We the People

We the People are pretty lazy. Our whole consumer market saturates us with tools to compound our natural instinct to be inert. But those "toys" come so fast and easy that we don't even think it through before we utilize them. For example, I saw at least three Swiffers in the garbage this week around my neighborhood. I myself am guilty of buying into those commercials showing the pristine floors and ease of use. But let's face it, it's really a piece of cloth strapped onto a board with a stick. And the mopping ones, don't make me laugh. That cleans only a 2x2 area before that sucker dries out. To clean a REAL floor, used under REAL circumstances, you would need about 25 or those damn clothes. But we buy them - don't we - because on TV it looks just so damned easy.

I watched a comic talk about those stupid plastic clogs that were all the rage this summer (I for one found them HORRIBLE looking and wouldn't be caught coming out of a psych ward with them). We want shoes that we can slip into, not wear socks with, hose down when they're dirty. Thus, a shoe craze is born. Never mind the fact that they do NOTHING good for support - they're loud and cloppy, they get small children's feet stuck on escalators causing great bodily harm - they're horrible.

I do love the idea of the Roomba though - a small gliding saucer that sweeps and/or mops for you whenever it senses dirt. I am, however, fighting this urge to get one because I just can't shake that whole Flintstones meets the Jetsons thing (me being a Flintstone). I am not entirely comfortable giving over control of my life to machines (yet). I can see it now, a few years down the road and Roombas all over the world will fight the good fight - homes burning down around its owners while small disc shaped metal things are seen fleeing the scene like handicapped UFOs.

I love cell phones though, they bring people so much closer as is evidenced by the crowds gathered at the foot of the subway steps, in the lobby by the elevators, shyt - even in their cars - yapping and whooping and hollering to beat the band. Damn yo, how DID we get through life back in the day when you couldn't talk non-stop to people no matter where you were. When I first bought one many moons ago I got it for emergencies (and yeah so my insane then husband can track my movements) but I wonder, way back in the 70's, what did people do in emergencies? How could they go all day without talking to their loved ones, having fights, making up, planning the future - all while walking down the aisle of the supermarket.

But I'm old fashioned - I think people should be FORCED to be home with their loved ones and talk to each other daily - not get the lowdown while doing 65 on the FDR Drive. I think it's nice to see people in person when they say "I love you" rather than say "what, say that again my signal's breaking up." I have my phone for emergencies and don't even give out the number to people who I don't anticipate helping me in an emergency or I don't anticipate needing me in an emergency. Period.

But I'm just rambling without my full dose of coffee - I have not succumbed to the lure of the waterbug infested thing here at work.