Consumer Vortex

I believe one of the greatest flaws in American society is the greed of our people, often seen in the commercialism. Everything has a retail angle to it. Such a mentality is epitomized in Gatlinburg, TN, the host of the annual teen convention which my youth group attends.

If you have never been to Gatlinburg, let me tell you what you are missing. There is barely enough room to walk on the sidewalk. But don’t try to drive when there are big crowds, because it will take you forever. Restaurants, shops, novelty stores, cabins, cars and hotels are everywhere. The number of worthless stores that line the main street is astounding. The prices that are charged for necessities like food, water, and fudge make the depression inflation seem like a steal. And the things that nobody needs, well those are priced just right so that they seem reasonable to unwitting patrons.

I don’t understand why people from my church go there…for fun! I got angry just being near it. That is why at these conventions I tend to stay near my room. Take naps. Play poker. Steer clear of the commercialism vortex. Of course my kids love it, which is where I get the most frustrated. Here I spend a lot of time and energy trying to teach my kids not to be materialistic, and I am foiled by some lame hat shop that peddles the dumbest looking hats around. You know these kids won’t wear those hats again after this weekend. My archenemy is a town!

I suppose I can put up with it, because I know what it will be like going in. The town will not change. But, what I can’t put up with is the vortex taking over the convention. Why do I walk in and see all these booths with all this Christian crap? My kids don’t need to blow $15 on trucker hats that say “I only like Christian boys.” They surely don’t need a John Deere hat that already has been cut to make it look more “authentic.” Then you go on to the stupid t-shirts that make fun of sinners, “Satan,” and more.

It all makes me sick to my stomach. But I suppose we make up for it by taking a collection up for sending food to victims in Haiti and another collection to allow students to fill their “good deeds” quotient by going to Haiti or New Orleans for a week. I guess I just see mixed messages and don’t see how we can teach our kids to allow God to do amazing things in their lives while teaching them it is okay to waste the resources they have been given.