Lame Excuses

Need to post. Have been insanely busy this week. Will try to refocus on you people I don't know, sorry for unexplained lapse.

I have a question that's been nagging at me and I even put the item of annoyance in the office on my desk so I would remember to ask you. When one buys earrings (bye, men), why on earth do they come with backs with massive clear disks around them? (What are those doodads called, they're not posts...) Is it intended for you to wear these? Are they to shore up heavy earrings? Because they come on all the earrings now. I never wear them, but I'm vexed because I'm running low on the normal kind of backs. Your opinions? Thanks.