Saturday, March 14, 2009

Cry of Consumer Distress

The Zizkov TV tower is a seminal part of Prague's Zizkov, the once working class district where now colorful gypsies, unambitious expat artists, hard-working drug dealers and not so extravagant drinkers abound. This is the regions's nightlife axis, the absurdity shrine which personifies the local mellow, beer-powered insanity which soaks many a manifestation of local living and sends waves of calm, home-bred craziness all around. Look at the babies which cover this spaceship-like construction, savor the combination. Imagine planting an iPhone into an ant hill inhabited with heavily sedated ants. They don't remove the alien object, they decorate it. This is what it's all about.

This is also the area's main crea-disiac, the object which inspires many intoxicated individuals to deposit the offsprings of their creative impulses onto the neighboring surfaces. In other words, there are quite a few interesting cultural finds around this uncanny beacon. Here's one of them, which has already acquired a bit of Flickr fame and blog buzz.



So, low cost airlines don't fly where this person wants. My fingers are itching to link this to the recession. This is how spoiled we are, and this is how we deserve the crunch. Just go back in time and tell a 20-something person in Middle Age Europe that big steel birds want too much gold to take us to the fairy tale locations we desire, and those who agree to take copper, are too intractable when it comes to route planning. Probably not too much of a problem for someone who is lucky to be alive and breathing, compared to people his age, taken away by epidemic or the flail of some stinking knight.

That's so human. Give them something, and tomorrow they will say you gave not enough. Does this kidult attitude really suit the times? Are people frustrated that low cost airlines can't take them to a place with cheaper booze, bigger tits and spicier chili? Or are they happy to have a job and a place to sleep? Mind you, millions of people don't even know what the fuck a low cost airline is. Can I finish this post and not use the H word - not Hitler, but hipster? You know, dude, chances are low cost airlines won't fly where you want for the next decade. You might be happy to have low cost airlines at all.

I wonder whether there are downshifters now. Whether people give up their jobs for a living of consuming less when everybody is consuming less just because there is less opporunity to consume.

Anyway, this is a nice looking piece of stencil art, with a reasonably nervous font, and some non-text decorations which enhance the overall picture. The message obviously makes sense, and this sense even seems to change with time. Isn't that a sign of worthiness, after all.