Originally posted by séamuis marriage by definition is nothing more than a contract between two people
Couldn't be further from the truth.
Marriage is a covenant, not merely a contract. It encompasses much more than the agreement between two people living and cooperating together. In the same way, vows on a couple's wedding day mean more than just the words iterated and repeated to each other.
But getting back to topic, the word marriage was to be used a little more loosely than any strict technical definition of the word. Consumers can be 'dumb' but that's too harsh a word to use - I consider it more like 'ignorant'. And that's OK - we can't all be photography gear gurus. Sticking with a brand for what it offers is a kind of loyalty that can be likened to a 'marriage' - I think that's what we're discussing here.