I feel like a stranger in a strange land. Up until 5 years ago I didn't even realize that most people in the United States believed in God, that I was part of a small and possibly shrinking minority.
Something else happened recently which makes me feel lost in a crazy world, but I can't remember it right now. So this post is going nowhere fast. Oh yeah, I remember: I hate Disney World and Disneyland. But so far I am the only person I know who feels that way. Luckily Sue reminded me that it's for the kids, and I have been trying and largely succeeding (except for a few relapses) at pretending not to hate those places.
I am completely bummed out about the state of the world and the state of the US. The UK is not a lot better, but at least they have the NHS ;-)
I thought this 20 minute video called "The Story of Stuff" was excellent. Sure, it contains a few political references that my right-wing nut case friends won't like, but I think it is dead on with respect to just a couple serious issues facing this world. I want to show it to my kids. The video is about the negative aspects of our addiction to the never-ending cycle of consumption. And I agree with it whole-heartedly, have espoused the merits of the video to my friends, vowed to cut back on my consumption … and then got back to counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until Steve Jobs got on the stage at MacWorld and tell me what awesome products I am going to buy this year …
What the hell is the matter with me, anyway?
MacWorld was disappointing, BTW, but the end result is a postponing of more Apple-based consumption, so that's not bad is it?
So, yeah, the video eventually mentions the fact that consuming all this stuff has done not one single thing to improve the happiness of us consumers, in fact, our happiness has declined steadily since the 1950s. I don't know if it's true or not (although I assume it is possible to measure happiness accurately), but it definitely seems right to me. Because the reason I like living in London more than Atherton is the increased interaction with other people, something that is actively discouraged by our increasing consumption of high-tech gadgets. You're less likely to chat with somebody if your i-pod is blasting away, and you're less likely to leave the house if you have a Play Station 3 or Nintendo Wii, you're less likely to go to the movies if you have a home theater, etc.
Anyway, I am sure it's the case in any big city and we just happened to pick this one: you can't help interacting more with people if you are out and about walking around, going about your business. Driving around in cars, starting and ending in your remote controlled garage, is not a recipe for human interaction unless it's with the jerk who just sneaked into your parking space at Best Buy.
Speaking of Conspicuous Consumption
Well, now that I got that off my chest, shall I tell you the saga of my espresso machine? You know, the fancy pants one I bought that would bring me into harmony with my coffee in ways never achieved before? You know - this one?
(Here's the name and model number, and some keywords for any search engines out there: La Pavoni, Stradivari, steam, sucks, froth, milk, consistency problem, over-priced, slow to warm up, bad design, stupid idea, looks good.)
Well I tried to return it yesterday I was so fed up with it. I already knew the return policy: "Return policy? Where do you think you are, the United States? You use it once?? You own it!" But I decided to play the pity card because I can be quite pitiful at times, I've done well with it in the past, why not give it a try now?
I knew my plan was in trouble when I noticed that the lady I needed to deal with at the kitchen store was crying when I showed up. I wanted to yell, "There's no crying in retail!" but of course there is, as well as politics and even in baseball … So how can I play the pity card when the lady is weeping herself?!?!?
Anyway, long story short, I got all the experts in the store to come upstairs and show me how to make the stupid, fancy-looking, old-fashioned espresso maker actually generate steamed milk with the proper consistency. The first young lady (not the one weeping at the front desk) splattered herself and the surrounding area with milk and in the end produced limp foam indeed. Then an older guy stepped in and he and I went at it with passion about how to produce a good head of foam on your steamed milk. I kept telling him that I am a professional, having wielded the steam wands of many an espresso machine, from cheapo to fantastico, and had never had a problem. Finally, he brought out the big guns, a young guy who does repairs on espresso machines for the store, and he and I were able to communicate.
In the end he steamed something almost acceptable but not really what I was looking for. And I said to him, "I could solve this problem if I could bend the steam wand so that it's straight up and down instead of at an angle …" and he said, "You can definitely bend this if you need to … just not too far."
So bend it I did! Problem solved! Which means (1) I was right all along and (2) I don't hate my machine anymore. I don't know if this is sinking in with my massive reading audience, but, I've been right about things a couple times in a row now … impressive, eh?
Democracy is Dead
Democracy has been a farce for years in the States, or at least I have felt that way for years, maybe it's always been this way. Obviously money is a huge corrupting factor. But when the tools of democracy are corrupted to the bone as well, well then we are truly lost.
BTW, I cannot say "well then we are truly lost" without thinking of Obi-wan Kenobi, but that is another story.
This kind of stuff is completely freaking me out. I don't mind an electorate that doesn't care enough to vote or pay attention to issues nearly as much as I mind having a press that tells us how we're going to (or supposed to) react, rather than how we ACTUALLY DID (past tense) react! When did they get any idea other than reporting what happened? Mind boggling!
What I Miss Most about the US
When we go back to the States here's what I notice: washers and dryers. I practically threw out my back every time I reached into the cavernous washers and dryers trying to pull out the clothes. And what's with this 40 minutes to wash and 40 minutes to dry crap? It's supposed to be 110 minutes to wash and then 110 minutes to dry a load that's 1/4 the size of an average American load! And why aren't the washers and dryers in the kitchen making tons of noise during dinner like they are here in the UK?
The other thing I noticed, that I hate to admit I really appreciate when I am in the States, is how easy it is to hop in a car and go to a store and pay obscenely low prices for just about anything you could ever imagine wanting. Anything. And you have your choice of stores. And it's cheap as all get-out. And if you don't like it, TAKE IT BACK! Kind of ironic given the nature of this blog entry … which is turning into a rant. Still, this isn't the "Happy Payne Family European Adventure" blog. This is the "Jonathan get's to write whatever he wants about how he's feeling during the Happy Payne Family European Adventure" blog.
I better quit while I am ahead.
Speaking of “democracy” and the press…what is going on now: dirty campaigns, punditry over reporting in the press, limited involvement by the people…reminds me very much of the state of US politics and campaigns after George Washington stepped down. Thomas Jefferson ran one party and newspaper. Alexander Hamilton ran the other party and newspaper. And only white, male land owners were allowed to vote…plus, they voted for “electors” who were not bound to cast their votes as their districts had voted. Let’s just say that the Supreme Court has taken over this role.
There are things our founders got right…assume people in power will try to exploit that power, try to limit the damage they can cause, create a government that allows for nonviolent change, and communication (the US Postal Service) is a key to successful governance. Let’s just say that Jefferson knew himself and the other founders well.
Technology changes very fast. People do not.
btw…Ben Franklin advocated the Post Office. Partly because it made sense, but mostly because it was his major source of income ;-)
I saw the story of stuff as well, and it makes me think every time I want to buy some new electronics gadget. Mostly, it makes me sad that I’m wanting it. Then I feel weak if I actually get it.
If you really want to be depressed about the American fascist state, you should read “The End of America”. If you want to be depressed about our food supply, you should read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. I’m trying not to eat corn in any of its derivative forms. That’s really hard.
It freaks me out how many people believe in God and will do crazy things as a result.
*sigh*
Things were going so great in the ’90’s.