For a long time I have lamented that I have to order good quality loose leaf tea over the internet as I cannot find it in local supermarkets; I can only find tea bags there. The quality of tea bags is actually not that bad, it’s just that loose leaf tea tastes better. But for some reason, tea bags are so popular that it leaves no room for loose leaf tea in the aisles of supermarkets.

When I shop for groceries, it feels like I often have to go out of my way to get what I want, because it seems I have a discerning taste. I would curse that I have to go through that extra effort because the majority’s tastes don’t agree with mine. Why does it seem like so many people have poor taste? I never bothered to really think about it. I just settled with cursing the world every now and again.

What would happen if everyone suddenly became much more discerning and developed good taste? What would be the consquences? Wouldn’t it make my life easier?

I guess now I did bother to think about it.

What would this world look like?

At first I thought, well, I’d obviously find loose leaf tea in supermarkets! If I bought piece of cheese, I’d know the taste wouldn’t disappointment me. The same would go for chocolate. Tasty food would be waiting for me everywhere.

The changes would go beyond food stores…

Pop music more melodious. Works of art more striking.

Those were my initial thoughts. Unfortunately, if everyone became more discerning, I’m afraid that’s not what the world would look like. Instead, I predict conflict, waste, and misery.

Enter The Twilight Zone

There’s only a certain amount of stuff in the world. If people’s tastes suddenly improved, the good stuff would become much more sought after than it is today. What kind of conflict would this result in? Actually, I’m not sure. But if not violent conflict, then at least it would inflict great economic pain. Rather than being able to find loose leaf tea in supermarkets, I would instead be confronted with good quality tea that has skyrocketed in price. Demand for it has greatly increased, yet supply has remained the same. In my world, I am inconvenienced. In this new world, I may not even be able to afford it.

And if everyone went after only the good stuff, what happens to the poor stuff? It would likely all go to waste. But food that doesn’t taste quite so good is still perfectly good food! It would be a shame to let it go to waste. Yet I’m afraid that is what would happen in this new world. Food waste would become an even bigger issue than it already is.

I see masterworks get in the news for having been sold for silly amounts of money. Not all great works of art are unduly expensive, and not all pricey works are truly great; the majority of the wealthy don’t have the nose for it. But what if they did? I fear it would make current prices seem downright reasonable.

A world where people only have good taste seems like a scary place to be.

The prevalence of poor taste allows there to be balance in the world. If I can accept that, then I should probably stop cursing.