Is it just me, or does it not seem too much to ask to be able to sit for a moment, quite content - perhaps daydreaming or reading a book...without being brutally forced out of this state by someone seeking my attention?
Okay, in the case of fire or some other necessary form of communication, it is obvious I should expect to have my attention sought...but what if my attention is taken by someone who wants to get something out of me? Most noticably advertising and annoying, insecure members of the public? Advertisers want my money, and attention seeking people want to validate themselves because of their insecurity. Either way - it is their need for my attention, not anything I want or need from them. Surely I'm entitled to some sanctuary from this onslaught - or at least some recompense?
Capitalism thrives on attention seeking. In an open competitive market it is all down to the survival of the most intrusive advertisers or hot-air-hype-mongers- its all about seeking attention, not sustaining it. Somehow though, things have gone so far down this road that you now have advertising for its own sake. Do you remember how Victoria Beckham was talking about 'breaking America'? For what purpose? What was she actually promoting? Sod-all that's what. This obnoxious behaviour of advertising without representing a product worth having is actually praised as being 'savvy', knowing how to play the media etc. It might make Victoria Beckham seem 'savvy', but it makes me want to top myself.
It is bad when celebrities do it, but what of ordinary members of the public? It's quite understandable that teenagers want to self-advertise for example, by have tinny music playing out of their mobile phones, squawking and screetching on buses, wearing ridiculous clothing, and really trying ostentaciously to look like they are having a 'great time', because they are at an important developmental stage of trying to push boundaries to discover what the adult world actually allows (but really they should be discouraged from doing this outside their own circles). Yet increasingly annoying attention-seeking adults are being given license to go wild without meeting disapproval. Hysterically camp men cannot be criticised or we appear homophobic, women with their cleavages forcefully on show at 10am cannot be criticised or we appear misogynistic, people who use exaggerated body-language and gestures to advertise their self-appointed alpha-status cannot be criticised or we appear to be expressing sour grapes.
Unfortunately the power to advertise completely outweighs the power to remain undestracted. Since the attention-seekers do not adequately self-police, instead competing with one another to get the most attention, all we can do is to turn to the law to try to defend our rattled nerves. We have to use censorship, public-nuisance, noise polution and planning law...all the avenues that make us look like bitter killjoy busy-bodies.
As the future looks set for us to get swamped by attention seekers, there are three options for us:
1. Go with the flow and embrace this shallow culture.
2. Opt out by staying indoors or moving away from the city to a quieter place - i.e.- living a lifestyle that's more like and early retirement - which is deeply unsatisfying if you feel that you have something to offer the world.
3. Embrace a life of using the law, promoting censorship and looking like a bitter, killjoy busybody.
As the third option to me seems like the least of all evils I think it has to be the life for me. I would rather spend my time doing other things though, but such is the burden of someone who just wants to explore my own thoughts without being distracted.
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