Helen Besoe: Lap of Luxury

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Lap of Luxury

I worry about where we're headed as a race sometimes...

I watched a commercial today. It was for a vehicle of some sort. A minivan, I think. They were advertising all its great features, showing how much fun a family would have in this van. And, I have to admit, I came away from it a little scared.
What they seemed to focus on was the TV screens in the cabin. The fact that your kids could watch movies or play video games while you chauffeur them around. Because... you know... Heaven forbid your little angels be required to amuse themselves on the way to Tae Kwon Do class! And, of course, God knows you couldn't possibly expect them to survive without their precious video games or their favourite TV shows for a few minutes!

TV seems to rule our lives. We make our schedules around our favourite shows. Or we get Tevo to catch them for us. Now, it's not enough to simply have a TV in the living room or rec room. We have TVs in our kitchens, in our bedrooms, in our bathrooms! For Heaven's sake! And, apparently, even that is no longer sufficient. Television is now a standard feature in our vehicles. We've become incapable of even going camping without our idiot boxes!

How many times have I seen Canadian Tire advertising their "camp" gear? When you have a hot shower, complete with shower radio; television; video games; cell phones and chargers; mattresses; heaters; and personal air conditioners... it ceases to be camping. What's the point of going to a rough, unfurnished campground if you're going to bring all the furnishings with you and smooth out all the roughness? You might as well just check in to a hotel!

To me, the whole point of camping is to get away from all the luxuries we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. They advertise how all their fancy gear makes camping feel just like home. Well... if it feels just like home, what the Hell's the point?! I guess I might as well just stay home then!

When did we get so soft? When did we curl up in the lap of luxury and start refusing to leave? When did we become incapable of stepping outside (or sitting, or eating, or existing, for that matter) without being surrounded by a full complement of comforts and entertainment devices? I would say that it borders on ridiculous but... I think that that line was likely crossed long ago.

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