A BRUSH-WITH-GREATNESS PARETO-EFFICIENCY QUESTION: So, there Mrs. Earthling and I at the front table at Uncle Yu's in Lafayette, enjoying a bit of gweilofied Chinese food. The only two folks waiting for their own table are Joe and Jennifer Montana (this was not shocking, as we knew they had moved to town, but the first time I'd seen them). Now, obviously these good folks were just trying to have a quiet dinner out with their two boys and a friend, who showed up a few minutes later.
Now, let us take as a given that Joe Montana is my fourth-favorite football player of all time (after Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott and Steve Young) and that I would have at least felt it rated adding Joe Montana into a "list of ten things I've done that you haven't." Mr. Montana's cost would have been to have been both initially disturbed by me and having had to suffer through a hello and handshake and 10 to 15 seconds of fanboy chat.
What's the efficient outcome of this event? Is this pareto efficient? I'm certainly better off; is Mr. Montana worse off, not worse off, or better off for my having said hello? Mind you, this event would have been in the entry way, not walking up to his table an interfering with his family event. If this would have made Mr. Montana worse off, would my having said hello be at least Kaldor-Hicks efficient?
Or should I simply accept that there is no way to internalize the externalities and that I should go ahead and shake him down for an autograph?
[By the way, all I did say "hey" as he walked past, as a way to break up and excuse my overly long staring. He said, "hey" back.]
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