Abishai100
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- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,957
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Commerce and consumerism have radically affected the way we think, and this vignette was inspired by the relevant film Toys.
Signing off,
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Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) was the world's favorite vigilante, a socialite-playboy who decided to become a skilled hooded archer. Arrow's arrows were tipped with a sedative that instantly knocked out anyone they pierced. Arrow's new mission concerned a populism-fervor movement in India involving the incantation of a yesteryear kitchen tool called the 'boti' (a rustic/basic blade-and-board item used for cutting foods on the floor with hand-and-foot), which was oddly shaped and quite dangerous if not used with great care. The Indian political movement surrounding the boti concerned the proper social focus afforded to household items/goods in the age of consumerism-based spiritualism (e.g., Aunt Jemima pancake syrup). The hysteria rising because of the boti was creating pure anarchy!
Arrow prowled around the city streets of New Delhi and Bombay and Calcutta on weekend evenings with his sedative-tipped arrows looking for mobs of Indians creating havoc in the streets over the boti. He noticed one group of male college student in Calcutta running through the streets with botis in their hands threatening to hurt policemen with it. Arrow started spraying this crowd of student-fanatics with his arrows. Arrow also sent a notice to the Delhi Times newspaper claiming that if the Indian government did not resolve this matter regarding 'misplaced idealism' toward consumerism relics, he would continue to 'hawk' the cities of India by night as a 'spectre' or 'ghoul.' The Indian PM took notice of Arrow's warning and began taking measures to urge Indians not to go to extremes in their passionate consumerism 'crusade.'
Thrilled that his work in India bore fruit, Arrow returned to America and began contemplating the serious psychological impact of consumerism and the cultural 'celebration' of toys used to reflect a human interest in imagination-based social exchange (e.g., Facebook). Arrow decided to turn his attention to the Americana iconic Pez candy-dispensers, which often came in the shape of fun-loving cartoon characters/avatars (e.g., Daffy Duck, Darth Vader, Daredevil, etc.). Arrow wrote an editorial in the New Yorker in which he described the Pez 'empire' as reflective of a social interest in imparting a flair of consumerism onto youth through the marketing/distribution of culture-representative 'totems' (or in this case...toys!). Arrow felt very passionate and happy about consumerism and hence about capitalism itself.
Thinking he was happy, Arrow sat by a tree and decided to take a long and much-deserved nap. While he slept, he dreamt he was being visited by a giant talking snail named Happy. Happy the Snail crept up to Arrow and congratulated him for this special successes regarding his consumerism-item crusades (botis and Pez dispensers) in India and America. Arrow told Happy he was satisfied he was 'defending' capitalism and therefore perhaps even democracy. Happy ominously told Arrow that capitalism defense does not always create securities for democracy (e.g., 9/11). When Arrow awoke, he realized the message of 'Happy the Snail' was that spiritual defense of consumerism-culture required a serious crusade to bond capitalism and democracy in a way that the people would appreciate.
Arrow set out to determine how to 'bond' capitalism with democracy in a way that the people found beneficial and desirable. Arrow decided he would hype the video-game culture in the modern world to achieve this goal. Video-games had become very representative of society's fascination with the youthful energy associated with technology (even if they were a bit eccentric!). Arrow told Americans that video-games were 'virtual reality experiences' catering to a natural mental curiosity about the desire to immerse oneself in a 'contest' of both survival (capitalism-inference) and teamwork (democracy-inference). Arrow touted video-games such as Star Wars, Mortal Kombat, and Mario Brothers, since they represented real imagination. Arrow concluded he was a true 'friend' of merchandising.
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Signing off,
====
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) was the world's favorite vigilante, a socialite-playboy who decided to become a skilled hooded archer. Arrow's arrows were tipped with a sedative that instantly knocked out anyone they pierced. Arrow's new mission concerned a populism-fervor movement in India involving the incantation of a yesteryear kitchen tool called the 'boti' (a rustic/basic blade-and-board item used for cutting foods on the floor with hand-and-foot), which was oddly shaped and quite dangerous if not used with great care. The Indian political movement surrounding the boti concerned the proper social focus afforded to household items/goods in the age of consumerism-based spiritualism (e.g., Aunt Jemima pancake syrup). The hysteria rising because of the boti was creating pure anarchy!
Arrow prowled around the city streets of New Delhi and Bombay and Calcutta on weekend evenings with his sedative-tipped arrows looking for mobs of Indians creating havoc in the streets over the boti. He noticed one group of male college student in Calcutta running through the streets with botis in their hands threatening to hurt policemen with it. Arrow started spraying this crowd of student-fanatics with his arrows. Arrow also sent a notice to the Delhi Times newspaper claiming that if the Indian government did not resolve this matter regarding 'misplaced idealism' toward consumerism relics, he would continue to 'hawk' the cities of India by night as a 'spectre' or 'ghoul.' The Indian PM took notice of Arrow's warning and began taking measures to urge Indians not to go to extremes in their passionate consumerism 'crusade.'
Thrilled that his work in India bore fruit, Arrow returned to America and began contemplating the serious psychological impact of consumerism and the cultural 'celebration' of toys used to reflect a human interest in imagination-based social exchange (e.g., Facebook). Arrow decided to turn his attention to the Americana iconic Pez candy-dispensers, which often came in the shape of fun-loving cartoon characters/avatars (e.g., Daffy Duck, Darth Vader, Daredevil, etc.). Arrow wrote an editorial in the New Yorker in which he described the Pez 'empire' as reflective of a social interest in imparting a flair of consumerism onto youth through the marketing/distribution of culture-representative 'totems' (or in this case...toys!). Arrow felt very passionate and happy about consumerism and hence about capitalism itself.
Thinking he was happy, Arrow sat by a tree and decided to take a long and much-deserved nap. While he slept, he dreamt he was being visited by a giant talking snail named Happy. Happy the Snail crept up to Arrow and congratulated him for this special successes regarding his consumerism-item crusades (botis and Pez dispensers) in India and America. Arrow told Happy he was satisfied he was 'defending' capitalism and therefore perhaps even democracy. Happy ominously told Arrow that capitalism defense does not always create securities for democracy (e.g., 9/11). When Arrow awoke, he realized the message of 'Happy the Snail' was that spiritual defense of consumerism-culture required a serious crusade to bond capitalism and democracy in a way that the people would appreciate.
Arrow set out to determine how to 'bond' capitalism with democracy in a way that the people found beneficial and desirable. Arrow decided he would hype the video-game culture in the modern world to achieve this goal. Video-games had become very representative of society's fascination with the youthful energy associated with technology (even if they were a bit eccentric!). Arrow told Americans that video-games were 'virtual reality experiences' catering to a natural mental curiosity about the desire to immerse oneself in a 'contest' of both survival (capitalism-inference) and teamwork (democracy-inference). Arrow touted video-games such as Star Wars, Mortal Kombat, and Mario Brothers, since they represented real imagination. Arrow concluded he was a true 'friend' of merchandising.
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