"Dude, I just got the 12th generation Nano!" "Oh yeah? Well check out my new 1,000 inch plasma television!"
Americans like their electronics. We've got iPods and laptops, Kindles, Nooks and Wiis. Let's not even start on Americans and their cell phones. It seems like Apple releases a new invention every day, and everybody and their mother rushes out to buy four of it. Why are we so obsessed with having the newest, the fastest, the smallest or the biggest?
Really, it's like running a race that can never be won. For instance, the last time I got a new cell phone, I thought it was so cool. It was a newer version of a phone that was already sweet to begin with, and it was cute as well as functional. I looked so good with my new phone... for about a month. Then, one of my friend's plans went up, and she got a new phone. Hers was way cooler than mine! How could a month have made that much difference?
The same thing happened to me with my laptop. My brother works in IT, so he knows his stuff when it comes to computers. He picked out an awesome laptop for me, and assured me that it was the fastest, the lightest, the sleekest and had the most capabilities. I've barely had it two years, but compared to the laptops of all of this year's freshmen, mine looks like a clunky invention from the Stone Age.
Americans never seem to be happy unless they've got whatever's newest. It doesn't matter if what we already have works perfectly well- there's something else that will be better. Or, it may work great, but then there's something that looks cuter, and hey, we're all about the cute factor.
Really, the way we love new toys is a sign of our rampant consumerism. We will always spend money on the new thing, just because it's new. And if it's nice to look at, we'll easily be suckered in- materialism at its best. It's almost sickening; buying the newest thing is like a bad habit we can't kick. But what's the big draw behind always trying to beat out your friends, family and coworkers to have whatever was just put on the market?
We should really just learn to be happy with what we have. It's way easier said than done, but maybe we would all be a little happier if we stopped worrying about beating everyone else to the latest and greatest toy. After all, this isn't Jingle All the Way, is it?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Good Eats
When PBS asked viewers to describe America in three words, the most popular terms were fat, free and rich. Free? Yes we are (for the most part, anyway). Rich? That's debatable... but compared to most countries, yes we are. Fat? Most definitely.
Americans clearly have an obsession with food. We like our food fast, and we like it big. Think about the average fast food menu: most of the items begin with the word "double." At Perkins we can order "Mammoth Muffins," and at Olive Garden there is almost always a special having to do with "never-ending" salad or pasta. We even have king-size candy bars, because regular candy bars are apparently just not enough.
Why are we so obsessed with food? Clearly, we get enough of it. It's so important to us that it be accessible that we have even invented ways to make almost anything portable- hence the food-on-a-stick tradition so prevalent at state fairs. We buy in bulk so we never run out of what we want to eat, and stores give us free samples to encourage us to buy more than what's on our grocery list. We have entire T.V. channels devoted to food, and reality television shows dedicated to cooking the best or eating the most.
I will admit, I'm an offender too. I love my Double-Stuf Oreos and $5 footlongs as much as the next American (although I do eat the sub in two parts). Part of our obsession comes from the way we've been raised- we do, for the most part, live in a culture of excess. But why do we tend to buy everything in packages of three, when we only end up throwing two out because they expired or got freezer-burned? You'd think we'd learn to only take what we need, but instead we have a mindset that is always saying, "Take more! Take more!"
I'm not sure why we are so food-obsessed. It may be that we tend to abuse it because our access to it is so easy- I'm sure starving people in third-world countries don't stuff their food down like Americans do. I'm also sure they are far less likely to complain if their steak isn't cooked to order, or if their pancakes are a little burned.
I've heard that the problem with starvation in the world isn't caused by lack of food, but by improper distribution. Perhaps if we were less concerned with how long it will be until our pizza arrives, and focused more on helping supply the basic nutritional needs of needy people around the world, we would be less obsessed with our food, and more appreciative of it.
Americans clearly have an obsession with food. We like our food fast, and we like it big. Think about the average fast food menu: most of the items begin with the word "double." At Perkins we can order "Mammoth Muffins," and at Olive Garden there is almost always a special having to do with "never-ending" salad or pasta. We even have king-size candy bars, because regular candy bars are apparently just not enough.
Why are we so obsessed with food? Clearly, we get enough of it. It's so important to us that it be accessible that we have even invented ways to make almost anything portable- hence the food-on-a-stick tradition so prevalent at state fairs. We buy in bulk so we never run out of what we want to eat, and stores give us free samples to encourage us to buy more than what's on our grocery list. We have entire T.V. channels devoted to food, and reality television shows dedicated to cooking the best or eating the most.
I will admit, I'm an offender too. I love my Double-Stuf Oreos and $5 footlongs as much as the next American (although I do eat the sub in two parts). Part of our obsession comes from the way we've been raised- we do, for the most part, live in a culture of excess. But why do we tend to buy everything in packages of three, when we only end up throwing two out because they expired or got freezer-burned? You'd think we'd learn to only take what we need, but instead we have a mindset that is always saying, "Take more! Take more!"
I'm not sure why we are so food-obsessed. It may be that we tend to abuse it because our access to it is so easy- I'm sure starving people in third-world countries don't stuff their food down like Americans do. I'm also sure they are far less likely to complain if their steak isn't cooked to order, or if their pancakes are a little burned.
I've heard that the problem with starvation in the world isn't caused by lack of food, but by improper distribution. Perhaps if we were less concerned with how long it will be until our pizza arrives, and focused more on helping supply the basic nutritional needs of needy people around the world, we would be less obsessed with our food, and more appreciative of it.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Professional Sports
If there's something I don't understand about Americans, it's our idolization of professional athletes. It seems like whenever I log onto Facebook and check out some of my friend's profiles, all I see are pictures of them sporting signs that say, "Mauer is my man!" or "I'll be the beauty and Jared Allen can be my beast!" I don't even have to watch a game to know how it's going- I can just go to my homepage and look over the latest status updates that show up.
I understand that when someone is really good at what they do, they will make our teams win, and we like that. What I don't understand is how we can pay them millions and millions of dollars to do it. Yes, we live in a culture where people are paid according to how well they do their job. No, we do not have a stable economy and such a low poverty rate that we can justify giving ONE PERSON that much money.
Take Joe Mauer, for instance. I hate to pick on him, because I know he's some heartthrob and hometown hero, but last winter the guy signed an eight-year contract worth $184 MILLION DOLLARS. And let's not even start on his McDonald's cups or Kemps commercials. Mauer has become the face of Minnesota, and while it's not a bad face to look at, I don't think it's a $184 million dollar face (no offense, man).
I just don't understand how we can justify the amount of money we spend on professional sports in the U.S. Besides building new stadiums and signing outrageously extravagant contracts, we also spend tons to watch the sports. We buy season tickets and jerseys, and we sign up for TiVo in case we miss the game (God forbid). We throw parties with our friends, and pay tons of money to go to meet-and-greets. What I blogged earlier about celebrity couples is also true here- they are just people. Yes, they are really, really good at what they do, but who is walking around with 'Bill Gates' on the back of a jersey? Yes, they are doing good things for our self-esteem and group identity, but I, for one, think the All-State guy deserves a little more credit than we're giving him.
I love professional sports, don't get me wrong. I may not be one of the girls arguing with her roommates about the pros and cons of Favre, but I appreciate a good "what-used-to-be-a-Dome-Dog" all the same. I just don't think that because I want to watch a good game on a Sunday afternoon means that Adrian Peterson should get $40.5 million dollars for it.
I understand that when someone is really good at what they do, they will make our teams win, and we like that. What I don't understand is how we can pay them millions and millions of dollars to do it. Yes, we live in a culture where people are paid according to how well they do their job. No, we do not have a stable economy and such a low poverty rate that we can justify giving ONE PERSON that much money.
Take Joe Mauer, for instance. I hate to pick on him, because I know he's some heartthrob and hometown hero, but last winter the guy signed an eight-year contract worth $184 MILLION DOLLARS. And let's not even start on his McDonald's cups or Kemps commercials. Mauer has become the face of Minnesota, and while it's not a bad face to look at, I don't think it's a $184 million dollar face (no offense, man).
I just don't understand how we can justify the amount of money we spend on professional sports in the U.S. Besides building new stadiums and signing outrageously extravagant contracts, we also spend tons to watch the sports. We buy season tickets and jerseys, and we sign up for TiVo in case we miss the game (God forbid). We throw parties with our friends, and pay tons of money to go to meet-and-greets. What I blogged earlier about celebrity couples is also true here- they are just people. Yes, they are really, really good at what they do, but who is walking around with 'Bill Gates' on the back of a jersey? Yes, they are doing good things for our self-esteem and group identity, but I, for one, think the All-State guy deserves a little more credit than we're giving him.
I love professional sports, don't get me wrong. I may not be one of the girls arguing with her roommates about the pros and cons of Favre, but I appreciate a good "what-used-to-be-a-Dome-Dog" all the same. I just don't think that because I want to watch a good game on a Sunday afternoon means that Adrian Peterson should get $40.5 million dollars for it.
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