The customer reviews of a new Playmobil® toy reveal the political and ideological contradictions of the modern era.
The toy itself, a “security check point,” seems like a strange vehicle for imaginative childhood play, not least because one goal of our newfangled “Culture of Security” seems to be the elimination of imagination. I find this fascinating.
But more fascinating still are the wonderful “reviews” of this product which have been posted by the enterprising eCitizens who “shop” on Amazon. We stand in the grip of giant corporations, while our loss of liberty is commercialized and marketed. Yet citizens use the vehicles of consumption to shout back at the machine. That’s freedom of speech 2.0.
You need to read the reviews yourself to see what I mean.
Thanks Jody Kuhne, for the tip.
It seems to me that a part of play for a lot of children is reenacting interesting or emphatic situations, and in the flying process, there is a lot of buildup to and drama around the security checkpoint. A toy like this could help alleviate some little anxieties or express some little enthusiasm.
Along the strangeness lines, though, did you see the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” for this toy?
Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action an… by Bryan Peterson
Oxo Good Grips Funnels, Set of 3
Halting State by Charles Stross
Jon you’re probably right about the value of the toy. Playmobil retains its genius.
Now these also bought items… call the NSA, it sounds like a terrorist shopping list to me!