-ism

Ok, so it's not exactly a word, but it's a word part, so it works. I promise.

Anyways, my daily muse today was about three -isms: capitalism, materialism, and individualism.

Wondering how those three words connect? I understand. When this idea first popped into my head I literally had to turn off the car radio and tune out the screams of the three children I ran over to piece it all together. (The second part of that was a joke, a joke people.)

But here's my train of thought. (Choo Choo!)
1) "It sure is nice to own a car! I have so much more freedom to go, see, and do whatever I wish!"
2) "Wait, someone[1] had to buy this car. Why the heck do we have to buy something to gain this freedom?"
3) "I'm gonna call this freedom individualism, 'cause it sounds right."
4) "It's funny how the way we become individuals in our materialistic society is to buy mass-produced materials that many people have to buy in order for their production to be worthwhile." [2]
5) "Capitalism sure did its job."
6) "I'm sure she... they'll be fine" (A JOKE!)

So I, being the antiestablishmentarian that I am, made a decision to try and break that uniquely capitalistic habit as much as possible in my own life, albeit with a few exceptions. That's right, my hat collection will continue to evolve into a history of Washington baseball logos. I'll let you know when it goes on exhibit to Cooperstown.

I say to hell with owning a car, living in a big house, eating out every night (OK, that's probably not going to change either, but I'm a dreamer). Bring back the counterculture! Haight-Ashbury! The Bee-Gees!

And screw nostalgia!

1- My parents
2-This revelation was made prior to this car ride, and was generated courtesy of the late David Foster Wallace. If you want to know which of his essays I got it from, leave your question in the comments section.