]

I ain't paying you the extra penny!

 

[Bigfoot3814]

My thoughts call for at least a quarter a pop.

 

[lovett]

A 'Penny for your thoughts' implies the complete sale of your thoughts. Note the plural. The implication is that the buyer own all your thought in perpetuity. This is potentially lucrative. It implies the ownership of all intellectual property originating from aforementioned thoughts, alongside any and all fiduciary renumeration that results from this intellectual property. Clearly, the rewards of buying somebodies thoughts for a single 'Penny' are potentially huge.

In comparison, the offer of your 'Two cents worth' implies nothing about ownership or property transfer. The offer is to give somebody thoughts not exceeding the value of 'Two Cents'. The person in question may find their time more valuable then this.

 

[Nylan]

I know, I been asking that for a long time.

edit - sorry mine is If its a penny for your thoughts but you put in your two cents where does the change go?

Came up with that one on my own

 

[Syterion]

Is this a serious question? Are you honestly asking us this question and you are actually dumbfounded?

Because the answer is - They are two conflicting idioms and all this question is asking is "why does no one listen anymore?" And they probably aren't listening because you are asking pointless questions.

 

[I'm Cleo!]

In honor of the late, great Estelle Getty, from The Golden Girls:

Rose : Penny for your thoughts Sophia?
Sophia : You're and idiot and that's on the house.

Cleo

 

[Trafalgar]

I like whimsical questions. Just my two cents worth.

 

[Ansar]

In honor of the late, great Estelle Getty, from The Golden Girls:



Cleo

roflmao

 

[Bigfoot3814]

Nice quote, Cleo.

 

[El_Machinae]

Taxes.

You offer your two cents, the gov't gets half.

 

[Brighteye]

I ain't paying you the extra penny!

If people are only willing to pay a penny, perhaps they don't want US denomination in return.
Two cents equals one penny, so you'd be forgiven for thinking that it's a straight transfer.

 

[GoodGame]

It essentially a mixed-metaphor isn't it? So basically pointless. The two phrases just have the appearance of being relevant to each other by being measured in dollars.

 

[I'm Cleo!]

ansar and bigfoot,

Tell me if I'm crazy, but I was really sad that Estelle Getty died. My grandmother and I used to watch The Golden Girls a lot; my friends and I in high school decided which Golden Girls we were (I was Dorothy). If big celebrities die, I don't get that worked up. But sometimes a B- or C-list celebrity dies -- e.g., Steve Irwin, Estelle Getty -- and I feel really sad.

Cleo

 

[Bigfoot3814]

I can't say I've ever watched the golden girls. From what I know, a bunch of old ladies put up drywall and painted furniture they weren't supposed to. I just thought the quote was very clever.

I haven't really expirienced the death of any of my favorite celebrities. Most of my heroes were dead when I found them. (Frank Zappa, Jean Shepherd, Charles Mingus) Except for Carlin, and maybe some other comedians.

 

[Gainy III]

If this is a serious issue then a penny for your thoughts puts them in the driving seat of a combine harvester on a sunny autumn morning with the wind in your hair and the days work staring you in the face, the cattle have been misbehaving but I dont care because I know deep down inside that they just want my attention. Giving them ur 2 cents means you're going off on an irrelevant rant, but thats just my 2 cents... LOL

 

[ainwood]

Its contract law.

In one case, you are soliciting an opinion. You make an offer to pay for an opinion; if the person then provides an opinion, then there is implicit acceptance, and a contract is formed: than there has been offer, acceptance and consideration.

In the other, someone is offering to pay someone else two cents to have them listen to that opinion. If the potential listener declines to hear it, then there is no contract: There is an offer and consideration, but no acceptance.

 

[I'm Cleo!]

Its contract law.

In one case, you are soliciting an opinion. You make an offer to pay for an opinion; if the person then provides an opinion, then there is implicit acceptance, and a contract is formed: than there has been offer, acceptance and consideration.

In the other, someone is offering to pay someone else two cents to have them listen to that opinion. If the potential listener declines to hear it, then there is no contract: There is an offer and consideration, but no acceptance.

Hahaha! Bilateral and unilateral contracts, right?

Cleo

 

[WhiteEagle22]

Interesting...I never thought of it that way!