Sunday, April 11, 2010

Who am I and how did I get here?



Yesterday, I found myself searching for a pair of Crocs (those plastic shoes that are great for summer gardening). For some reason the shoes, once available at most stores, were illusive. I found myself at Greenhills Mall here in Nashville. Unlike the mall nearer my home, which is struggling to survive and lacks any clear understanding of who their consumers are, Greenhills caters to a wealthy clientele.


I felt uncomfortable, out of place, as someone stopped me to inquire what message my shirt was intended to convery (it says quite simply "talk books to me") It seemed like an easy message to understand, but the very well-dressed young women teetering on 5" black heals thought it might have some more mysterious message. Everywhere I looked people were coiffed, made up and dressed in the latest fashion. I was meandering in t-shirt and jeans with no makeup (a daring fact -- considering that I have just begun my sixth decade of life.)


I sat for 15 mintues in the shoe section of Dillards. No one waited on me. The youthful shoe sales people rushed past me with their arms loaded down with boxes of shoes for customers who appeared to be engaged in some sort of dance. "I really love these, but I am going to look further, even though I can hardly think I will find another pair as nice. I will probably be back later, thank you dear. And what was your name again?" The exhausted young man gathered up six boxes and carried them past me to the back room. Little did he know that I was there to make a purchase --- all I needed was to tell someone.


Finally, an older woman in the department asked if I had been waited on. "Nope."...."I want this pair of crocs," I said, AND if you have a nice sandal like that one," I said pointing to a strappy leather, "in my size I will take it too." She stopped what she was doing and following my clear directions was able to make a sale in less than 3 minutes!


It made me think about our country. We hear a lot about "the American people" But who are the American People? Certainly, I was not one of these American People, as my 11-year-old stick shift Saturn in the parking garage attested, but in this mall I felt like a foreigner. If you want to take a look at what I was experiencing here is a great link


The L-Curve website which graphically represents this data. http://www.lcurve.org/


Despite my level of education, and the fact that I do not feel inferior. I was clearly a stranger in a strange land here. My question might be, as a person who believes in community and shared responsibility, why would people of similar economic demographics to mine choose to identify with the extremely wealthy? Why would they fear the "government" (translate that WE THE PEOPLE)and give over trust to corporations and banks, the very people who plunged us into the current economic straights, NOT to mention the Gusher In the GULF!

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