Immersion insights

We moved offices and my route to work now takes me through several retail precincts instead of just a food court. So I bought something. I did genuinely need tops (whatever that means) and had been scouting Ebay for some months for them (without success) but needless to say, when the time came, it felt like an impulse purchase (fashion chain, multinational). Nor did I beg friends, search op shops or attempt to fashion them out of fabric already in the house.

I thought I was doing really well, I even stuck to the compact on birthday presents for small children, but surrounded by acres of fabrics and dazzling colours, after mere days I succumbed. It's salutary, because I thought I was above being sucked in by marketing, but really I was just not exposed to marketing as much which is a-whole-nother thing.

As a penance (can you tell I was raised Catholic?) I'm going to list here the craziest advertised products in one of my favourite magazines - The New Yorker. There are no doubt bigger ticket products advertised therein, but it's not clear to me whether or not the product is ridiculous as I'm not familiar with the brand, object or pricetag.

- Personalized crystal bowls for Special Occasions
- Boat shoes with 18k gold plated eyelets
- Family crest signet rings
- Bronze sculpture of your fingerprint
- Handbags in the shape of fish

Strange that a rag pitched to a left wing, educated demographic, with some of the most intelligent, insightful articles I've ever seen considers its audience susceptible to such product-flog. When we got our first issues, my partner and I literally couldn't work out whether some of the advertising was part of an elaborate editorial joke. We had not anticipated that US / OZ cultural differences could be so divergent. Still more worrying when I (after 100 issues) started to idly muse on whether it would not be tres amusant to have a handbag in the shape of a fish. For context, I have bought three handbags (in 18 years), and never owned more than one at a time. One was for a job interview, one a wedding at which I was best woman and one other for work (which I never use). All three were plain black and the combined total price is A$100 (unadjusted). Philospohically, I regard handbags a good way to disable a limb (as opposed to a backpack - a useful means to transport things) and in this way, a close relative of high heels. Anyway, I considered the fish bag.

It goes to show, IMO, how susceptible we are to ambient [marketing] messages. We make choices we think position us as ?superior [not sure that's what I mean] to something else never realising the apparent continuum is only a fraction of the whole. On further interrogation,
- "the fish bag's cute but who on earth would buy the bronze fingerprint"
becomes
- "all of these are just crazy status symbols - but I could use this discounted bakeware at Coles"
could become
- "how could I replace my roasting tray second hand?"
could become
- "we should avoid roasting cos it's an energy intensive cooking method"
could become
- "we should eat less."

I'm not saying everything should be taken that far. (Nor am I saying that it shouldn't). It's just that the personas we create for ourselves, our understanding of who we are, what we regard as virtuous is heavily grounded in ambient "messaging." My neighbour regards herself as environmentally virtuous for recycling her newspapers (though she can't be bothered with plastic, glass or cans) because her neighbour doesn't. 90%ers are attempting to get down to 10% of US average and feel the need to explain why they're not attempting 7%. I'm somewhere between the two.

But I understand now that I have a new responsibility, which is to seek out and make myself a part of a world, a community, "ambient messaging" that is more "virtuous" than what I'm leaving behind. And in turn to be that context / community for others. No more thinking I'm radical for selling an apartment to rent a garden. No more feeling superior about washing nappies and vermicomposting. Normality (as it would seem to be defined by popular culture) is no longer my benchmark - not even as a point of departure. It makes it look like you've come "1000 whole millimetres!!!" when it's only the first of a thousand necessary strides.

So here's my tips (they're not rocket science)
- avoid shopping centres, commercial TV and women's magazines.
- adopt an amused / critical mental posture when reading most mainstream publications or commercial current affairs
- get familiar with people (really and virtually) who are where you'd like to go
- be the normal for other people. Be loud about how you live so that our voices counterbalance the ambient consumerism. I find this one particularly hard, but I'm realising how important it is.

I'm glad to say the fish handbag remains tres amusant - as an idea that never need be acted on but rather blogged about. The tops I bought are sitting guiltily in their bag, receipt within, in case I can return them.