Worth Repeating

Savage and various hipster snobs are on the anti-shopping/tv is bad bandwagon over on SLOG...I had to point this out:

I've noticed that people who say they hate to shop or claim that they don't shop, frequently have the latest tech gadgets, shelves full of books and cds and dvds and a closet or garage full of sports equipment. Many of them spend hours wandering around Best Buy or Bailey/Coy or Silver Platters or REI looking/drooling/buying their favorite shit. People who claim they hate/don't shop, really mean that they hate to shop for boring stuff/necessities and disdain people who like to shop for the stuff they aren't interested in. The whole, "I'm a better person because I don't like to shop for so called frivolous things" is just a lot of elitist, hipster bullshit. The notion that it's cool to spend two hours in Powell's or a Virgin Records because you're a book/music lover but it's not cool to spend your time looking for a cute bargain outfit or some discount art or knick-knacks is hypocritical.

And, I won't even get started on the whole, "I feel superior because I don't own/watch television, yet I spend 4 hours a day on the Internet watching the same media in a different format" defense of many a hipster...

I want to add that I don't consider myself a frivolous shopper...I HATE paying full price and I'm not one of those, "if it's more expensive, it's better" people. I'm also not a chronic or compulsive shopper. My favorite kind of shopping is finding a flea market/antique mall and wandering around and looking for cute, funky bargains.

I do freely admit to watching too much tv and I'd like to watch less, but I'm not a snob about it. There's no difference between sitting on your ass watching prime time tv for three hours everynight and sitting around on your ass cruising the Internet for three hours and watching shit on YouTube.

And why is it always WOMEN who are portrayed as shopaholics in cartoons and ads? It's really sexist; plenty of men, both gay and straight, like to buy shit. Apparently, a guy constantly going to Home Depot to buy tools and DIY stuff and hang out with his buddies isn't the same as a woman frivolously spending time at the mall buying clothes and household goods...