Slog - Comments on Who Are These People?

Comment by Bar Hopper

Bar Hopper — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:02:42 -0800

The kind of people who pay a cover to get into a bar when there are other bars in town that let you in the door for free.

Comment by tsm

tsm — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:12:47 -0800

The kind of people who buy an extended warranty on a $40 DVD player at Wal-Mart?

The kind of people who pay a premium for tap water that comes in a plastic bottle with a pretty label?

Comment by thecandyqueen

thecandyqueen — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:20:02 -0800

The kind of people who are hoarders. You know? Those older ladies you see on the Oprah show and you can't see the floor of any room in their house because of their Precious Moments collection(s). People like that. Miserable people.

Comment by max solomon

max solomon — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:20:13 -0800

@1: people pay cuz the pussy is better in those bars.

i doubt its better @ the convention center.

Comment by Mike in MO

Mike in MO — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:32:00 -0800

The whole Christmas experience is one big giant WTF for me.

And while we're on the subject, if one more motherfucker calls me a Scrooge because I hate everything about this time of year, I think I will find out for sure how far a Christmas tree will go up a human's ass.

Comment by MGD

MGD — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:32:29 -0800

Reminds me of PT Barnum and his famous quote.

Comment by Michigan Matt

Michigan Matt — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:35:27 -0800

Where's your Christmas spirit, Dan?

Comment by elenchos

elenchos — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:37:19 -0800

I FUCKING HATE people who like things different than what I like. I FUCKING HATE their very guts. God. What the FUCK is wrong with people who pay money to do things that you couldn't PAY ME enough money do do? A lot of shit is wrong with them, that's what. Like baseball. I HATE baseball. Yet these FUCKERS pay good money to go see BASEBALL! What. The. Fuck.

Here's what I think. I think we should round up everybody who ever paid a dime to do anything which I would not pay for, and we should just fucking kill them. Yeah. Kill them. Death is what they deserve and they should be put to death for being so different. I'll slit their throat myself. Fuck yeah. Paying money to shop? God, I'd love to get my hands around the throat of somebody who would pay money to shop.

I'd teach them to pay to shop, I promise you that. Oh yes, I'd teach them good.

Comment by brappy

brappy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:52:38 -0800

Dan, why not just send a reporter next time? Then you could find out. Or send the Public Intern! His normal attitude of staring down his nose in disdain at others would work perfectly at an event like this. It would be comedic gold!

Comment by Jim

Jim — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:11:45 -0800

We have one of these in Austin as well. However, it only costs $5, they sell beer, and they have good live music the whole time.

Comment by Bar Hopper

Bar Hopper — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:15:04 -0800

@4 - you must not be into cougars.

Comment by irl500girl

irl500girl — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:34:03 -0800

I had to go to one of those a few years ago when my sis from CA came to visit. Nope - no hiking for her or seeing anything worth seeing out here. Nope, she had to go to the fucking X-mas show. The shit they sell is all very unique being hand made from some persons imagination but that doesn't mean it good. My sis bought 2 reindeer made of wood. They were so fucking ugly and cost a ridiculous amount of money. I bet a 3rd grader could have made something nicer with some whatever blew out of the trees last storm free.
Never will I go to one of those things again. Old ladies ohhing and awwing over dumb expensive crap.

Comment by keshmeshi

keshmeshi — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:40:21 -0800

What amazes me is that we're heading toward a recession and everyone, myself and a few subprime borrowers excluded, are spending as much money as ever. Dipshits.

Comment by certaindoom

certaindoom — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:48:29 -0800

Who are these people?

Desperate housewives out to prove they are on top of X-mas this year.

The easily led.

Mommies, babies, girls of all ages from exurbia, out for a day of "fun."

Their neutered husbands.

My inlaws.

Comment by Quinapalus

Quinapalus — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:48:33 -0800

Elenchos @ 8: that's the best summary of the Craigslist discussion forums I've ever seen. Tack on a graph about fellow riders of public transit intruding on your consciousness and you could put it in best-of and close it forever.

Comment by Rotten666

Rotten666 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:56:58 -0800

The same kind of people who think it is awesome that 106.9 has already started to play Christmas carols 24/7. Frumpy middle aged women wearing over sized tweetie bird sweaters underneath planet hollywood jackets.

Comment by C in C

C in C — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:00:17 -0800

@5 - Mike in MO. I agree 100% only I have a kid I have to fake it for, which I do poorly. I expect the "Bah Humbug" comments to start coming from my co-workers any day now!

Comment by Gomez

Gomez — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:04:24 -0800

This is what America has come to.

You know why our schools suck? It's in this country's best interest to churn out as many clueless idiots as possible, because they're the ones who waste their money on stupid crap like this.

Comment by snark

snark — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:15:44 -0800

Who pays?

Who pays to go to the auto show?
Who pays to go to the home show?
Who pays to take the Amtrak to the Outlet Mall in Centralia?

Lots of people pay to shop.

When we factor in the gasoline for the cars, the time spent watching or reading through/skipping over advertisements, we ALL pay to shop in one way or another.

It's our economy.
We are bound by the system to shop.
It's inevitable that opportunities to charge money to facilitate the execution of that duty will arise.

Comment by Bauhaus

Bauhaus — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:39:27 -0800

But it's a slithery kind of marketing acumen to get people to buy their way into a venue where the things being offered are available anywhere.

Somebody - the cheese balls who cooked this up - are going to have a very good Christmas indeed.

Comment by Geni

Geni — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:33:10 -0800

Bored people, that's who. People who have nothing whatever to occupy their time, and desperately seek collecting and "crafting" to fill their empty days. People bored with their local malls, because they already spend every weekend there, who want to shop somewhere different and make an "event" out of it.

Don't f***ing ask me. I don't get the Home Show either. Wall-to-wall salesmen hawking crap - not my idea of a good time. But each to his own.

Comment by Dianna

Dianna — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:26:14 -0800

Well, it's the worth the $14 for a 1% discount on certain items, right?

Comment by Really, watch it.

Really, watch it. — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:03:51 -0800

Century of the Self, a four hour BBC Doc from 2003, will answer all of your questions regarding the rise of consumerism culture.

You can watch it for free on Google Video, just search for it. (It's four 1 hour segments.)

Comment by catalina vel-duray

catalina vel-duray — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:36:07 -0800

HEY! I take the Amtrak to Centralia to shop - but not at the outlet mall. They have some very nice antiquey stores on the main street, and then there's time for a stately beer and light lunch at the olympic club before it's time to go back home.

But go to a Christmas Show at a convention center? I'd sooner have the itch.

So There.