A couple years ago, I was watching some old footage of Calcutta from the British Film Institute archives and I saw in the city there were many billboards. This footage was from around 1912. It was a large facade with billboards showering every inch of the original architecture. Some was for tea, some was for plays or a clothing department, most of it was in English.
I was in India a few months ago, staying at a beautiful palace called Noormahal in Karnal. It’s owned and operated by a couple who’s patrilineality hosts Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a great Indian warrior who ruled Punjab for 40 years. Though it was true-to-form hot and humid in India, their AC system was quite wonderful. It was also a delight to see that India’s version of HBO MAX, Netflix, Hulu, etc.. was advertised directly on the AC system. For a whopping five rupees a month.
At the gym I go to, the music playing over the speakers is run by whichever employee dares take the challenge. The other day, the few of us there were collectively amused when an ad for Spotify premium aired over. We looked at each other and chuckled until the employee quickly changed phones.
A few days ago Disney became the latest in offering ad-free streaming for its home-viewing programs. Where before there was one option, now there are two; whoaaaaa. Apple TV is the last in big streaming players to have ads but it’s just a few white pages away from being done as well.
I bring up all these points to illustrate the way in which our world is run by those vying for your attention. The world’s a lonely place without you and it seems we’ve become all too aware that you, yes you, are interested in it as well, at least as much as you think.
It baffles me how there are people in boardrooms with thousand dollar suits whose actions and choices are seen by people who can’t afford shoes.
The other day I noticed the inner lining of packaged foods. It’s a reflective, insulating material that keeps things fresh for longer than perhaps they should be.
Is it erroneous to think billboards and ads are sort of a package for capitalism?
The pretty package with the nice colors and informative copy is made in the same shitbox you protest in earnest? Or was it in jest? Does it matter now that it’s there?
I find myself ruminating on this subject often. The state of rhetoric and our place in it as consumers. Where before it was for a local shop, a library or a well-regarded cobbler, it’s now for a service that’s run in a foreign land by people who can’t afford the service itself.
I’m not trying to be melodramatic or sensational, I find the state of the world today and its people is greatly affected by the state of its market. Now that’s not a new idea. If your country is doing well then your people are doing better, hopefully.
I just find the people in America to be tired. Tired of paying monthly for their lives. Tired of having to justify every purchase and reset our passwords for fear of losing it all. Tired of dancing for a few hours, but not too late because I gotta be up. Tired of planning dates around a budget and swiping for destiny. Tired of seeing menus through my phone. Tired of going through self-checkout with someone there still. Tired of screaming and being heard by no one only to lose our voice until we hear another scream in the distance. Tired of the routine we’ve adjusted to. Tired of billboards and billboard people. Tired of pop ups online and in person. Tired of school online and in person. Tired of therapy online and in person. Tired of people online and in person. Tired, online and in person.