Continuand cu ideea de Singapore – societate de consum, mai jos e o nota pe care am scris-o pe Facebook intr-o zi cand pragul meu de toleranta si acceptare a snobismului si superficialitatii a fost grosolan depasit. Dupa cum se vede…
Binenteles ca aici nu e vorba doar de Singapore, ci in general de toata tarile noi dezvoltate sau in curs de dezvoltare. In Asia insa e o chestie in plus, un sindrom bizar de tanjire excesiva dupa branduri europene.
In Romania masura a cat de mult “te-ai ajuns” e cat de firma iti sunt hainele. Ceea ce e intr-un fel de inteles, nevoia omului de a arata ca a crescut pe scara societati… dar cat de frumoasa ar fi o lume in care oamenii nu ar comanda respectul si admiratia celor din jur prin hainele lor, ci in schimb prin actiunile lor…
E chiar utopie ce vorbesc eu aici?
This is my first ever note on facebook and i’m only writing it because i need help understanding.

Why is it that we need brands to validate us?
How does a branded bag (= a piece of leather) make me a better person? What does the label on my shirt (= a piece of cloth) say about me? Am I more valuable, more intelligent, more beautiful, more attractive, am I a better human being because it says Versace, Armani, and Prada all over me? How does it really work, am i worth like… 5% more if I have a Louis Vuitton bag? Another 7% if I have Gucci boots? Does Chanel get me another 10%?

Or is it only through brands that i can achieve that level of recognition, i can have people falling on their knees and kissing my feet in utter admiration saying “you have made it! you’re the greatest! you’re our queen! we want to be just like you!”? Is that the secret?

I find it extremely sad that some people feel the need to hide their insecurities behind labels. I find it sad that some people don’t know how to appreciate their own value and use objects to prove others that they are indeed worth something. I find it sad that some people need to do and think what everyone else does and thinks in order to feel accepted. I find it sad that some people don’t think beyond that name in that shop.

What makes me even sadder is that some people make huge efforts to buy these objects, they make so many sacrifices and are willing to work themselves to death and save money for months just to buy a name. It breaks my heart to see these people then expecting to be and feel just like George Clooney or Jennifer Lopez. “Hollywood’s most wanted bachelor – must be the jeans!”. “Sex-symbol – must be the sunglasses!”. So we get the jeans… and the sunglasses… and we drink the drinks and wear the perfumes… just to discover at the end of the day that behind all these objects we’re still us, same old us… do we even like this person at the end of the day? And if we don’t, why would others?

The funniest thing is people don’t realise they work themselves to death this way just so that a handful of people can cruise the world in private jets, bathe in Dom Perignon, buy themselves little islands and then look for propitious places to build their next people exploiting plant.

It is in those moments when the child tells you in school that he’s skipping the 1 dollar lunch in order to save money… and then one hour later a pretty lady tells you so happily that she managed to save 800 dollars when buying her new Chanel purse… it is when you know that some people’s everyday decision process is along the lines of “what am i going to feed my family today”, while others’ is “what toy should i get myself next?”… it is when you go from Paradise to Hell in the space of a 5 minutes ride in a third-world metropolis… it is in those moments that you get really angry with the world. So angry with the world…

I’m wondering, were we born so ignorant and superficial? Or what happened to us along the way?