Spontaneous Combustion

Todd Woods: I’m just a little tired of the American dream.

If a person has their head in the clouds, they have unrealistic, impractical ideas. Perhaps, we have all been walking around in a fog lately. But with the country skidding into an economic meltdown, we can no longer afford to be care-free. On September 15 it seemed as if Wall Street had hit rock bottom, but you should remember that things can always get worse. Granted, I am no fiscal genius. Like the majority of Americans, I have a very rudimentary understanding of our nation’s economy. This bailout may have been bullshit, but the after effects of it’s failure seem to be rather harsh. Maybe this bill was a blast of chemotherapy for our ailing markets: a necessary poison that is the lesser of the two evils. The fact that we are on the eve of a presidential election significantly complicates this political football. I don’t pretend to fully understand the severity of the situation. But I do know we can no longer count on everything working out for the best. It is frightening, but there is also an element of excitement. If there wasn’t so much at stake, I might enjoy the drama. It occurred to me earlier today that our financial system is predicated on superfluous acquisitions. Myself, included. As a jewelry representative, I have to hustle people to buy overpriced trinkets. In return, I take my commission check and spend it on high-end skin care products. I guess we all look forward to the little luxuries in life. A friend of mine ate Ramen Noodles for a week so he was able to afford cashmere. And I witness a staggering lack of judgment working in luxury retail. When I think about the useless shit I see people waste money on, I have mixed emotions. I am thrilled when I’m able to convince buyers to part with their hard earned cash. But I have a great deal of contempt. Now that the country’s fate hangs in the balance, and a Great Depression is on the horizon, I may have more time to reflect on my existential angst. But I’m nothing if not optimistic on the volcano. In this spirit, I present the following video. This song is based on a short story about a high school drop-out who gets a small wad of cash each week, provided that he remembers to throw away any money left over at the end of the week. Dinky is recruited to kill very specific targets by e-mailing them these designs that he creates on an Apple computer. He is, in return, given a life that seems ideal, complete with a house and other benefits. Dinky is happy with his new position, living life in a semi-mindless bliss. However, when Dinky finds an article in the newspaper about the individuals whom he has killed he begins to feel guilty for what he has done. Life is always a Faustian bargain! Appleton watched helplessly as their stream-of consciousness synth-pop failed to yield high returns.