Genericana
Posted in Miscellaneous on March 12th, 2007 by JennyI have become completely fascinated with the concept of genericana. Genericana is defined as – the features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls and subdivisions.
There is some comfort in genericana:
- You can go to any Red Lobster or McDonald’s and feel at home, already knowing what to expect in terms of quantity, quality and cost; and
- As every suburb has a Home Depot, Gap, and Walmart, for instance, you’re never starting from scratch in any move and always know where to find what you’re looking for.
Genericana is running rampant. People in both red and blue states seem to be exhibiting an internalized form of genericana:
- Ask people their dream and how many will answer winning it big in the lotto, vacationing in the Bahamas, or retiring by 55? Maybe there will be small variations, but typically it’s the same vision;
- Most of us are exposed to the exact same ideas because we read the exact same “bestsellers” and watch the exact same television shows;
- We crave the same look - whether it be in our appearance or a potential mates - because we mimic what we see in the exact same magazines, advertisements, and we all shop in the same stores; and
- In a time when divorces runs rampant we still dream of an ideal soul mate – the person who “completes” us and we ignore the people right in front of us.
But to give credit where credit is due, it is much easier to “keep up with the Joneses” when it is so clearly defined and we know exactly where to find it. Generic America.
