why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

dave _b seems to think all audiophiles are mindless fools who are incapable of making decisions. By his lights they all need 'protecting' from charlatans and con men and are universally gullible.  
Where I think audiophiles, like nearly all people ,are intelligent, have an ability to make decisions based on self interest. 
And just because someone chooses to buy a product dave_b thinks is hokum, does not make him right. It is far more likely to mean dave_b is wrong in his assessment.           
As for Geoff. :But what am I you ask? clearly you are a giant gingerbread cookie. Your photo PROVES it. Where I am a giant blank slate with a big "E". I think I escaped from an eye chart...

Elizabeth is obviously very emotional right now.  You missed the tongue in cheek aspect of my post apparently?  That being said, anyone should be able to pursue anything they please.  I was simply riffing on the analogy GK mentioned.  It was sarcastic humor with a thread of truth perhaps...certainly not a treatise or anything worth publishing.  Relax, take a bubble bath and put on some Perry Como for goodness sake!  Geeez

Something is wrong with dave_b. We don’t know what it is. But we suspect ye olde peaches and hamburgers syndrome.

I’m fine GK...no need for any of your special scam sauce on my burgers 🍔 

Whatever you may think of high end cables that cost more than most high end electronics or speakers, the cable manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank. Fool an audiophile once, shame on him.  Fool him twice, shame on cable manufacturer. Fool him thrice, congratulations cable manufacturer.