lazygood4nothinbum
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
- Messages
- 3,895
after brunch, we left my brother & sil's house in samesville (all houses over 3k sq ft - all similar colors - all pretty much the same tile roofs - all the very same setbacks - same mini-vans, same children) and headed down the street to consumerville, land of power centers, malls, retail strips, one on top of the other and next to each other and across the street from each other where there is nothing to do but search for parking and spend money.
we did about three or four stores and three or four parking lots. then on the way back to samesville--as i'm normally a little scared of just my local supermarket but this was a bit overwelming--i commented at how much life there focused on shopping. my brother said life has often been centered around the marketplace. people buying food, trading goods--they come together in this social gathering which forms a big part of life.
i started thinking: are we who don't shop missing out on a big part of life? if we were living below our means in medieval europe, would we have been burned at the stake for being reclusive witches refusing to partake in society?
until my brother enlightened me, i didn't normally think of the marketplace as a social gathering. my mother, the ultimate nonshopper, taught me how to shop. she'd go into the mall with an item in mind. pick up a few samples, bring them home and return what didn't fit by ups.
maybe i just never picked-up on the nuance of shopping. maybe it has less to do with consumerism and more to do with socializing. fighting for parking spaces, holding open doors, making eye contact with the cutie in isle 7, exchanging good cheer with the cashier.
i'm left with the feeling that i need to spend more time at the mall. i will look for cuties in the isles and make conversation with the merchants. this is very exciting: i have a whole new thing to do all day. i'm going re-enter society and shop. (i don't have to actually buy anything, right?)
we did about three or four stores and three or four parking lots. then on the way back to samesville--as i'm normally a little scared of just my local supermarket but this was a bit overwelming--i commented at how much life there focused on shopping. my brother said life has often been centered around the marketplace. people buying food, trading goods--they come together in this social gathering which forms a big part of life.
i started thinking: are we who don't shop missing out on a big part of life? if we were living below our means in medieval europe, would we have been burned at the stake for being reclusive witches refusing to partake in society?
until my brother enlightened me, i didn't normally think of the marketplace as a social gathering. my mother, the ultimate nonshopper, taught me how to shop. she'd go into the mall with an item in mind. pick up a few samples, bring them home and return what didn't fit by ups.
maybe i just never picked-up on the nuance of shopping. maybe it has less to do with consumerism and more to do with socializing. fighting for parking spaces, holding open doors, making eye contact with the cutie in isle 7, exchanging good cheer with the cashier.
i'm left with the feeling that i need to spend more time at the mall. i will look for cuties in the isles and make conversation with the merchants. this is very exciting: i have a whole new thing to do all day. i'm going re-enter society and shop. (i don't have to actually buy anything, right?)