Monday, May 25, 2009

Obsession

Citizen Ojo said: "The American Dream is fallacy. It's an advertising tool for us to buy cars, homes, boats, plastic surgery and lord knows what else."

Blame Calvin Klein.
Calvin was smart enough to know that most people couldn't afford his Couture collection,
so he came up with a Pret a Porter line.
For those who couldn't afford a hundred dollar shirt - Calvin came out with a more affordable line of boxers and briefs with a more affordable price point of under twenty dollars.
But the real money maker was his fragrance line.
People who couldn't really afford to wear Calvins could wear Calvin's cologne.

Soon, everyone was fakin' da funk.
How many times have you seen a set of rims that were worth more than the car?

A lot of that Blang is really just blung.
A lot of it is rolled gold plate with a 10k clasp.

(Do I really need to go here?)

Blue eyed Black girls are not that common - but it is an option.

Sure, I like Asian hair.
It's so long and thick.
But it belongs on Asian women.
And what ever happened to the old fashioned usage of a toothbrush and dental floss?

Even homes are now made to "look just like" the real thing.
If I see another person spending tens of thousands of dollars on Melamine made to look like real wood...

Plastic Crown Molding?
The collapse of the economy should have been expected.
It was just an illusion of real wealth.

6 comments:

brohammas said...

friends of mine at work, back when I had a job, used to tell me they wished thier wife could stay at home with the kids but they couldn't afford it. These were coworkers who made the same money I did. When I pounted this out they would make excuses about how they just couldn't live the way I do. Ummm, what does that mean? I live quite comfortably, but my house is not big, my car is not nice, and I don't travel the way I like... but I sleep well at night and my kids are raised by us, not day care.

the American dream is not a lie, people have simply forgotten what the dream is. They forgot its work hard for opportunity and a better life, and now think its get rich and make it rain.

RunningMom said...

@ brohammas: I like the idea of both parents working once the kids are in school, or at least doing something out of the house to create extra income. I admire the moms who stay home with the kids, but isn't it a lot of pressure to be the sole breadwinner supporting a family? I guess I am in that position now, but I don't have a wife or additional kids to support either.

Can I just say that the boob picture is scary. Who would do that to themselves? WTF? And plastic crown molding just sounds tacky...

uglyblackjohn said...

@ brohammas - But your laying the foundation for a better life for you family - not leveraging your family's future on the hope that the illusion can be sold to someone more foolish than yourself.

Believe me... I really wish I had nicer home, with all classic mid-cent-mod furnishings in pritine condition, with original art by the modern masters.
But instead - I buy what I can pay for in cash.

My house is just under 3000 sq.ft. (4/3/3) - just for me.
But it's far from my dream home.
I get great deals on clothing from friends who are buyers at Barneys and district managers with Nike.
(But I still have to buy past season classics.)
I have friends who own car dealerships - so I get a good deal on cars.
It's never been about spending money - that's it's purpose.
But about wasting money.


@ RunningMom - IMO - everything on this post is tacky.

FreeMan said...

You know I agree with Ojo on this one because so much of the American Dream is unnecessary. People don't know how much things really cost anymore or they don't compute it properly. Instead they go by if they can make the payments. Marketing got people thinking they need granite counter tops or somehow the kitchen is not great. 6 burners on the stove when no one fukking cooks anymore anyway. Infinity pools in Seattle when they barely get any sun. This is marketing at it's best because c'mon how many people need a Trojan Magnum but how many have been sold. I can tell you because I sell condoms online and it's my number 1 selling brand and style.

I think a pimp said all you have to do is sell a hoe a dream! Well everyone has been pimped because the American Dream is a total and complete hustle!

uglyblackjohn said...

@ FreeMan - Yep, but now the Dream seems to be over.

FreeMan said...

Don't worry they'll recreate it and say people should sacrifice so their kids will have a better life. I mean that's the BS they fed to everyones parents right that your sacrifices today insure your kids tomorrow. The dream is so fungible that in good times it means get money in bad times it means sacrifice in silence. How much you want to be we hear a lot of this industrial revolution stories in 20 years. Talking about how their father sacrificed everything so they could have a chance. And the cycle of BS continues!