Thursday, June 17, 2010

When nature is not nature...

My little family and I recently rugged ourselves up and braved a wintry Melbourne day to visit the Melbourne Museum, where the main attraction is currently the Titanic exhibition. But before we walked through the Titanic exhibit - which, incidentally, was great, and worth being packed in like sardines for - we thought we could walk through the Rainforest Secrets permanent exhibit. It's quite amazing, and is in the centre of the museum. It effectively brings the outdoors inside, as there is no roof. But as we entered the glass sliding doors to walk up the pathway, a sign had been put up blocking our entrance saying, 'Due to high winds and wild weather, this exhibit is temporarily closed for safety reasons'. So, we wandered off to another area and meandered around until we were ready for the Titanic - which is a timed exhibit, where you 'board'.

After exiting the Titanic, we walked past the rainforest again and saw it had been re-opened. Clearly the dangerous winds had subsided enough to stop the managers worrying about law suits....But it got me thinking. We had all braved the so called 'dangerous winds' to get there, and if the tree's in the exhibit are affected by the winds, well isn't that part of nature? But clearly this is an artificial nature. One that is manipulated, managed and tightly controlled for customer's/visitor's.
Paying to 'experience' nature, in a controlled environment means we are not really experiencing nature at all - it negates the whole point. It made me feel that the whole orchestrated process was contrived and a little absurd. This was further illustrated to me when a young boy turned excitedly to his mother and asked, 'Can we keep going so we can see more of the nature?' Real nature exists, and it isn't found indoors, or in a museum. Real nature can't be contained, is largely uncontrollable and is innately beautiful.

As we were leaving the 'nature' exhibit, I felt overwhelmed by how strongly I felt about experiencing real nature, and what a formative and positive effect spending time in the Australian bush had on my childhood.
I recently heard an interesting segment on Radio National about how important it is for kids to spend time in nature. Richard Louv, the main interviewee, claims that paediatricians in the US rarely see broken bones these days, and that they are increasingly seeing repetitive strain injuries from computer games. Ironically, repetitive strain injuries have longer and more serious complications than broken bones apparently. So kids, put down that PlayStation console and go climb a tree!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Day Spa's & World Poverty

The lovely Mr D bought me a gift voucher for a treatment at a day spa recently, and I availed myself of this opportunity yesterday. Several things struck me as I lay there having my skin smoothed, polished, hydrated and generally pampered;

1.
Since when has frequenting day spas become the norm for the middle class masses? In my mind, spending several hours - or even just attending - a day spa was the reserve of wealthy women, with too much money and not enough to do. You know the types - the 'ladies who lunch' set who have nothing to do so fill their day's with spa and salon appointments; the type's who start philanthropic foundations. Lady McMahon comes to mind. So how did going to a day spa become something the middle class masses partipated in? Which brings me to my second point....

2.
While laying there doing essentially nothing, except for relaxing, it occured to me that the process of paying to do nothing is the ultimate form of commodification. At a day spa you are basically being sold an idea, or a state of mind. Sure, there are services involved, but most of that could be done at home yourself. No, the whole point of going to a day spa is to feel spoiled, indulged. Effectively you are paying to feel good about yourself - it's the commodification of self worth.

3.
My conscience was being somewhat of a miser yesterday, trying to ruin my indulgent experience by reminding me that while I lay there having a grand time, there are people who cannot afford to feed themselves, rendering the 'relaxing' element of the experience somewhat redundant. However inconvenient my conscience was, it did have a point. It seems almost obscene to spend what for some in the developing world would be over a years wage, on having a massage and a facial.

4.
In Australia, we have become so wealthy that going to a day spa and spending hundreds of dollars has become something the average person particpates in. But according to the World Bank, 80% of the worlds population lives on less than $10 a day. I think it's time I stopped defining rich as the person who lives in a big house on the water, and consider myself rich. Becasue the reality is I am. Most people in Australia are, when looked at from a global perspective.

Will I ever go back to a day spa? Probably. Will I enjoy it? Yes. Will I also feel guilty? Yes.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day this weekend, and it's my first as a mum. Mr D has offered to take the three of us out for breakfast on the day, which will be lovely.

I was asked what I would like for Mother's Day, and after realising that sleep cannot be purchased, or wrapped up and put in a pretty box, I began to think of something other than sleep that would be a nice gift.

It got me thinking about what we used to get my mum for Mother's day. I have memories of Dad waking my sister and I up while Mum was still asleep, with the three of us sneaking around the house, making Mum breakfast in bed. This usually consisted of toast and a cup of tea - and then going outside to pick some flowers from the garden to put in a vase on her breakfast tray.

I am sure Mum was on to us, and made a great show of pretending to wake up when we came in, and then acting so surprised/delighted with her cold toast and weak cold tea. But perhaps the delight was genuine, because having your children do something nice for you is special isn't it?

So maybe I don't need a present after all. I'm saying no to the commodification of motherhood! I am above consumerism. I don't need to feel loved through the consumption of a never ending array of must have products. But perhaps I could make an exception for those exquisite boots I saw in Witchery last week...

Sunday, April 11, 2010

TV Series...

I love DVD's. I mean not the actual discs themselves - obviously - but I love buying a whole season, or series even, of a TV show I love, and working my way through it. In my own time, and without being sold to advertisers without my consent. That's effectively what TV networks do. They sell you - the audience - to adverstisers, with their so called 'ratings' stats. Sorry, I digress....

Anyhow I really do love being able to sit down and watch an episode (or three!) of whatever show has taken my fancy. With the whole series in my hot little hands, I'm not at the behest of some televsion executive, deciding when I may watch a show and in what manner. With my DVD's I can devour the program or I can slow it down (as I often do when I am nearing the last DVD of the last season of a series!).

Currently I am progressig through the first season of Mad Men. It's very clever and funny and sexy.

Mr D is working his way through The Soprano's at the moment. He say's it's awesome...I might have to check it out some time.

I still look back with fondness on the days when I first watched the entire series of The West Wing. Love that show. Sigh, I will watch it through again, but it's not the same as the first time. I was fortunate too to discover the show when it was in it's final season, and therefore had the whole series to devour from start to finish.

So, I'm looking forward to discovering my new favourite series. Any suggestions?

Monday, February 15, 2010

Social Networking & Baby Boomers

It has come to my attention that many over fifties are making their presence felt in the online world of social networking. My mother is on Facebook. As is my Mother in law. I have refused to accept their 'friend requests'. I am unmoved by their pleas to accept them. It's bad enough they are on there in the first place.

I recently had to alert my mother in law that listing that she was 'interested in women' on her social networking site, meant people thought she was a lesbian. One would think that would be perfectly obvious. But not to her. She thought it meant interested in making friends with women. Nothing wrong with being a lesbian. It's just that she isn't one.

The Baby Boomers ruled the analogue age. They are the most prosperous and successful genereation ever, and it seems they are so used to everything going their way, and being catered to them, that it hasn't even occurred to them that Facebook is essentially not for them.

People my parents age on Facebook is a bit like my parents turning up uninvited to a party thrown for my peers. Not cool. In such a scenario, I imagine that most people would leave and find somewhere else to continue partying/socialising and generally having a good time.

And, funnily enough the same thing is happening online. Facebook has become the giant of the online social networking sites over the past few years. It was originally created for university students, but has rapidly evolved to become a multigenerational phenomenon. But more recently, younger people are leaving Facebook, while the fastest growing user group by age are the over 55's.

According to The Age, ChatRoulette is taking advantage of the mass exodus of young people from Facebook, and could be the 'next big thing' in social networking. But that's the nature of the online world isn't it? Transient, evolving, pushing boundaries. Seems like the Baby Boomers have jumped onto the Facebook revolution a little too late.