the merging of the private and public spheres, and the death of us all

have you noticed this? there is no sense anymore that public spaces are meant to be shared, and that therefore, certain behaviors should be limited or eliminated within the public sphere. it used to be that a guy would talk to someone on the phone in private. they either did this in their own home, or in a telephone booth. then, the cell phone came in, but at first, it wasn't used often, and when used, only for certain conversations. many a time, i would sense someone getting angry on their cell, and then that person would say "i'll call you when i get home," or "i'll talk to you later." now, the conversation keeps going. people have arguments on their cell phones as they ride on the bus, or as they walk down the street. last week, i heard a girl break up with her boyfriend, as she yelled at him over the phone on the bus. it used to be that we had to go to the phone, and all that happened on the phone. now, we bring the phone to us, and all the things we talk about on it have now entered the public sphere. as such, the private sphere widens, and the public sphere decreases. once upon a time, a passenger on a bus may have looked around at the other people on the bus. people may have struck up conversations, perhaps even becoming friends in the process. others may have looked out the window at the sights. they may have spotted a new restaurant they could eat at, or memorized a path that they could then walk or bike through at a later time. still others may have read.

and it isn't just the cell phone. people are constantly texting each other, or playing video games. in the old days, a guy would go to an arcade, which was a shared social space. there, they could hang out with friends, or even meet new people. now, people bring the arcade with them. they close themselves off from the outside world. at the arcade, you try new games. with the video system, you are limited to the games you already own. even the home video system is better than the portable one. at least at home you can play with friends or family, and you have to go to the system in order to use it. there is something arrogant about making everything come to us. we no longer honor patience and scarcity. it used to be that a family shared one phone, or, one phone line. so, even within your own private sphere, you often had to wait a while before you could use the phone. now, everybody talks to everybody all the time! usually, with nothing to say.

these gadgets are also usually a waste of money. do people need to play video games everywhere they go? do they need to text and email as they walk down the street? do they need to cuss people out on the bus? i just came from the supermarket, where the cashier was bragging to a co-worker that he "only" spent $280 for his phone. 280? that must be a week's pay for this guy! and what of the 50 to 100 a month this guy will pay on his monthly bill? we are talking thousands of dollars this young man will eventually spend for something that he didn't need. mind you, he will do this in a world where most people have never even used a phone, much less been able to spend close to $300 dollars for one.

and it isn't only wasteful on the individual's part. what kind of a global economic order produces phones for those who already have them, while most people will never own a phone? what kind of an economic order produces indoor swimming pools for people, when most people don't even have running water? what kind of an economic order produces viagra while people die of malaria? what kind of an economic order produces luxury hotels while millions sleep in the streets? what kind of an economic order creates fancy restaurants while millions go to bed hungry? what kind of an economic order produces warren buffet, a man worth 500 billion dollars, while most of the world has no savings? the excessive production and purchase of these items is a slap in the face of every homeless and hungry person on this earth.

and what of the environment? think of all the metals that are dug for to make these products. think of the paper and plastic that is used to package them. this is surely having a negative impact on the earth. and then, when the products are disposed of, they often end up in landfills, usually in the poorest of nations, where they further pollute the environment. so, not only do we insult those without phones and computers by purchasing them like mad, but we then give them the products back as garbage, which further degrades the already contaminated earth the world's poor are forced to live on.

my suggestions? one phone is enough, whether it be a cell or a home phone. play video games at home, if at all. at the most, own one computer, which stays in your house. better yet, visit your local library or college for your computer use, or even better, slack like crazy at the gig by looking up everything on the internet you can think of. don't break up with people over the phone, especially if you are on the bus. rather, look out the window, or read, or cop looks at the interesting people who never fail to also take the bus, like the maniac i see who sings "he's a maniac" to himself. if you do own a cell, leave it at home, or turn it off. instead of playing video games, go outside and play real games. fuck madden 08. grab a football and go play catch. limit your purchases. going without a cell phone will probably save you between 500 to 1000 a year. with the money saved, you could donate to groups like doctors without borders, or get subscriptions to progressive magazines, or treat yourself to a shitload of good books and cd's. the same goes with the computer and the cable tv. if you go without all three, you will likely save close to $2000 a year. you could help feed a lot of people with that money. imagine if we all thought that way, instead of waiting for some savior from up high to create change.

and why stop there. do girls really need to get their nails done every 30 seconds? do our young need to spend more on sneakers than many of the world's poor earn in a year? does a guy who already owns a house really need to buy a second one? does your wedding really need to cost 50 thousand dollars? come on people!

yeah, i know i'm just jerking off by writing this shit.

well, i guess the only difference was that after you were finished doing the same, you had something to show for it.