ABSTRACT
The old cliché “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” embodies the idea that perception is selective. That is, we view the world from a personal perspective that is influenced by cultural elements and past experiences. Some people, for example, seem to find religious symbols embedded on the oddest items, including freezer doors and food products. In 2004, a grilled cheese sandwich sold for $28,000 on eBay (to Internet casino GoldenPalace.com) because some people believed it bore the face of the Virgin Mary (MSNBC 2004). Another person believed that his Funyuns onion-flavored snack resembled the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus. He attempted to sell his mundane product on eBay but was only offered $609 by an anonymous bidder ( Post-Standard, 12/7/05).
