My younger brother the successful entrepreneur called last night to tell me on his cell phone that he was currently driving his latest apex predator fantasy car--a white 2008 BMW M3 coupe with bamboo leather, no less. He got the 6-speed manual for maximum thrill and masculinity. The car, which allows its lucky owner to knock his macrocephalic nuts around town, goes for a measly $75,000 and my modest living doesn't allow me, a car lover by my own right, to entertain acquiring such a Top-of-the-Food-Chain Vehicle. I am fated to live in my brother's shadow. I should start a support group for those who have rich siblings and live in the penumbra of mediocrity and are fated to languish in their own OBSCURITY ("Obscurity Knocks," Trashcan Sinatras) .
Post a comment
Your Information
(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)
Cars are merely penis extenders. Any clown with a credit line can get one. I suggest you re-watch "Amadeus" this weekend for a true lesson in mediocrity vs. excellence.
Posted by: Ed S. | April 04, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Great analogy. I saw that film 20 years ago or so. A great drama of a man seething with envy. A moral lesson to be learned for sure.
Posted by: Jeff McMahon | April 04, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Greed, speed, need and envy will always get you into trouble!
Posted by: Tom Welch | April 04, 2008 at 12:40 PM
My only consolation is that I vicariously experience the thrill of my brother's bling.
Posted by: Jeff McMahon | April 04, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Bask in his bling's reflections if you must, but be aware this is what happens when a man buys into the ethos of "He who dies with the most toys wins." The competition can never stop.
Posted by: Ed S. | April 04, 2008 at 02:57 PM
Consumerism is a destructive addiction, to be sure, but as James Twitchell's essays assert, consumerism is also a form of self-transformation. I'm reminded of the great change in Akaky, from Gogol's "The Overcoat."
Posted by: Jeff McMahon | April 04, 2008 at 04:08 PM