I reported on a foolish new bubble-driven, infantile fad yesterday — the yogurt taps for adults. Today I have seen the worst case, ever, of a bubble-driven, adolescent, mindless fixation as reported this past weekend in the New York Times (hat tip goes to Lew Rockwell for this one). This particular new business, in Times Square nonetheless, is so beyond belief, and so surreal, I wondered if I had overdosed on inhalation sedation at the dentist last week.
Folks, welcome to Pop Tarts World in Times Square. At Pop Tarts World — a 3,200 square foot shop, if you can believe that — you can have your pick from over 30 snacks and desserts. From the story:
The menu includes the Fluffer Butter, marshmallow spread sandwiched between two Pop-Tarts frosted fudge pastries; the Sticky Cinna Munchies, cinnamon rolls topped with cream-cheese icing and chunks of Pop-Tarts cinnamon-roll variety; and Ants on a Log?, which is celery, peanut butter and chunks of the Wild Grape version.
Or you can get the grown-up treat, Pop Tarts Sushi, which is three varieties of Pop Tars minced and wrapped in a fruit roll-up. Also, you can build “your own Pop-Tarts, starting with a basic pastry and asking servers to add frosting, toppings (coconut, sprinkles) and drizzle (caramel, raspberry).” Or you can skip over to the Pop Tarts vending machine with a lollipop in your mouth and choose from among many different items and assemble your own variety pack. Now here comes the real grown-up stuff:
The store will put on a brief light show every hour. First, visitors will “get frosted,” Mr. Schoessel said, with a red light and a white light. That will be followed by brief pulses of light, “all different colors to mimic the sprinkles,” he said, “then another really bright light” to evoke wrapping the tarts in foil.
A light show for adults, making them “feel” like a Pop-Tart being sprinkled and wrapped? And anyone over 12, with a brain, desires to experience this puerile event and, as such, will have something valuable to gain from it?
By now, you’ve checked my link to the story and you know I am not making this up, right? If you are still not convinced this is real, pop on over to www.poptartsworld.com where you can play Pop Tarts video games and design your own Pop-Tart t-shirt. Lastly, the 50-foot storefront is being wrapped in Pop-Tart branding (foil wrapper?) and there will be a 6-story billboard above the store.
This would be hilarious if it weren’t so crazed, perverted, and tragic.
People know I write on this topic often. The topic is how the excesses of the bubble years warped the social fabric of this nation. Excess to the point of asininity, in fact. It makes people angry that I am so verbal and straightforward on the topic. But that’s something I expect, prepare for, and eventually, I tune it out.
In short, here’s a summary of how I arrive at my thoughts/criticisms on this topic of adult-adolescent hyper-consumption (or modern Bread & Circuses).
The recent credit boom gave rise to a fictitious prosperity grounded in debt. The accumulation of stuff via the buildup of debt distorted people’s perception of reality and gave them a false sense of wealth, and so they took full advantage of their newfound “prosperity.” It was not authentic affluence because most of the economic growth in the U.S. was built upon a foundation of debt and consumption, not one of increasing production and real wealth. Many Americans took to living well beyond their means — larger and newer homes, stunning furniture, multiple new cars, posh vacations, summer homes, magnificent adult toys, and assorted goodies they had never before accumulated so quickly and so easily. [Here is an article I wrote for young folks about the false perceptions of wealth: Stuff Does Not Equal Wealth]
As household debt-to-income ratios rose to an all-time high, personal savings rates plummeted to new lows. People demanded more and more materialism in the form of “things,” and producers responded by supplying the goods and services that were in demand. The easy-credit, economic boom allowed them to produce increasingly more extravagant products and services that lured consumers who were not restricted by cash on hand or real wealth. Consumers could spend as they pleased through the careless use of debt.
During the boom, existing businesses grew at unprecedented rates and new businesses sprang up overnight. Creditors couldn’t give out loans fast enough to individuals who yearned to become business owners. Anything and everything went during this boom period. Bubbles surfaced everywhere — in business, housing, assets, automobiles, and higher education. Loan underwriting standards were tossed aside in favor of keeping up with a heated and very profitable economy.
At the same time, consumers couldn’t spend money fast enough. They used up the rising equity in their homes — the ATM of the boom era. Americans went hog wild and lived lives that far exceeded their ability to pay in the near term. Due to a vast accumulation of debt via the government’s credit bubble, this was sustainable only in the short term, with a financial and cultural price to be paid in the long term.
Debt-based consumerism can generate numerous social problems, including leaving behind a number of spiritual casualties. In essence, the boom-bubble period made people go bonkers. Entrepreneurs, business owners, individuals, and consumers became unhinged, going well beyond sustainable business models and reasonable spending patterns. The excess of credit along with the low cost of obtaining it allowed business ventures to be funded that otherwise would not have been able to raise capital. Business capital was therefore wasted on projects that were doomed to failure in the long run.
For consumers, the accumulation of excessive goods and services replaced savings and investment as a form of social advancement. Whereas value was once placed upon the ability to plan long-term and prepare for a secure future, the boom period radically changed people’s priorities and influenced an emphasis toward accumulation in the present. Thrift was tossed aside in favor of immediate gratification. Keeping up with the Joneses became the new religion.
The excesses of the bubble period also had the effect of dumbing down the population and changing behavior patterns, especially among adults who morphed into spendthrift adolescents. Many businesses that erupted during the credit bubble would never have evolved during times of true prosperity where credit was priced at market rates and limited to those individuals who were deemed worthy of risk. Overall, the post-bubble bust has left people poorer and less civilized.
The Left, naturally, blames all of this on wicked corporations and marketing gimmicks, but they neglect the root cause that made it possible in the first place. Without the government’s credit creation and ensuing credit bubble, and the debt levels enabled by overall government policy, these events could not have taken place on such a grand scale. {See the Tom Woods book Meltdown for the best explanation on the cause of the financial crack-up.}
Among the most tragic consequences are the behavioral enigmas left behind by the spiritual debasement caused by years of excesses. Two of the most perplexing problems are the professional child consumer and the perpetual adolescent adult.
This has been tragic, yet there is humor to be found. The fallout has been sad yet comical, and pathetic but often entertaining. These links below point to some previous comments of mine on the pathetic-yet-entertaining aspect of the bubble in juvenile behavior for adults.
• Cereality Cereal Bar & Café [short blog] This is where you go to sit down and pay $8 for cereal served up by “cereologists” in their jammies, and you get to pick your brand, milk, and toppings.
• Cold Stone Creamery [full article]
• Bubble franchises [short blog]
• P.B. Loco — [short blog] Adult peanut butter cafes
And add to that the yogurt taps and Pop-Tart mania for Mom and Dad, and you begin to see the picture? If not, you are too busy recognizing you to be angry and disheartened and dumbfounded by all of this.
