I just finished watching the movie "The Joneses" starring David Duvcohny and Demi Moore. And I must say, I am surprised in a wonderful way because of the originality and thoughtfulness the director and script writer has put in it. I would hope many of you would watch it and be as delighted as I am. I don't want to ruin the movie by giving the details (but I probably would as I would be ranting about our system right away). The movie made me think about our fictitious culture overtly obsessed with appearances. For a very long time now, all of us have fallen pray to the lifestyle portrayed by the media and the TV shows and the movies where everyone looks beautiful and hip and is rich has lot of stuff. Who is the best salesman who can sell sugar to a diabetic!
When the financial crisis started rolling, we blamed the banks and wall street managers who gave out tons of sub-prime loans to undeserving people who could not pay for the stuff they bought (houses, cars and other nonsense)leading to unpaid mortgages and too many unpaid loans. It was a crime however, I am equally disappointed with people who thought they could afford all the stuff at 50,000 per annum salary. Why does everyone need a 4 bedroom house and two car garage and huge garden? Why does everyone need big cars, latest gizmo and prada bag? We are trying to compete with those so called idols on television, who don;t really have to buy the stuff they show on TV. The unattainable standards of richness and beauty and fashion are driving people crazy into the large sums of debt. The nation is in a trillion dollar debt, no wonder. We are always buying something that we don't need. It's a free country and if someone has to buy himself to bankruptcy he is allowed to. But at what cost? DO we want people buying unnecessary goods and eventually defaulting on loans that the banks have to bear the burden of? This leads to spiraling debt cycle and the nations pays the price.
I think the movie makes a wonderful comment on this issue by showing just one family and it's lifestyle. It made me think. Why don;t we make our own rules, when it comes to our own life? I will buy what I can afford. Why can't spending time with family , cooking at home, working in community garden, talking to friends, reading books make our life rich? Why do we need every little thing the market offer? There is always going to be a new gadget in the market and latest fashion trends by Prada. What we need to do is get only that thing which makes our life more meaningful and I think most of us will that thing is never available in market and it is "Family"!
