Letters to the Editor
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If the shoe fits...
I spent much of my childhood in a pared-down, hippie/Buddhist/back-to-nature household - no tv, no magazines, heck, no electricity or telephone. One pair of boots, period, and a few items of clothing for the various seasons, and generally, things seemed pretty good. I appreciate nice things and at the same time, can't tolerate having too much stuff around - our house is the subject of annual purges. I've moved far beyond the "one pair of boots at a time" lifestyle, don't feel even a tiny bit guilty about it, but still wait for things to wear out before replacing them.
I have friends, and not just well-off Manhattenites, who buy new stuff almost every day. They tend, like the author, to be smart, funny, enjoyable women. I've always thought the consumerist habit, like any other addiction, was a way of trying to fill up a space somewhere. To stuff it full of stuff. After all, we are raised to consume, and if we all stopped buying, where would our capitalist economies be?
I can't say I enjoyed the article, but it seemed a good representation of the 'I feel really guilty about (insert addiction name here) and know it's wrong, but it's socially acceptable so I'll keep doing it anyway' attitude we have towards so many things, whether it's our addiction to cars, energy, water use, food, booze, non-stop entertainment, and most other legally permissable forms of over-indulgence. Does the article get in there and rub at the nubbin of the issue? Not really. But it provides a little window into someone's thoughts who just isn't willing to go that far, and that's interesting in itself.
And for those addicted to venting their disappointment, I'd like to suggest a little over-indulgence in tolerance and patience for a change. Don't like the article? Don't read it, or better yet, write something better.