the simple reason poor is cool
Poor is cool. But why? There are two things money cannot buy. The first is love.
The second is immediacy.
When you're down to your last dollar and it's unclear how exactly the next week will play out there is a sense that you might as well live it up. Of course, this is not a sustainable way to live and the truth of the experience is that the sense of immediacy is nearly overwhelmed by stress and worry.
So people fake it. They dress poor and bohemian (retro, vintage, et al) and practice living with immediacy and it becomes a style unto its own. I suspect most patrons of the lifestyle are unaware of its origins. But that immediacy, that sense of urgency is too appealing to deny. Some keep their eye on the fiction of poor being cool and end up buying themselves into actual poverty (or more accurately, indebtedness) and others fake it the whole time and enjoy swelling bank accounts and vague sense of the urgency lost.
There's more to it though. If the stress and worry are real and debilitating, but the urgency of life is too much to ignore then maybe faking it is a necessary practice.
When you've got the house, with the stuff, and the fence and the car, the security system to protect it all, and the errands to run in every direction, and the, and the, and the... Its a fort all built for naught because aging is not a battle, its a massacre and everybody loses everything, every time.
Its about to rain and I'm about to go watch.
Is there a problem here? Not really.
The depths of the fiction of poverty surround the stylish masses and a good night's sleep means one need only to deny a pause for reality for one thought longer. Just hold off reality until the dreaming starts and a new fiction begins. In no time, the sun rises because that's what it does. The new day is a long, slow walk along a private beach, with the sound of the waves crashing and a deep, deep appreciation for life's simple pleasures because existence is precious no matter who you are, the collective worth of whatever you collect, what fiction you live, or what lie you make your truth.
The second is immediacy.
When you're down to your last dollar and it's unclear how exactly the next week will play out there is a sense that you might as well live it up. Of course, this is not a sustainable way to live and the truth of the experience is that the sense of immediacy is nearly overwhelmed by stress and worry.
So people fake it. They dress poor and bohemian (retro, vintage, et al) and practice living with immediacy and it becomes a style unto its own. I suspect most patrons of the lifestyle are unaware of its origins. But that immediacy, that sense of urgency is too appealing to deny. Some keep their eye on the fiction of poor being cool and end up buying themselves into actual poverty (or more accurately, indebtedness) and others fake it the whole time and enjoy swelling bank accounts and vague sense of the urgency lost.
There's more to it though. If the stress and worry are real and debilitating, but the urgency of life is too much to ignore then maybe faking it is a necessary practice.
When you've got the house, with the stuff, and the fence and the car, the security system to protect it all, and the errands to run in every direction, and the, and the, and the... Its a fort all built for naught because aging is not a battle, its a massacre and everybody loses everything, every time.
Its about to rain and I'm about to go watch.
Is there a problem here? Not really.
The depths of the fiction of poverty surround the stylish masses and a good night's sleep means one need only to deny a pause for reality for one thought longer. Just hold off reality until the dreaming starts and a new fiction begins. In no time, the sun rises because that's what it does. The new day is a long, slow walk along a private beach, with the sound of the waves crashing and a deep, deep appreciation for life's simple pleasures because existence is precious no matter who you are, the collective worth of whatever you collect, what fiction you live, or what lie you make your truth.
September 7, 2007 at 5:17 PM
Z,
thought provoking stuff. (like the B. Bubblers too, nice shutter work) Your Great GrandMa Rose C. (Mian to you I believe) told me a couple of times not to grow old. The second or third time she said it I asked her to 'pass me the big knife' 'cause I was gwenta shave my wrists. She was shocked! I responded, "You said not to grow old.... know any other way around it?" Life is fun, or an adventure but always interesting. I'm going to try to check back more often, great stuff here, keep up the good work!
Love ya Z,
Unk T. top