Young Americans Just Love Money and ActivismsteemCreated with Sketch.

in #life5 years ago (edited)

Look at me, I’m the most important person here! Not because I have any skills, but look at my money.

Alright, maybe the lady standing in front of me did not actually say that. The children playing in the background were a bit distracting, and then that lady standing next to her started to talk.

I am so amazingly progressive. I am going to be a leader and other special stuff. People will know me as a champion of the downtrodden! I am love and compassion! People will know me as a hero!

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Alright, she might not have said that either, but she meant it. The trouble is that heroes aren’t heroes because they want other people to think they are…they do stuff to be heroes. Just jumping on the bandwagon of the latest political affront seen on Facebook doesn’t count.

I was thinking all this as I squinted my eyes at both of them, but felt my lips form into a placating smile automatically. The mouth lies; the eyes tell the truth. Unless you are an excellent liar, and then you make the eyes smile too.

I took a breath then, sensing it. Of course it was coming, it always came in this sort of setting.

It was only a matter of time before someone said…

“Target! That’s where I got them! So I was there on Monday…” The first woman said, and then the second woman joined in with expostulations about Target. You see, Target encapsulates modern middle class American society. This includes both of the above mentioned—“Mrs. Money” and “Auntie Activist.”

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In this town, like most in the USA, it is somewhat of an accepted fact that you need to buy some things at one of the corporate superstores, because there just aren’t options anymore. A person can buy their vegetables and meat from a local farm, but there is no small-time grocer around to sell me rice or baking powder. So it comes down to which big-time beast do you want to visit—Wal-Mart, or Target?

Young Americans Just Love Money and Activism

When Mrs. Money says “Target” there is a certain look in her eye because she is dropping a code word. It means that she is high-class, because Target—with its over-priced merchandise made in China—is undeniably known as the home of the upper-class stay-at-home-mom. It is a status symbol. The fact that Mrs. Money does not actually have much money is irrelevant.

When Mrs. Money asks an employee for help finding an item at Target, that employee will turn a cheerful smile in her direction. “Shea butter lavender scented butt wipes? Yes, we certainly do have them. Follow me please,” the employee will say. Mrs. Money enjoys seeing that smile, but she missed the eyes. Those eyes say—I hate you, I hate all customers, I hate this job. I would just like to get this damn stock on the shelf. Retail sucks!

When Auntie Activist says the word “Target,” she is patting herself on the back, and she’s hoping everybody else is noticing. “Good for me buying 90 percent of my living supplies from a large corporation that cares about its employees and is known to be ethical.” Because of course, what is popularly thought is always right. She purchases her Target brand organic non-flushable butt wipes that she very soon will be adding to a landfill, and feels very happy.

Meanwhile, I’ll Be Over At The Wal-Mart

“Excuse me, could you tell me where peanut butter is?” I ask the man with the hair sticking out in every direction like he might have trimmed it by way of some sort of accident that morning. He turned from where he was stocking the shelves with body language that left me wondering if maybe he was just putting something random up there.

“Uhhh…” There was a long pause while I surmised he had no idea. “Try aisle two.” He turned back to stocking randomly. He had a blank sort of look in his eyes that matched the rest of his face. That is decidedly not the place for Mrs. Money to embrace her own importance.

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After running into hair accident man, I saw the guy muttering to himself as he stocked blueberries, and the lady cashier that is about age 50 but is carrying around deep set wrinkles on her face like someone that is 80. Her hands shake a little, and I have the feeling she hits the bottle starting around 6pm. Basically, what this all means is that Wal-Mart will employ rejects.

If Wal-Mart doesn’t employ these weirdos, who is going to? In a society that must have corporations, Wal-Mart is to society what the dung beetle is to nature. Somebody has to roll up that poop. I’d rather be with the poop rollers than looking at fake smiles and trying to show off how ethical I am.

Hanging With The Poop Rollers

Back at the get-together where Mrs. Money and Auntie Activist were chatting it up about Target, I was twisting my fingers in my hair. We should just get out of here, things are wrapping up anyway. I collected the children and we headed on home.

On the way we passed by a guy I see walking almost every day. He has a strange blankness about his face, with big lips partly hanging open. He has a large belly with a hole in the middle of the fabric covering it, which seems to be present on multiple shirts. He lumbers onward like an enormous statue that has suddenly found itself alive after centuries of stone.

On his face is always a day or so worth of grey stubble, which is confusing to me, because it always looks like that at mid-day. Does he shave at midnight to get a jump start on a day’s worth of lumbering? Does he shave first thing in the morning but statue hair grows freakishly fast?

I have no idea. But I’m pretty sure he’s headed to Wal-Mart. I’ll see him when I need some toilet paper.

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Wow, this is the best thing I have seen in writing for some time. You nailed it.

He lumbers onward like an enormous statue that has suddenly found itself alive after centuries of stone.

I really love your writing style. It's just so viscerally true.

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Out of curiosity, are you American? Have you seen these Target people? Culture is a fascinating or frustrating thing - it is one of those f words, can't decide which.

Thanks for your kind words and thanks so much for reading.

Oh yes, and yes. I have also indulged in that staple of the (upper?) middle class, unnecessary shopping trips to Target - when my income was higher.
I would always see it as an indulgence and not a source of pride, but still I recognize the culture. Anyway, now I only see it as a waste - I could have been saving, building something.

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It is always hard to see life clearly in the moment, I know because I have my share of money regrets. We have outlet malls here with high-end stuff, and I always mentally thank the people that shop there and then dispose of it at the thrift store where I can buy it for very little :)

There is something to love AND detest about them all.... isn't there ?

I've been a Walmart over Target person and we have both in the next small city. We're on the edge of the super highway and so are they, so they are easy access to mulitiple small cities. I too haven't quite understand the Target thing. I have been in there, but I didn't see the greatness some others see and why would I pay more for general supplies?.... I wouldn't. Anyway...

My vote now goes to Dollar General. They have some geniuses running that show. Popping up on the outskirts of small cities in every direction, giving big box stores a run for their money. Now..... I know if you need lots and lots, that's not where you think about going and if you compare, some of their prices might not really be better, but they are so convenient to pop in and get an item or two without fighting the big box crowds. Time savers ! Who knew ?! It's a little like a reverse maneuver. The big box stores came in, put the small folks out of business and then degraded their offerings quality. Now, a big company is putting little stores all over and stealing the business away from big box. It's just desserts I'm thinking.

So... I saw a meme on facebook that called toilet tissue..... butt napkins.....which I had never seen before and it made me laugh. I thought of it when I was reading your post and thought it sounded ike a description you would use. :)

Love the first photo. It took me a moment for my eyes to get it oriented as it looked like a collage of several photos flowing together at first. :)

You are too down-to-earth to be a Target shopper, and I am so glad :)

The Dollar General situation is fascinating. I find it amusing that every middle-of-nowhere hole in the wall town has one. It might not have anything else, but it has a Dollar General. And apparently they do excellent that way. I don't shop there often, but like you said - occasionally you have to run in somewhere quick. All these big chains offer low quality stuff (says a food snob), but I do respect Dollar General swooping in there and stepping on those bigbox toes.

In a society that must have corporations, Wal-Mart is to Society what the dung beetle is to Nature.
Excellent portrayal of these two stores, and elaboration on what is wrong with both of them. I'm fortunate to have many choices of places to shop, and can always shop small.
Very funny, but in a pathos kind of way.
Have you read "Nickled and Dimed in America."? It's painful, but it gave me some understanding of both the walmart worker and shopper. Fortunately, I never have to go to one.

How nice to have something small to get dry goods at. I have this fantasy of a grocer that actually has an owner holding a broom and knows my name. I have not read the above, but I will have to check it out. One point I will give Walmart is that it makes for some very interesting studies of humanity :)

You don't have any place that knows you? You just described a hardware store in my town, Beckerle Lumber. I don't go to big box stores if there is a smaller store I can use, no matter the price. And yeah, the guy with the broom knows my name and my kids'.

My home town used to be the same way - even more so. Everyone knew everybody, the guy at the shoe store knew your size and taste. Waitresses knew what you would order before you opened your mouth, your swim instructor probably had a bridge game with your parents in the previous week. My father was town supervisor for many years and he fought walmart coming in because he knew what would happen if it did. And he turned out to have been right.

Nickled and Dimed was written by a woman about her experiences trying to live on minimum wage in the US. It's pretty old - 20 years? - but she did a stint at Walmart, and it was very illuminating. I haven't stepped into one since reading that book. I'm conflicted about that decision, because if someone is working there, they are desperate and I wonder where they would work if walmart didn't exist. That place doesn't even give employee discounts, or didn't when the book was written. Its employees can't afford to buy its goods even if the goods are on super sale.

That small town life must have been great as a kid. Maybe less great as an adult with all the gossip, but still, it sounds pretty nice. No, there are not really any basic needs stores that are small time here. There are a ton of artsy places and restaurants that are small, but you don't get essentials there.

I grew up with a family that worked at big chains. The only option to make good money was to go into management, which meant working lots of bad shifts. My mom wouldn't do that because she valued seeing her little kids. Damned if you do, or damned if you don't. It is the age-old plight of the poor.

It really is ridiculous that these places don't give discounts. And even worse, Publix (a Florida grocery store that has expanded into the SE) bullies its low-paid employees into giving up something from their paycheck every week to the United Way. I find the United Way to be a very sketchy charity, even more so since they are in bed with a big company like Publix. They actually have mandatory meetings to convince the employees.

I'm not sure what they did wrong, but Target moved into our city and just didn't make it. In fact, I think they didn't make it in the whole country...

Not enough Americans there ;)

Maybe. I'm not sure they ever figured out what went wrong. The Walmarts are doing well...

I read an article saying that people should pick Target over Walmart because Walmart is bigger and therefore the bigger evil. They all suck though. I can't do the lesser evil argument, its pretentiousness and false ethics that sway me.

lol! oh man, Walmart is the best for watching people! lol. I bet you love that store for that! This is so funny, all of it but statue guy had me laughing really hard. Poor guy. You'll probably see him WORKING at Walmart!

I really do wonder about statue guy. Where is he going every day? And why does he look so statue-like? What are his ailments? Surely he has loved ones that see personality within him, but he really looks like a shell of a person. Maybe because he is in pain? So many questions that I will never dare to ask him.

Maybe looks are deceiving. Maybe he's not as bad off as he looks. I think you need to follow him and see where he goes. lol.

Maybe I should. He probably wouldn't notice. Although he might lead me down a dark alleyway...just think of all the horrible things that could happen there, all the dramatic, scary, unexpected things...like discovering he is spiderman or something. That would be freaky.

lol! you have such a great imagination! Yes, you never know! lol.

Lol! you have such a
Great imagination! Yes,
You never know! lol.

                 - janton


I'm a bot. I detect haiku.

First off, I just can't figure out your first picture! Lol, am I looking at a reflection in water? I'm so confused.
What is it about Target shoppers that are so proud of themselves for shopping there? I thought the popular thing was to be proud of "how much money I saved."
I prefer Wal-Mart myself. Something about the atmosphere that is just a little more calming. I think it's the blue vs. the in-your-face red.

That picture is my swampy yard post Hurricane Matthew. The edge is grass, the sky is reflection, and the rest is driveway footprints of joyous children loving their new swamp. We had no electricity or running water at the time, but the children were quite satisfied with swamp.

Yeah, I think down-to-earth people are more the money saving types, or those intense grandmas that offer a dime for a 25 cent item at a yard sale. But there is so much of society that has some sort of persona that requires acting uppity in some way. It is an interesting world.

Yes, I like blue better too. Red is too intense.

We don't have target here...

You folks in Puerto Rico are definitely a totally different culture than the mainland so close by. That is an interesting thing within itself.

We have several big companies here: sears, kmart, walmart, marshalls, tjmaxx, ikea.... the list goes on but no target rite aid, dollar blah blah... those we don't have... and its a good thing cause puerto ricans lives inside shopping :|

I suppose the island is only so big for big corporations. Kmart is long gone in these parts. I believe Sears is as well now.

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