2.22.01

As my first official entry, I thought I should touch on the main thing I've changed since my recent revelation - materialism.

All the way through high school and into my early 20's, I was a shopping addict. I had to buy something every time I got a paycheck. Whether it be a computer game, movies, CD's, clothes, toys, whatever - I couldn't go a paycheck without buying something new for myself. Money was like water to me. I didn't NEED any of the things I was buying, I just wanted them. I had gotten to the point that if I wasn't buying something every week, I'd get bored and slightly depressed. Buying something new was the only thing I had in my life that made me feel good.

Now since my awakening, I can go weeks without buying anything for myself and when I do, it's usually DVD's or books - my only two weaknesses at this point.

Today, clothes mean nothing - Kohl's is the only place I even bother looking for clothes anymore. I want to punch those pissants in those damn GAP commercials. Abercrombie and Fitch - I'd use their catalog for toilet paper if it weren't so glossy and so apt to give me paper cuts. I just hate the fashion industry through and through. They are the worst culprits of this mass idiocy. These "brands" know they aren't any better than the stuff you can buy at Wal-Mart, so they have to make up reasons for you to buy their clothes. They advertise the hell out of it and they always use the angle of "You'll be more attractive/hip/wealthy/sexy/up-standing/whatever if you wear our brand." People aren't smart enough to see through this " marketing strategy" and so they just keep buying the shit. I swear, if Polo were to come out with pantaloons this spring, you'd be seeing them everywhere. The general population have minds that are so easily duped and misled and people still wonder how the Nazi's gained power.

Popular music means even less. Bands today release one song and we're expected to blindly pay $15 for a CD because we like that one song; and they wonder why Napster is such a big fuckin hit.
I am definitely one of those people who are backing Napster - not because I want to steal the music, but because I want to hear it all before I buy it. If I've downloaded the entire CD of a band (Barenaked Ladies' " Maroon", "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" just to name a few) and if I still like it after listening to the free copy from Napster - I'll go buy it! I want a copy of the CD for myself because shit can happen to your hard drive and I want that back up "copy". I know a ton of people who are like me who just don't want to spend their hard-earned cash on music they don't know if they're going to like.

The music industry is the only industry I know where demand does not force the price to go one way or the other. Right now, if you go to cdnow.com and search for Neneh Cherry's "Raw Sushi" with the hit single "Buffalo Stance" on CD, that album from 1989 is going to cost you $11.49 plus S/H. The CD itself may not be 12 years old, but dammit, the music is and there's no way that demand can keep that CD at the price of $12. Theoretically, I could understand paying $15 for Britney Spear's latest (hey, I said theoretically) because that is the latest music and demand is high. But when I pay about the same price for music that is from 12 years ago...that's just not right. It means they can easily produce more CD's easily and cheaply - there's no reason to even pay the $15 for new stuff if they can make so many of Neneh Cherry to still fill the demand. They are bending people over and it's about time we realize how stupid we are and stop buying into their shit. Hell, it's not even good music half the time anyway.

I have drastically reduced my buying of other needless things too; like deoderant, toothpaste and soap. Naw, I'm just fuckin with ya. Stupid shit that I really didn't need - little toys that I thought were cool, posters, Entertainment Weekly (I can get the same information online for free), stuff like that. Sure, I occassionally pick up the random " bucket o' green army men" and you can bet yer ass I'll be buying a few of the new Transformers when they go back to cars instead of animals, but I've cut back on the little pointless things and that's at least a start.

But, I'm not the Unabomber here yet, folks. I still buy DVD's or even the antiquated video every once in a while. Movies are one of my passions and those, to me, are not a waste of money. Yeah, there's been a lot of garbage put out there in the movie industry too, but I don't necessarily buy every movie I like either. If I buy it, it has to have a special place in my heart and it better have some damn good DVD extras to go along with it. So it's not like I'm completely blowing my cash on these and besides, I buy one once a month if I'm really lucky.

Books...shit, I gotta buy books. That is my one true addiction, but I guess you could be addicted to a lot worse stuff. I'll pick up everything from Michael Crichton paperbacks to Homer's Odyssey to just about anything on the JFK assassination. I read American history, history of WWII, ancient history, philosophy, mythology, fiction, I even own "The Encyclopedia of Modern Small Arms" - I just can't help myself. The sad thing is, I haven't even read all of every book I own either. One of these days I will, but I'm not the type of person who says "No, I haven't even finished The Stand yet, I better not pick up that book." Fuck it. If it's a book I want, I'm grabbing it. I'll get to it someday and in the meantime, I might just read bits and pieces or just look at the pretty pictures. So, yeah, I do have one addiction, but I get more out of one of my books than I would get out of ten pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans.

So what's the story morning glory? Am I happy without all this stuff? Actually, I feel much happier. I don't feel like I have to keep up with the Jones' anymore. I don't have to have all the latest styles of jeans or shirts. I don't have to buy a CD just because I like one song from it. I don't have to buy the latest, greatest computer game for $60 just because Gamespot gave it a 90. There's no pressure to be something. I can tune out most advertising because it doesn't apply to me anymore. I'm just Rob - the guy who wears clothes from Kohl's, who doesn't have the latest CD from Britney Spears, who doesn't have the flashy car, who doesn't have the IKEA furniture - I can just be me. And damn is that ever refreshing.

So there you have it, kids. The first all-out rant by the Space Monkey. Fear not, little one, there will be more, but I thought I'd let you in on one of the biggest changes I've made since my...dammit, I gotta figure out a way to put this...revelation/awakening/enlightenment/something. I think next time I'll go with a little bit nicer, calmer subject and tell you about my recent explorations into philosophy and religion.

Space Monkey