Wednesday, December 08, 2004
anti-everything and the cheeks are burning
The older I get, the more I find I'm not cut out for the "American Lifestyle" or even fitting the average definition of being "an American". I don't want to go shopping every weekend, walk alongside hundreds of other consumerist zombies. I don't care about name-brand clothes or the latest sale at the GAP, so I can be dressed like the latest TOOL. I like gadgets and electronics, but if I could, I'd probably use the same computer for 10 years if it wasn't for the fact that software continually presses hardware to upgrade. I don't mind driving a car, but if it was an option, I'd ride the train a lot because it's generally safer, better for the environment, and I don't have to spend my time on a freeway dodging yuppie soccer moms and their obnoxious SUVs. Christmas shopping season magnifies the insanity by a hundred times. I don't think Europeans accents are sexy, and I despise the worship of the Westernized Ideal of Beauty that can be boiled down to "White Folks are the Best-est... especially men!" I don't obsess about my weight, but I'm pretty sure that if I want to be healthy, I have to eat right AND exercise - a revolutionary idea, I know. I don't want plastic surgery either. When I'm hungry, I don't want to eat at McDonald's, or Burger King, or drink coffee at Starbucks... I'd rather dine & drink at the smaller local Mom & Pop restaurant like Miyako's, Pasta Freska, Than Brothers, Orange King, Five Spot, Jitterbug, or a somewhere in Chinatown. When I go grocery shopping, I'd like to buy organic groceries, but realistically, I'll just buy whatever is on sale - because I know I can probably use just about anything to cook myself something odd, but edible. I like homemade cookies and my Mom's Chinese spareribs. Actually, I like just about anything my Mom cooks. I hardly ever watch television, and when I do, it's usually the news, movies, and music videos - in that order. I don't follow any sitcoms, but I admit, recently I've become a fan of Jack & Bobby, which I don't feel so guilty watching because it's an attempt at socially conscious and intelligent television. I don't turn on the radio, because usually it's playing the same 10 crappy songs day after day, and the only stations I can stand for more than a few minutes are 98.1 and 88.5 - classical and jazz music. For the latest hip.hop music that I like, I browse the internet, and download songs - but I usually end copping the albums because I believe in supporting quality artists like Dilated Peoples, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Jurassic 5, Binary Star, and Blue Scholars. I also spend a lot of time listening to "old music" too - because Frank Sinatra, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Rage Against the Machine can still tear it up. I enjoy reading the newspaper, but nowadays, I do that mostly on the internet. I often get lost inside bookstores, new and used. I'd like to work, but I'm not so interested in being rich, though, hey - what person wouldn't mind it? I don't own stock, and besides being a cheapskate, my knowledge of manipulating my mammon to maximize my stash is pretty limited. I want a job, but not for the possibility of it helping me accumulate crazy cash flows, but because I believe it's good to work and I just want enough money to support myself, a family, and any future seeds. I want my children to be able to speak more languages than just English and I want them to live abroad outside of America at least once so they can understand what it means to be American. I enjoy competition because part of my personality is naturally competitive, but I don't take it as seriously as many of my friends do. I can enjoy watching basketball, baseball, and football, but I don't obsess over stats or follow every single game, because I find I want to spend my time doing something else. I do play a lot of video games, which admittedly is a bit of a time-consuming interest, but hey, everybody needs a hobby and outlet to blow off some steam. Speaking of blowing off steam, I guess that's what this entry is about. Sometimes, I'm just tired of it all. .:. nothing sacred Beckham and Posh Spice posing as the parents of Jesus? Ugh. European disrespect for all things spiritual continues. |
Comments:
I can relate to the lifestyle of not being so caught up in consumerism. A lot of the things you mentioned, I personally agree. Funny how I was just thinking about that today with all the frenzy surrounding Xmas time and buying things. As I've become older, it has made me take a bit of a step out of "that box". There is such an excessive amount of advertising and the corporate philosophies that's shoved in your face where ever you go.
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in?scrip?tion (n-skrip-shun)n.
the facts.
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