How much escapism is too much escapism? - General Tiki

PJ purple jade Member New Orleans Joined: Feb 19, 2003 Posts: 1450	PJ purple jade Posted posted on Wed, Dec 14, 2005 3:18 PM Too much escapism is the guy on the episode of "Yes Dear" who hangs out in his storage space crammed full of action figures that his wife won't let him keep at home, playing video games while dressed as Chewbacca or a Storm Trooper. Having lost a lot of stuff, I've done a lot of thinking about how people get their identity all wrapped up in their stuff. I've thought about how I may not be able to identify with people here because I don't have much cool vintage stuff anymore, and honestly, I don't know how keen I am to replace or collect more because I don't want to have to go through losing it again. I still like all that stuff but seeing 30-60 year old things that either I'd had since they were new or rescued from being junked ruined literally in minutes was just too hard, and perhaps I need to detach a bit. And anyway, I've never been such a rabid collector that I needed to possess any particular item at any cost. Maybe that's when it's too much? I prefer the term "Preservationist" rather than "Escapist". I don't necessarily want to escape to the past, but I like having tangible reminders of it because I like the way those things look. I liked still having books and toys from my childhood, but I didn't really have a happy childhood and wouldn't wish to relive it. I feel the same about articles of Polynesian Pop culture. They aren't so much an avenue of escape to a happier time, just things I had or knew then that I liked, and still do. I had a great time in the 80s but the signs of big 80s hair and shoulders coming back are making me cringe. And while Spaghettios definitely put me in mind of my childhood, I really can't stomach them now. Something that makes me very sad driving around N.O. now is that if entire neighborhoods are bulldosed and rebuilt new, all the visible reminders of the past will be gone and may turn into those scary Stepford subdivisions where every house has to be built out of the same materials and color schemes and you'd expect to see a big paper banner around them saying "sanitized for your protection". I liked the eclectic patchwork of houses in Lakeview, ranging from the early 40s like mine to the late 60s. Ah well, it wouldn't be the first time. Some of those 60s houses back then were considered "little boxes made of ticky-tacky". I digressed a bit...

Too much escapism is the guy on the episode of "Yes Dear" who hangs out in his storage space crammed full of action figures that his wife won't let him keep at home, playing video games while dressed as Chewbacca or a Storm Trooper.

Having lost a lot of stuff, I've done a lot of thinking about how people get their identity all wrapped up in their stuff. I've thought about how I may not be able to identify with people here because I don't have much cool vintage stuff anymore, and honestly, I don't know how keen I am to replace or collect more because I don't want to have to go through losing it again. I still like all that stuff but seeing 30-60 year old things that either I'd had since they were new or rescued from being junked ruined literally in minutes was just too hard, and perhaps I need to detach a bit. And anyway, I've never been such a rabid collector that I needed to possess any particular item at any cost. Maybe that's when it's too much?

I prefer the term "Preservationist" rather than "Escapist". I don't necessarily want to escape to the past, but I like having tangible reminders of it because I like the way those things look. I liked still having books and toys from my childhood, but I didn't really have a happy childhood and wouldn't wish to relive it. I feel the same about articles of Polynesian Pop culture. They aren't so much an avenue of escape to a happier time, just things I had or knew then that I liked, and still do. I had a great time in the 80s but the signs of big 80s hair and shoulders coming back are making me cringe. And while Spaghettios definitely put me in mind of my childhood, I really can't stomach them now.

Something that makes me very sad driving around N.O. now is that if entire neighborhoods are bulldosed and rebuilt new, all the visible reminders of the past will be gone and may turn into those scary Stepford subdivisions where every house has to be built out of the same materials and color schemes and you'd expect to see a big paper banner around them saying "sanitized for your protection". I liked the eclectic patchwork of houses in Lakeview, ranging from the early 40s like mine to the late 60s.
Ah well, it wouldn't be the first time. Some of those 60s houses back then were considered "little boxes made of ticky-tacky".

I digressed a bit...

Post #203118 by purple jade on Wed, Dec 14, 2005 3:18 PM