Awhile back, I wrote about how most (male) teens don't know what a "friend" is. I stand behind that - they're fucking clueless on the subject :P Having said that, however, it's not just friendship for which the street definition varies between demographics. This is a frequent encounter of mine (and probably yours too) in the consumer world: you've probably been browsing in a store or through some form of media, to stumble upon something with a sticker price you internally define as "way too expensive!" or "a fucking bargain!" I find this quite puzzling, because currency is supposed to define value, yet we have different perceptions about how much value said currency actually has! The company defines a product's monetary value, but you will go right ahead and define its value again using an internal measurement system based on what this product can do for you as a customer.
In this world of rapidly advancing technology, it takes a fuckload to drop our jaws to the ground in awe. 50 years ago, television was broadcast without colour; no colours! None! You'd smack your TV silly if the shit you watch came up in black and white, irrespective of whether or not the program you're watching was originally filmed in black and white (and, chances are, if it was filmed in black and white, you ain't watching what I'd call "shit" :P) That feature of media has lost its value because it's commonplace, with its position as the standard removing its former luster in television's history. Today, if it isn't a widescreen, hi-def, 3D flat-panel with built in DVD and PVR, it ain't worth taking home. I remember having a tiny CRT TV in my room with only one speaker - and hence only one audio input - and how much of a luxury it was to take my PS2 to the other TV in our house: the one with two speakers! I could plug the white pin and the red pin in to the AV input! Holy shit! Today, a 32" 1080p LCD TV with a built in digital tuner and 4 HDMI inputs sits in my bedroom, and if you've ever played a PS2 on both a CRT and a flat panel, you'll know just what "better" technology does to a system not built for the screen you're playing it on :P
As I was saying before, however, this same lack of consistency exists in the social world in abundance.What most teens consider to a friend I consider an acquaintance, but even then, I value friends a lot more than most people simply because I don't have many. I'm not even sure if I the amount of people I even know is on par with the amount of friends my friends have. Who I consider to be my best friend may, in fact, be my only friend at this point - at least the only one I know in real life - and there aren't too many people I maintain regular contact with over the internet either, irrespective of their demographic. A few days back, the best friend I mentioned earlier went with me to see a movie, which got me thinking about the last time someone who wasn't my (ex :P) girlfriend invited me anywhere... and I actually failed to recall that information! I could not remember the last social outing I went on! This friend of mine probably goes out with his friends at least one a week, and I actually have trouble remembering my previous activity! As he was using his phone to browse the internet, he asked "don't you hate it when your signal drops out randomly while browsing like that?" My phone has never dropped out while browsing because my phone can't browse the Internet :P Why buy something I'm not going to use! I seldom go out, so I see no reason to replace my 5 year old handset. It probably doesn't even know what the Internet is.
Going a bit further back, I recall going to a relative's 18th and seeing just how many friends this motherfucker had in the house at the same time! I've never seen this many people this age before outside an educational context in my life, yet he probably considers this to be the norm! I was there only by blood, not by mateship... was there even a point to me being there? I don't drink alcohol and I don't talk unless I'm comfortable... which in this case means being pissed out of your head :P I considered it a waste of my time as I sat there playing Tetris, even though that's what I would have been doing anyway :P I don't think I value time at all, seeing as I waste so much of it. I value friends more than anything in this world, yet I think social activity is worthless... doesn't quite add up, does it? I look down on partying as a meaningless excuse for celebrating Western excess and group inebriation, yet I've never been to a party and hence am completely unfamiliar with the atmosphere. Even the girl that I've been talking about, the one that I'm liking so much, is (according to what I've heard) a socialite! If something sparks between us, shit's gonna hit the fan - my fan. I'm just far more comfortable in front of a screen with some buttons to press, where I treasure the things I value: games, writing, comedy and solitude.
I suppose 2 is my perfect number: only one other person to interact with. They're all yours, and you're all theirs. Their status as a friend, chum, pal, colleague, or my other half doesn't matter to me - so long as we're having a good time, who cares? Another one or two people is sometimes nice - especially with a controller for each one :P - but that one-on-one scenario comes with the most contact and the least interference. Having said that, though, there's that wild feeling you get when you're around what you determine as "a lot of people." Being a performer, I guess having hundreds of people around me is only an issue if I'm among them :P I love getting up in front of crowds and being a funny bastard, but only if I'm given the floor, otherwise it's just daunting, not to mention the fact that it would make me look like a total arsehole. There's something else I value highly: stage time, once again because I hardly get any :P Perhaps I have to chase these things I value so highly, but how do I go about it? Do I raise my internal value of the things I love to give me more incentive, or do I lower their value to make them seem not so far away?
... crap... more questions I can't answer.
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