kulture

Mood: saturday night fever
Song: negotiator opening theme
Newest infatuation: bed head hair care
Secretly craving: an ipod radio accesorie
Wish i were... amelie

So since last week i have watched Amelie, the movie, bought a BED HEAD leave in conditioner and planned a trip to thailand. Also i have discovered myself as a person. I am infact a living, breathing creature, who is an extrapolation of Amelie, the character. It is an epiphany of the greatest sort when you realise you define what is 'cool'. Pop culture is not a bad thing, it benefits anthropologists as they have current material to analyse and write about, however, for those who follow it blindly, it is like driving through a tunnel with no end.

For instance, when you want to conform to society's expectations of what is cool and what isn't you it is a conscious decision that you make where you put a certain groups ideas on a pedestal. There is always a king/queen pin and his/her life is what you epitomise and strive to be. In short you crush the real person inside you in order to go with the flow and and make your existence mere plagiarism. It can be argued that the celebrities and icons of the world are responsible for creating such a fan base. I dont discredit their works as artistes and i appreciate their exhibition of style and awe. But when you see that not only do they have a fan base, but a whole 'cult' of followers it becomes quite disturbing.

For instance, from where i come, RnB and Hip Hop are the songs to die for. Clubs, and everything cool has them blasting on their sound systems. I do not question the artistes creative skills (although i think they could be more respectful of women) but they accumulate a huge band of asian 'african american' wannabes trailing behind them. For instance slang unique to this culture is seeping into the culture of our communities and replaces what we have with something imported... This stamps out creativity and originality in individuals. It also curbs the progress of the culture of our country because we idolise something that is not necessarily the best thing for us. It becomes a case of blatant wannabeism.

However, anthropologists may argue that it is human nature that is indeed responsible for 'wannabeism' throughout the history of man. For example the romans imitated the greeks, and in fact to have a culture, people must conform in some way or another. But, there should be room for individualism, to preserve the mind and sanity. Taking the romans, they started by imitating greeks but they built upon it and created a magnificient culture of their own. People should learn to question and think for themselves and intelligently be able to accept and reject aspects of their lives. We are a logical species. The mind must be exercised and it should not be crippled with the existence of an overbearing culture.

There will always be many pied pipers in the world. Corporations, celebrities, leaders, peers and what ever else may come to your mind. But as people, we have the upper hand. We can choose, adopt, and build upon.

Getting back to where i stand. Right now i am a victim of retail culture. Shopping, for things you may not need indeed is a weakness. Which i have come to accept because it does harm me. I have developed a liking for the finer things in life, which nonetheless, are a little above my means. Although i must admit, i am not trying to conform, but the marketing and presentation of certain products appeal to me and i tend to fall into the target markets of these corporations. For instance clinique and bed head. I do agree that i am happy with the products i have been using so far, and what i needed what i bought. But since i have fulfilled all my needs why do i want to purchase more? why do i want to qualify for their special gifts etc. That is the calling of the retail culture where uneccesary wants have been made into needs. This is what i have to fight to stay sane. The consequences of conforming would be tremendously detrimental to by development as a reasonable person, and not to forget the opportunity cost of the $$ i bust away.

Enough banter. Thailand will be a change that i need. The holiday i never had. Time spent with friends. Adventure and excitement. A refresher course to what really matters in life.

au revoir,
Amelie