(no subject)

[unbibium]

Wal-Mart has a draining effect on me.

It reminds me of how poor our country is getting, and makes me wonder what will happen once we've converted all of our money into plastic crap from China, and the only way to make a living is to steal it, or invent a way for housing and medical care to be exported from China, or to move to China where the only remaining low-paying jobs are, or become a predatory banker where the only remaining high-paying jobs are...

Comments

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Something about the physical environment of Wal-Mart depresses the spirit. It seems to be a really consistent effect; I've seen the LJ post that goes "I just got back from Wal-Mart and THE MASS OF HUMANITY HAVE NO SOULS I HAVE STARED INTO THEIR BLANK BLANK EYES" many times. It's not just the poor clientele; the harsh lighting, spartan decor and chaotic layout have something to do with it. I think it's at least partly intentional, to make it seem like a downmarket place where you get bargains.

China's going to get priced out of the cheap labor market eventually, the jobs will go to poorer countries. If we get comparatively poor, they'll come right back here.

But the real problem with the US isn't really so much that. It's that a tiny elite are bogarting all the money and screwing around with creative finance. The older I get, the more I think it's all just old-fashioned class conflict.