Tuesday, April 8, 2008

What is the obsession...

...with DIY? I just don't get it. Okay, I understand doing it yourself. People want to be self-reliant, or more often they want to save money. I'm not gonna pretend that everybody has the same inclinations and drive as Thoreau to be self-reliant. But why is DIY the cool thing now? and mostly I'm talking about the phrase itself.
People have been "DIY-ing" for thousands of years, but all of the sudden its a big deal to do things yourself, and everybody has to know about it. and all of the sudden we have DIY kits and books and all sorts of crazy stuff. It's ridiculous. And it all started with those "____________ for Idiots" books.

There's nothing new or fresh about DIY, I think people are just desperate to look independent, but in this very act they are showing that they are dependent on the approval and admiration of others for their "self-reliance". I just think its stupid.

And reading my own post I realize that I sound very cynical and almost angry, and I don't think I am like that very much anymore, but sometimes things just drive me nuts. So if you're gonna do something yourself, great! do it!, but don't feel like you need to tell everybody, and don't call it DIY so that you can fit into some kind of cool cultural niche.

3 comments:

iamnathanjohnson@gmail.com said...

NOPE. WRONG.

Just fun to say DIY in a sentence. Plus my band is poor. We can't pay $1200 for a run of American Apparel Shirts with a nicely screen printed design on them.

jeffrey greene said...

...and really, is it doing it yourself if you do it from a kit? i think not. the hardest part about creating things is gathering it all up and making your vision come to life...and if you're doing it with a kit and such...you're just a cheater!

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