The Sims

"even eternally free people are enslaved by the process of living." - chuck klosterman

i don't know how many people have played the video game 'the sims'... but if you've played it for more than 15 minutes, one thing most certainly becomes apparently clear; your character isn't happy unless he/she is constanly purchasing something. whether it be a new flat screen tv, mahogany dining room table, the latest in kitching lighting or a new designer outfit, if you're not spending, you're not living! the funny thing is, this game can become highly addicting. it can actually develop into you having no real life because you're too consumed trying to better your sims life.

on the surface, this may just seem like a great selling video game and nothing more. but i think it's a great microcosm of our culture today as a whole. never have we been more consumed with consuming ourselves. what are we constantly spending our paychecks on... a new flat screen tv, mahogany dining room table, the latest in kitching lighting or a new designer outfit? consuming defines america. everyone is looked at and judged by how big their house is or what kind of car they drive instead of what kind of person they really are.

consuming drives this country. the government is even going so far as to send everyone tax-relief checks worth $1000 or so and urge everyone to go out and spend. after all, consistant consuming is good for the country, right? the notorious b.i.g. once sang, "mo money mo problems"...and he should know. after all, he was shot to death! perhaps this country needs a real wakeup call, a real change in values. lets step out of the video game world and into real life. lets find a way to make our sim happy without swiping the credit card...