Saturday, September 25, 2010

Friday Night Notes



Last night, I took my girlfriend out to eat. She usually works on Friday nights, and it has been awhile since we could go out with the rest of the normal people. It was a rare time for me to point out to her the parade of weekend warriors. As I was eating my pasta, a guy pulls up outside the restaurant with a sea kayak on the roof of his SUV. Immediately after, another guy pulls into a spot with a snazzy custom chopper. I told my girlfriend that people buy that shit purely for vanity. As soon as I spoke, a small crowd forms around the chopper to admire the object.

It is my belief that the primary reason these people pursue these weekend hobbies and endeavors is to show off. I estimate that chopper cost about $30K and was financed. That's a lot of cheddar for a gaudy piece of metal. But the crowd formed, so the chopper owner got what he paid for. The fact is that my town on a Friday night is full of just such spectacles like vintage cars and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. This extends into Saturday morning with the hunters and their gear, the mountain bikers, the RV people, and on and on. Come Monday morning at work, the question is the same. What did you do over the weekend? I think this Monday I will lie and say I went rock climbing or something. The problem with rock climbing is that there isn't a lot of stuff to buy in order to do it.

I think this whole world of weekend activities is stupid. Not a weekend goes by that I don't look with disdain on these weekend warriors with their various toys. I suspect Mr. Kayak's boat at the restaurant will never touch water this weekend. He had that boat on his rack to show off to people that he owns a fucking boat. Why carry it to a busy restaurant? Here's a website I enjoy laughing at. You have these eco tree hugging hippie types that reject the consumer culture and want to get out into nature. Yet, to do it, they have to embrace consumerism. The website is not called "ski junkie" or "mountain climbing junkie." It is called GEAR JUNKIE. Folks, it's all about the gear. THE GEAR.

You pick up any copy of Outside magazine, and you are going to see lots of well written pieces. But you are also going to see lots of gear reviews and glossy ads for shit that most true outdoor people can't afford. The fact is that people have gotten along in the outdoors just fine before The North Face and the REI catalog came along. But these days, you have to get outfitted for the endeavor with designer threads and name brand equipment. I doubt Hillary had a third of such stuff when he took on Everest.

I reserve my admiration for those low key types that actually do stuff on the weekends without talking about it or showing off their shit. They are the minimalists. This is why I find a certain affinity with runners, bowlers, and people who play chess or toss horseshoes. This is because their gear can fit in the space reserved for carry on luggage.

There is a relationship between the activities, the gear required, the marketing, the consumerism, the popularity, and the vanity. Take riding a motorcycle. Generally speaking, this is a low cost activity. You can buy a decent used motorcycle and see a lot of road for little money. It is good on gas. But you won't see a weekend warrior on these rides. They need the big fat Harley or the custom chopper that will see very little time on the road. Motorcycles fell to marketing, and now, riding these things has exploded in popularity along with the cost and the vanity. I have a friend of mine who is on her third motorcycle--a custom Harley. I keep my mouth shut, but I consider the purchase a waste. OTOH, I looked with admiration on an old Honda in a parking lot the other day. It had a lot of miles on it, and I appreciated that they made things that lasted that long.

I am a minimalist. I do voluntary simplicity. I believe in authenticity and value for the dollar. I just don't care for all this conspicuous consumption. It's stupid, and I think all these weekend warrior types are just a bunch of assholes.

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