Inerttainment

There may be a reason why the economy is in the doldrums. We are just passing MidSummer, a time historically known for doldrums, economic or otherwise.

This time of year, whenever I am not working, I tend to sit and watch. It's not that I don't enjoy active hobbies, I just seem to have less energy to devote to them, so sitting seems the best option.

And today's technology makes it easy. The world of news and entertainment comes to your TV, your computer, or your smart phone (aka 'mobile personal media center'). You can get shows and movies that aren't currently running through direct internet streams. If all else fails you can browse You Tube.

If you miss someone, there's no need to actually walk, drive, or fly to meet them, just adjust the scenery and lighting to best effect and engage Skype or video iChat. If your someone isn't living in the dark ages (i.e., the 1990s), they can engage too and it will be just like being there. Mostly.

In fact, there are very few activities you can't do, or wants and desires you can't fill, by just staying at home and texting, emailing, channeling, chatting, or browsing.

And maybe that's what modern Big Corporate wants: when we are not working, we should be browsing and ordering, or at least noticing the adds and banners blinking and sliding on the periphery of our internet lives. That may be the strategy to fill their coffers.

But I feel I must rebel against this impulse to sit.

After all, movement has its own pleasures, and much of our local economies depend on us getting out and shopping in physically-real stores, eating at restaurants not run by screaming megalomaniacs, and seeing movies, plays, and musical performances in local venues.

I would add 'attending sporting events', and this may be true where you live, but MidSummer heat can be cruel in Los Angeles, if the event is inland and outdoors. In which case, watching the event on TV is an acceptable option and no penalties will be accrued.

Yes, the webs of economic and social life that are our communities depend on us getting up and getting out and about. But man, the doldrums are tough, and I have the entire original 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' BBC TV series queued up on Netflix, ready to stream to my living room at the touch of a button.

Maybe I'll rebel tomorrow ...