People love to camp out. Instead of enjoying the outdoors, however, most camping trips actually entail waiting lines for anything from movies to video games.
Life is one big wait in line, but certain individuals love to show their support and fanboy-ism by shaving off even more of their already compromised days to give companies their hard earned money and be amongst “the first” to indulge in whatever is being offered.
Being “the first” is a bit of a misnomer, however, because if you go to see the midnight showing of Harry Potter at your local theater, you are only at one of many theaters in the country also showing that same film. And when you dress up as a Hogwarts student, people aren’t applauding your efforts, but acknowledging that there’s a reason you haven’t been laid recently. Not to mention these movies were filmed months, or even years in advance, so before you’ve even laid eyes upon it or heard about the project, others have already seen the film and moved on.
Lining up for the newest iPhone or video game is pretty counter intuitive too. You think you’re showing your support and love for your favorite products, but the media will show these acts truthfully: as a mass gathering for the unemployed.
If you’re waiting in line for the newest Xbox, you should know by now the first generation of any console is susceptible to hardware flaws and will probably become an expensive brick within a year.
This silly conduct encourages major production countries like China to ramp up their work efforts and slash wages. Top executives at these companies laugh their way to the bank while the consumers wallow in debt, buying things they can’t afford and realizing only after it’s too late, after the novelty has worn thin.
I love the iPhone too, but I’m not going to lose days of sleep sitting in front of a strip mall to obtain one; it’s not the Holy Grail after all.
Evan Seaman is a senior majoring in marketing. He may be contacted at eseaman@themiamihurricane.com.