Just so you know, tonight, Baskin-Robbins is giving away a free scoop of ice cream to support firstbook.org. They make a donation with every scoop. Here is some info: http://www.baskinrobbins.com/promo/free_scoop_night.shtml

Posted by: Elaine at April 28, 2004 07:35 AM

perhaps i spoke too soon...if indeed ben & jerry's was donating tips or something, then i find the line to be a beautiful gift, and a sign of hope in our often apathetic western culture. my rush of words was more about the american idealogy that free=desirable. in some sense, it spoke volumes to me about the consumerism and excess in america, and about peoples' bloated longing to be a part of something because our culture has become so terribly disjunct. in other countries, especially eastern europe before the fall of communism, people would stand in line having no idea what was at the end, because they knew nothing of excess; it was completely foreign to them. oh, i could write and write, but the flatlands of davis call to mike and i. 8 hours or so on the bikes today. perhaps i'll break 130 miles. i pray that the winds are quiet. big love to you.

Posted by: jefferson pitcher at April 28, 2004 08:01 AM

I've gotten a bunch of free, and sometimes even useful, junk off of the internet. I got some of those Oil of Olay cleansing cloth face things, cod-liver oil vitamin samples, seeds, make-up, and even tampons. Altogether, I've probably spent about three hours of my life on freebie sites... It's time I'll never get back, and I'm not sure the cod-liver oil samples were worth it! So yeah, America is very much into the word, "free".

But what can we expect, what with our economy being the way that it is? And how many of us stare at our TVs for hours a day, watching a bunch of people who have a ton of crap that we'll never have, and as a result, start believing that we deserve all of that crap, too?

Maybe we do deserve everything we desire. My only beef is that a lot of folks seem to think that they're OWED everything they desire. And thinking that way turns them into a**holes.

Posted by: Bee at April 28, 2004 09:07 AM

pitcher,pitcher,pitcher. Chances are that the company giving away the ice cream was doing so for tax reasons. every scoop given out can be directly deducted from the companies income. nothing as lofty as saving the rain forests. Just tax shelter. And you bitching about "free" is funny. Considering you have been begging for shit from every one from Apple to sean penn.
"Nothing in life is free." "Some things in life are free." Both from lovable communists.
John 'Rainin' on the parade' Rensing

Posted by: John Rensing at April 28, 2004 12:30 PM

Reminds me of my early (and extremely broke) days as a burgeoning (and terribly naive) politico in Berkeley: a man standing on the corner of the Ave held a sign announcing, 'Free Huey' so I approached him asking where I could get some.

Ah, yes, the Summer of 69.

Posted by: falloutsis at April 28, 2004 12:48 PM

I was just pondering that recently - America's nearly irreversible, irreparable, unbreakable habits of overconsumption and excess. My Parisian friend asked me once why Americans need to upscale/super-size everything? I couldn't answer him.

This afternoon I fly to Seattle and pay respects/homage to Bruce & Brandon Lee at Capital Hill. Recent callings have propelled me to draw (all ink, free-hand, no pencil) two 20*30” scrolls of dragons in 8 hours, a therapeutic hobby accompanied by the soothing sounds of Christian Kiefer’s instruments & voice from Dragonfly and others on Medicine Show…by far THE best CD I own.

Oh sweet Paris, I do miss you so…like a drug…withdrawals, jonesing, recurring nostalgic dreams of you, even with your cigarette-smoke-filled cafes, overpriced cappuccinos, and annoyingly forward men. But today, let it be Seattle with my Angel Love, riding his vespa throughout town and around the Sound. (I know Seattle is the grunge music capital, but I pray he does not take me to his favorite grunge clubs. Tango instead, anyone?)

The autumn return to Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto/Takayama shall bring forth many memories. It would be a surreal 3-year anniversary since my last trip there, having landed in Tokyo on Sept. 11th, 2001, LITERALLY. Shocked by the tragic news of the twin towers splashed across giant screens on live, digital Japanese billboards. (Do you remember, Jefferson, of my trip to Japan I speak of?) But right after Seattle, must concentrate/train hard to champion for a cup at the karate tournament in Vegas, both in honor of my school and for my own selfish vanity (yes, I said it).

Posted by: miss johnson at April 29, 2004 08:27 AM

Miss Johnson et. al.:

I beleive I can, at least to some extent, answer the question as to why Americans have a need to "super size" everything. Forgive me for being so pendantic, but here it goes:

America was, by and large, founded for a particular vision of freedom. Contrary to what your elementary school textbooks might claim, this freedom had much more to do with economics than religion or civil rights; in other words, relatively well-off Brits came to America in order to make money clear of the restrictions of the English monarchy (particularly the taxation problems therein).

This having been said, the average Anglo immigrant had land on the brain, because land = money. This is particularly true given the fact that most land in Europe was already owned by wealthy aristocats. One had a choice: be a landless serf in Europe or come to the "New World" and try to get some land for yourself. Of course, the wealthy Brits of the previous paragraph had already snapped up the majority of the "good land" (or so they thought), so land rushes were limited to the comparitively crappy lands of the great plains, etc., the more fertile areas of Viriginia, New England, Kentucky, etc. having already been snapped up.

Given these factors, America has grown up with the idea of the "frontier" being a fundamental part of its national psyche. We have always had a palpable idea of the "frontier," and this idea has guided us throughout our development as a nation (see Slotkin's "Gunfighter Nation" and Shames' essay "The More Factor" for more on this).

However, the idea of the "frontier" was based on the concept of unlimited land--a concept which was, obviously, based on a fantasy. So when the land was settled (as Turner noted in his turn of the century address on the "frontier thesis"--the frontier became closed when a particular population density was reached), Americans had to recalibrate their idea of the frontier.

It seems to me (and Shames and others) that what Americans have done is the recontextualize the idea of the "frontier" to be related to economics rather than land. Hence, Americans still want "more" but now they get it by driving big cars, buying big sodas, etc. Coupling this with capitalism, an economic system based entirely on the process of buying and selling, and we have the new American frontier: the things you own.

In terms of Pitcher's line and Rensing's comment (both of which being true), the free ice cream scoop giveaway helps everyone (and in fact, even if they were giving away ice cream to support some kind of charity, it would still be tax deductible for the company in question). Patrons feel like they are getting something for nothing (the essence of this new American frontier) and the company is both promoting their product and getting a tax break (the essence of their American frontier, because in the end it means they make more money as well).

In any case, that's the way I see it.

Posted by: Christian Kiefer at April 29, 2004 11:41 AM

Oh, and Brina, thank you for your kind comments on my CD. I'm glad I can accompany such arcane and magical (to me anyway) tasks as dragon painting. My grandmother knew Bruce Lee's mother, who was convinced that her son had been murdered by the Asian mafia or something.

Posted by: Christian Kiefer at April 29, 2004 11:43 AM

Yours is an interesting theory, Kiefer, but I'm not sure I buy it. I don't know that the person buying Biggie Fries is doing so because his or her ancestors came to America in search of land. Maybe the two things are correlated, but I don't know if one's the cause and the other is the effect.

Thanks, though, for the thoughts on the topic. If you have any others, I'd like to hear 'em.

Posted by: Bee at April 29, 2004 02:58 PM

Bee:

You misunderstand my point (or, more likely, I haven't made my point clear). Americans aren't consciously aware of their frontier heritage in that way.

Let me put it this way: human beings act and react in large part due to their past (a fact that has kept the psychology business thriving since Freud). This past is tied in with other people's pasts (your parents and their pasts--for they too are acting and reacting with their own past baggage).

Americans, too, are acting and reacting within the confines of a particular past, a particular history. It is, in Freudian terms, a cultural unconscious (not the collective unconscious of Jung, which is an altogether different animal). The guy ordering Biggie fries is part of a culture that is, and has always, celebrated "bigness"--of ideas, of landscapes, and, perhaps most importantly, of opportunity. It is a part of his being because it is a part of America's cultural self.

You're right, though, Bee. It might all be bullshit--maybe the guy is just a big eater.

Best,

CK

Posted by: Christian Kiefer at April 29, 2004 05:54 PM

Fo' shizzle my nizzle, Christian. I suddenly want to run to Krispy Kreme and go exploring. Your post had me laughing, but good. I can see the Intrepid American decked out in Prada 'coon skin cap and Louis Vitton outback wear. Mounted on their trusty H2,"Silver". They find the perfect camp spot, next to the handicap spot. From this home base they make excursions (I just realized many of our SUVs and cars are based on exploring names, you may be on to something Christian) into the promise land, the mall. There they find everything they could possibly need. Yes, need. 14 different fast food places for sustenance (I use the word loosely), Clothing, beddng, entertainment. Keeping up with the Jones' never looked so good. Hmmm, Excursion, Explorer, Intrepid, Outback, Expedition, Frontier, Land Cruiser...
John Rensing

Posted by: John Rensing at April 29, 2004 05:59 PM

Thanks for clarifying, Kiefer. When you think about it in broader terms, your theory works pretty convincingly.

Posted by: Bee at April 30, 2004 07:35 AM

taken in broader terms, there is the concept of {or question perhaps} freedom in the united states; ie: what it was and what it is. the idea of the frontier, especially in relation to john's point about the SUV's, lends a great deal of merit to the fact that many americans distracted by television, the media in general, and a poorly defined sense of cultural identity, have developed a rather warped sense of freedom. many years ago, with the advent of the automoblie, {before its shift to becomming a more common and widely owned and used part of our culture} it is arguable that these motorized boxes were indeed a means of greater freedom, much like the concept of the frontier itself. over time of course, they have become a "necessity" to most americans. whenever anything becomes a {quotations important} "necessity" then ensues the absurdity, for people want to feel something about their car. they want to feel powerful and limitless and free.

the paradox of course lies in the fact that the inherent nature of the automobile {sitting enclosed away from fresh air, not walking, not smelling smells as much, etc etc} removes us yet one more step from nature, and the place where true freedom lies. then again many would argue that "true freedom" exists only in the heart and soul. which may indeed be true, but easy for us to say out here in the world driving our cars and enjoying our free scoop of ice cream on a monday afternoon. i imagine prisoners have a rather different set of thoughts on the matter.

i would add to christian's ideas about the expansion? of the frontier into our obsession with bigger, better. more, the idea that the more peoples' lives become watered down with the false meaning inherent in such things as bigger soda, and so on, that many americans have become so lost in this sea of things that they don't need, that they will keep buying bigger and more and bigger and more until they cave in upon themselves. in my opinion, it is comparable in some way to addiction, in that it grows like and exponential equation. people buy a bigger soda, discover that their bigger soda didn't solve any of their problems {whatever they may be} so then buy an even bigger soda. which takes us right back to where we began. why did those immigrants come here in the first place? the escape the way of life they were being forced into due to {essentially} monopoly. too few companies running the market. too few voices in the media. sound familiar?

ahhhhh. too early in the morning for my brain to make much sense...i haven't even had tea yet. my goodness. maybe i'll "supersize" my tea.

Posted by: jefferson pitcher at April 30, 2004 08:01 AM

And maybe those people buying the supersized sodas are just thirsty. Has anyone here ever contemplated their broom? The one made of the natural fibers. Their is One,1, broom company in the US that grows this plant and produces these brooms. The company puts some painted handles on them, some natural. It even dyes the fibers occasionally. It then sells the brooms to other companies for retail sale. My point. This company has a monopoly on natural fiber brooms. I don't hear anyone complaning about it. Even with their monopoly I think brooms are still fairly priced. Of course plactic or synthetic fiber brooms are a competition and probably help to keep the price down. Whateva.
There is still plenty of frontier left on the planet, it being much larger than most people think. Oh, pitcher, if you start thinking of freedom as a concept, you've lost it. It exests it is real and it is being taken from us bit by bit. Liberty is my master, I must work constantly to maintain it.
John

Posted by: John Rensing at April 30, 2004 09:56 AM

i never said freedom was simply a concept, hence my statement about the prisoners view of it. ask people in most other countries around the world and their definition of freedom will differ greatly from most people in the states, because we have {physically speaking} freedom and they do not. so yes, freedom is real. terribly real. it is up there on scale with our health and love. tea doesn't even come close. the point is in its simplest form, that many of these people in the states, mistake freedom for the purchase of a big car.

Posted by: jefferson pitcher at April 30, 2004 10:53 AM