We should talk more often!
Every now and then I hear myself say it to the boyfriend: 'We never really talk... We should talk more often!'
Usually he then looks at me a little disturbed: 'What do you mean? We've just been discussing what you did today, and before that we talked about my work...'
'No, that's not what I mean...'
'Then what dó you mean? Do you want to talk about problems?'
'No, not problems... Just thíngs, you know... Interesting things, like our opinions on what happens in the world, actual debates, society, politics... For example when you read an interesting article in a paper or magazine, we could discuss that more often, couldn't we?'
'But last week we've discussed Obama's new health politics, didn't we?'
'Yeah, but that was last week... ah well, never mind, forget about it!'
But apparently last time he didn't forget about my regular 'we-should-talk-more-often'-mantra, cause this morning the boyfriend finally found an article to discuss, that he presented to me with a smile that was slightly too cheerful. The headline: 'Women are more narcissistic and ego-centered than ever'...
Apparently women these days all want to be special, unique and better than others, and they demand unrealistic things from life. Isn't that something interesting to discuss?
Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Sometimes it tires me, reading the same kind of things over and over again. Women want too much, women care for their looks too much, women shop too much, women compare themselves to other women too often, women are too concerned with what other people think of them, consumer society and it's unreal female images are too demanding... We've all heard it often enough, and probably a lot of it is true. But then what's next? Should we protest and demand 'society' to change? Do women have to change? Men? Or better just enjoy narcissism's joys and accept the accompanying neurosis?
I think the most interesting thing to discuss and consider is how these subjects play their part in our own lives, and how we can somehow arm ourselves against the excesses. I guess we have to accept the world around us as a reality that we can't easily change, so all we can do is focus on our own attitude and feelings (at least that's what the self-help books say ;)). How to say 'enough' at times?
(Gender-) Scientists often point at the negative role that the media play, and as a blogger I sometimes ask myself if (design)blogging also contributes to this consumer/narcissist lifestyle: do we bloggers represent independent creative culture, or is it in the end just another expression of excessive consumer society?
And if so, is consuming really so wrong? I love making things and I'm really happy when I sell enough of them, cause it enables me to keep making things, but sometimes it worries me that I'm just one of those many sellers of 'things'. You know, those evil capitalists trying to sell their goods to innocent customers... Are my 'things' really more special than other things cause they're handmade? Or is that just my inner narcissist speaking?
By the way I just found that Holly at Decor8 wrote an interesting post about blogging and the risks of becoming too self-centered yesterday. Maybe she'd been reading the article as well?
You see, this is one of those posts that raises more questions than answers. Guess who we have to thank for that... Next time I'd better swallow my tongue before I start that 'we-should-talk-more-often'-mantra again! ;) No, just kidding (I don't let go of my favorite mantras that easily!), though it may be one of those questions without easy answers, I love to hear your thoughts!
I tried to find some images matching with the blog post, but I failed... So here are some completely non-matching pictures that I took in Antwerp a while ago.
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