Disenchanted

01Dec08

After trying very hard to be nice to the rude and snobby woman on the other end of the phone line, the rest of our conversation went something like this -

‘Now how much are those tickets?’

‘They are $99 each’

‘Now I know you just work there but why are these tickets so expensive? I just don’t understand why I should pay that much to see The Australian Ballet when I pay the fraction of that price to see the Bolshoi Ballet’

‘Well ma’am… you know you’re not obliged to actually buy these tickets’.

And with that we both slammed the phone on each other. She, because I wasn’t telling her what she wanted to hear and myself, I just could not bear to speak with such a self-absorbed person for a moment longer. Such has been my life at work over the last few days – it seems that this global economic crisis has really hit the wits of this season’s ballet goers. It was just a few days ago when I had another man yelling down the phone because he had been stuck in the Opera House car park for 30 minutes after his symphony performance had ended. He demanded that I take down his phone and email address and forward it so he could have a response by Monday morning. Someone else had also called in and decided to phone the police because they could not accept the fact that they had to wait a few more minutes to get out of the car park.

Why is our world so self absorbed? Why can’t the woman I spoke to this morning realise that 90% of the world’s population will not see a single ballet performance in their lifetime? And why do people insist on being so nasty and demanding? Why can’t the symphony subscriber wait another 30 minutes if he can afford to fork out hundreds and hundreds of dollars? Humans are baffling and I’m growing wary of this material culture. Should we insist on buying the latest gadgets and gizmos when our old ones work perfectly fine? And why should we spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on these material possessions when we could so easily spend the same amount of money feeding a village in a barren continent called Africa? Why do people insist on paying $250 to see Madama Butterfly when that sum of money would do a whole world of good for a whole family in Sydney’s outer western suburbs during Christmas.

I am beginning to feel disenchanfrised from the performing arts community and other facets of my life which I once revered. Shopping is not the same anymore and going to watch something at the Opera House is not the same as it use to be either. I am immersed in a world where people do not venture out of Sydney’s glitterati suburbs – the North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and Inner West and those who live outside these communities will never have the same exposure to arts and culture as those who have the access and the finances to do so. Why? Because the performing arts community, generally simply does not care. The presenting companies do not care whether or not Sydney’s fringe suburbs can afford to see something at the Opera House because they will not bring profits. They cannot sell anything to them so they are nullified civilians. On the other hand, the rich will continue to whinge about the centrality of their seats and how close they are to the stage.

There’s nothing worse than someone who has money who does not have the brains to use it properly.

Who in their right minds would spend $20 million on the opening party of this hotel in Dubai? Whilst this website proclaims -

“In line with His Highness Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktuom’s vision to be 1# in the world. Dubai will execute the largest fireworks display in the history of the world in 2008. One million (1M) additional visitors are anticipated to view this magnificent event by 2010 The event will gifted to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed in the Gunniess Book with the record and covers being dedicated to him”.

We will never be able to shake off the monkey that is the stupid rich.

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Tags: Life, Material Wealth, Money, Rant, Rich people, Sydney