Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Submitted for your reading enjoyment-some good observations there! (what me rationalize?) ================================== Sony PlayStation2 as a DVD Player and Other Matters of Cultural Consequence by Steve Smith, : November 6, 2000 [snip] Whether it is in cigars, wine, PCs or home theater equipment, we often like to think we are willing to pay top dollar for top end goods because it reflects our more educated, discriminating understanding of the merchandise. We're nobody's fool. We won't be taken in by bargains or anything but the best. We proudly pay through the nose for our stuff. We're smart than thou. We're stuff snobs, by God. Well, to some degree aficionados may demonstrate a greater understanding of their stuff, but more often than not they are at least as susceptible to hype as the "mass consumers" they think they're above. Feeling special about oneself is an ever-moving target in a society of mass production where yesterday's high-end specialty item is tomorrow's commodity. Chasing exclusivity, maintaining one's self-image as cutting edge and apart from the low-taste masses, gets pretty costly after a while. It also makes you wonder who is the real mindless goon in the great chain of modern consumption - the unwashed mass consumer who pays a reasonable fee to buy something that is good enough for his needs - or the high-end gearaholic, who almost always buys more power, more brand prestige, more upgrades than he'll ever really need or use. [snip] Complete article at: http://www.sharkygames.com/hardware/console/ps2_us_dvd/index.shtml