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photo: Evan-Amos |
The sublime and fantastic have a hold on the imagination.
Paranormal phenomena like bending spoons and spirits of the dead being
channeled are the stuff of bestsellers and big grossing movies. But little
credence is given to terminally inane events, those phenomena that evince a
tawdry indifference to meaningfulness, the ones that cause you to yawn right in
the face of a speaker, Have you ever had the experience of falling asleep right in
the middle of a deadly cultural event or conversation? It really makes you
appreciate sleep because it was what you have had to stave off throughout the
dreadful activity in question. Think about the time you went into the
department store to buy a belt. Belts are not high up on anyone’s list. No belt
is going to change anything. It’s a utilitarian item. You simply buy a belt so
your pants won’t fall down. Even sales people whose job it is to sell belts often have to work to stay
awake as they go about their thankless job. You go to the belt area, sliding yours off and trying new belts on
to make sure they’re the right size and have the necessary holes. The belt specialist comes by with the most bored look that you have
ever witnessed in all of your years of buying things in a store. He or she is
not going to become a retail star by selling you that belt. No fantasies of
fame or fortune attach themselves to the buyers or sellers of belts. Nevertheless, you almost can’t believe your ears when you hear the words “it’s a very happening belt,” intoned behind you as you walk towards the mirror. The phrase is even worse than the belt itself since the
false promise created by its haunting vapidity makes you want to totally give
up. Yes, you feel like sitting down right on the floor of the men’s or women’s
clothing department and staging a sit in, a protest which will call attention to the
utter absurdity of your predicament.
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