I’ve been having some “Get off my lawn!” moments lately. It all started in the Target toy aisle, as so many of my rants do. Deal was oogling Star Wars action figures while Bird was channeling his inner rock star with a Paper Jamz guitar. When I hear “paper jam” I immediately think of crinkled up institutional green paper stuck in a dot matrix printer. “Paper Jamz” with a “z” is a cardboard guitar that allows you to “Sound like a rock star — without years of practice.” That’s direct from the manufacturer’s mouth…Because this world needs more entitlement and immediate gratification with no appreciation for hard work and real talent.
See what I mean? Get off my lawn!
When I was a kid we unleashed our inner rock star in an air band. All we needed was a radio and some killer moves. I was even in an air band for a talent show once. We “played” Bad Connection from Upstairs at Eric’s by Yaz. I was on the keyboards as I recall. I continue to rock the air band circuit, with my kitchen as the main stage. We all chime in with nary a Paper Jamz instrument in sight. There’s something to be said for letting your imagination run free. There are too many things that tie us down and hold us back. Rules, directions, expectations. Where do we have free reign to just play and let our creativity carry us? This is particularly true when it comes to LEGO bricks. Everyone is so keen on building sets that kids don’t use their imaginations to build whatever they fancy without directions. This makes me crazy. I find myself shaking my head in sadness and disgust every time I visit the toy department.
Get off my lawn!