Submitted by Steven Kaszab

Seemingly long ago people wanted a thing or experience for a reason, a reason so simple it would boggle the mind of our present day generation. Own something to wear, use and or experience. Yup the object was taken out of its wrapper, its original box and played with, experienced and enjoyed. But not so now. At present our society cherishes items and experiences only as a way to make money. 

Re-sell, that is the game. Buy a ticket to the up and coming Celine Dion Tour not to enjoy experiencing this entertainment titan, but to sell the tickets x 5 the price it was bought. The chances of buying such a ticket are very slim indeed, since your competing with multiple A.I. robots purchasing at a speed you cannot keep up with. Thousands of tickets bought at competitive prices only to be sold for extreme profits. Mimi capitalists seem to be everywhere. 

My son experienced such a fiasco in Toronto a day ago. Swatch  was coming out with a new pocket watch. There was a line up two days before the launch in Toronto, New York, Milan and elsewhere. People lined up to buy one product, but many also connived with a control group in line buying a watch for $168.00 each and selling it later for thousand of dollars. What is seen to be unique, well branded can fetch a pretty penny these days. Tweaker’s, users of modern day chemistry and other folk lined up, and often forced their way into Malls in order to get into line first. Fights, arguing and general hooliganism brought these events to a stand still and were cancelled. Mall guards, police and security attempted to bring about a form of controlled chaos to each venue as the world watched. 

Is greed our new Nirvana? Is the game of life based upon the rules set before us? “He who has the most toys win”? What ever happened to the powerful emotional aspects of experiencing something that may never happen again(Cline Concert)? Owning something that will bring joy to you and your loved ones(Cabbage Patch Kids & Furby)? Owning a supreme hockey card of the Great One(Gretzky) or Bobby Hall and not wanting to sell it. 

The re-sell market has taken over social media, the digital field and other forms of communication. Can we not realize that re-selling something is also depleting us of a chance to enjoy, experience life and its magnificence? My wife and I have experienced many of the great entertainers of my generation, and not once did I want to sell a ticket/experience for cold cash. I work had for my money, and re-sellers do not. They prey upon the consumer and the marketplace transforming a system once fair into a predatory torture chamber. Waiting for hours hoping to get a ticket at a fair price. Often undoable.