Ventured to Southridge Mall this PM, after leaving from work, on a mission to see if there remained in the food-court a Chick*fil*a outlet. Alack, no such place stands -- it was, as I learned from the staff at Pacific Sunwear, replaced by the faux Cajun of Big Easy --; further, I substituted what might have been a rather pleasurable chicken sam'ich with a stromboli (espinaca y queso) and slice of cheese pizza from Sbarro. The latter, of course, only served to remind me why I hadn't eaten Sbarro's in quite some time (five years?).
(As an aside: I remember seeing footage of the site of an Hamas (?) bombing in Jerusalem, probably in '97 or '98, in which featured prominently a Sbarro. Now, I have a proposition: I could get behind such terrorism if it promised not a drop of spilled Israeli or Palestinian blood while still destroying the Holy Land's Sbarro franchises. The food is that bad... mmmkay, hyperbolic, but I was not impressed. The crust is not even cardboard-like. It is just stale, half-cooked dough. Oh, yum!
)
Then, later in my trip, the scent of insult to Italians everywhere largely off my breath, I ventured to Hot Topic. For laughs, of course. What struck me first, though, was the sight of a fifth-grader perusing the closer to PG rated wares at the store's front. Further back, though, the laughs came. I saw a few corsets and such that are presented for sale with the idea of providing for a 40s/50s style glamour and/or cheesecake model aesthetic. Predominating, though, were wee thongs and fairy-tale character bedecked jammies and baby tee (though, I would be remiss to fail to mention the belly shirts fronting for Motorhead and AC/DC, which also were for sale). Thus, I got to thinking -- what audience is this store targeting? Ten years old, twelve years old, those being whom the thongs would most fit?
No, the store, Hot Topic, is not. Rather, I recalled that many of the goth [sic], puth, gunk, and emo people, namely females, who shop Hot Topic and are between the ages of 17 and 24, 25 are often petite (to suit their pixy style) and a bit... I don't want to say immature, but... There is a jejune in them.
Enter: Hot Topic clothing line.
And, while many of the buyers will be, even in my estimation, hottt in their togs, I... I am put off, slightly in some cases, grossly in others, by the autoinfantilization of the purchasers of the aforementioned clothing.
Now, I am not arguing that a little insouciance doesn't make for a pleasant time, and a bit of chillaxin' to inspire us for the next day's slog at university or work (wherever), but... By age twenty, twenty-three, and further along, we should be recognizing that life cannot be the party it was in eleventh grade. We'll be on our own, and not always with boyfriend or beneficial friend (whatever the case) to support our more basic needs (foodstuff, utilities, internet), and we'll have to assert ourselves and provide not just for fun but for fundament.
I think many in their twenties are missing this.
And, I include myself in this. I am still grasping for budgeting skill, though I have not fallen behind, nor do I plan to fall behind, in my rent, loan payments (student, auto (the latter of which will be paid off by spring '06, approximately two years early)), etc., but... I am... Maybe I am a bit too self-serious, too desirous of being fancy, erudite, effete -- even if I am not actually so metro, nor could I ever be --, and want to live a Tom Wolfe style... But, a little discretion can go a ways toward stability. Which I, more than any, need, and which probably does us all good (for our physical health, our immunity, most importantly).
Am I off-base?
(As an aside: I remember seeing footage of the site of an Hamas (?) bombing in Jerusalem, probably in '97 or '98, in which featured prominently a Sbarro. Now, I have a proposition: I could get behind such terrorism if it promised not a drop of spilled Israeli or Palestinian blood while still destroying the Holy Land's Sbarro franchises. The food is that bad... mmmkay, hyperbolic, but I was not impressed. The crust is not even cardboard-like. It is just stale, half-cooked dough. Oh, yum!
)
Then, later in my trip, the scent of insult to Italians everywhere largely off my breath, I ventured to Hot Topic. For laughs, of course. What struck me first, though, was the sight of a fifth-grader perusing the closer to PG rated wares at the store's front. Further back, though, the laughs came. I saw a few corsets and such that are presented for sale with the idea of providing for a 40s/50s style glamour and/or cheesecake model aesthetic. Predominating, though, were wee thongs and fairy-tale character bedecked jammies and baby tee (though, I would be remiss to fail to mention the belly shirts fronting for Motorhead and AC/DC, which also were for sale). Thus, I got to thinking -- what audience is this store targeting? Ten years old, twelve years old, those being whom the thongs would most fit?
No, the store, Hot Topic, is not. Rather, I recalled that many of the goth [sic], puth, gunk, and emo people, namely females, who shop Hot Topic and are between the ages of 17 and 24, 25 are often petite (to suit their pixy style) and a bit... I don't want to say immature, but... There is a jejune in them.
Enter: Hot Topic clothing line.
And, while many of the buyers will be, even in my estimation, hottt in their togs, I... I am put off, slightly in some cases, grossly in others, by the autoinfantilization of the purchasers of the aforementioned clothing.
Now, I am not arguing that a little insouciance doesn't make for a pleasant time, and a bit of chillaxin' to inspire us for the next day's slog at university or work (wherever), but... By age twenty, twenty-three, and further along, we should be recognizing that life cannot be the party it was in eleventh grade. We'll be on our own, and not always with boyfriend or beneficial friend (whatever the case) to support our more basic needs (foodstuff, utilities, internet), and we'll have to assert ourselves and provide not just for fun but for fundament.
I think many in their twenties are missing this.
And, I include myself in this. I am still grasping for budgeting skill, though I have not fallen behind, nor do I plan to fall behind, in my rent, loan payments (student, auto (the latter of which will be paid off by spring '06, approximately two years early)), etc., but... I am... Maybe I am a bit too self-serious, too desirous of being fancy, erudite, effete -- even if I am not actually so metro, nor could I ever be --, and want to live a Tom Wolfe style... But, a little discretion can go a ways toward stability. Which I, more than any, need, and which probably does us all good (for our physical health, our immunity, most importantly).
Am I off-base?