Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Vexiologist should mean a person who studies annoyances, not flags

We live within walking distance of Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park, or as I like to call it, as a way to tolerate the intolerable, "Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain". I have never been to Magic Mountain and will likely never go unless they open a "Death in Venice canal ride" or a "It's a small sanatorium after all allegorical log ride of awareness that we are all dying and aging and there is nothing we can do about it", no matter how many coupons for $20 off they send me. Six Flags is filled with roller coasters and rides that people pay money in order to experience fear, terror and a sense of aliveness that only can come when facing death. I don't need to ride the Colossus to feel existential dread. I can do it all from the discomfort of our 750 square foot apartment.

The apartment building we live in has at least six flags around its large grounds. While I am no vexiologist or marketing guru it is my hunch that these flags are intended to be archetypal and evocative and make you want to live here. There is a word on each flag and an image intended to illustrate and infer that this experience can actually be achieved in this building and the cumulative narrative of the flags is meant to imply that all your dreams can come true in, what D.H. Lawrence might call, a"domestic Eden."

These are the kind of flags that surround my "domestic Eden"( only slightly exaggerated for your reading pleasure and to make my point):

Dine A perfect couple, or as I like to call them, Adam and Eve, sit in front of a haute cuisine plate. Eve has lifted a fork to Adam's waiting mouth. What, no apple?
Shop Bags from high end shops fill the flag. Fig leafs, after all, do not grow on trees.
Rest Eve lounges on a beach chair soaking up the sun by the Edenic pool and adjoining jacuzzi as she struggles with the philosophical weight of good and evil.
Live Adam and Eve enjoy the gym, making their bodies even more tempting.
Love A&E embrace shamelessly. As it's not like anyone is watching.
Entertain A&E and their friends enjoy the lobby/rec center as they laugh, dine and drink apple martinis.
Walk A&E walk the streets, hand in hand, enjoying the cool of the gardens that surround the gated and secure Eden, which is tended weekly by exterminators so as no pests, vermin or snakes will intrude on their romantic strolls.
Restore Eve strikes a yoga pose in attempt to awaken her inner yogic serpent and/or lower her percentage of body fat.

Very often these flags are knocked over. They must not be anchored well. Every time I see one on its side I laugh. It seems symbolically appropriate that the messages on the flags aren't true or real and because of that they will not stand and have been expelled from the earth. I have some suggestions for new archetypal words and images to place on the flags that might be more appropriate and might stay upright as they, in my mind, feel more accurate for what to me is an anti-Eden.

Here are my flag suggestions:

Isolation A man and woman trapped in a tiny apartment, as if in a prison, desperate to escape.
Ennui A woman surrendered to her feelings of melancholy on a fainting couch grasping a bottle of Vitamin W in one hand and a volume of Kierkegaard in the other.
Corporate consumerism Forever 21, Macy's, Gap, and all the usual suspects that fill every mall in America have crammed their logos on the flag. False gods offering golden cows that crumble more easily than Mrs. Field's cookies and that cannot be returned without a receipt.
Debt Bills pour out of a tiny mailbox, refreshed each day like Manna from Heaven.
Indifference Faceless neighbors walk by each other purposefully avoiding eye contact.
Theft A distraught woman makes a police report. Her order from Neiman Marcus was stolen by her neighbors.
Greed Property owner who looks like a character out of a Charles Dickens morality tale laughs smugly as he pockets overpriced rent checks.
Sloth A man and woman too tired from the demands of everyday life to take the elevator all the way down to the gym sit instead on their Crate and Barrel couch and channel surf.
Despair Dehumanized individual in "The Scream" position looks out at an unfettered view of a sea of retail where the sun never sets and the stores never close from the comfort of his spacious 5x5 patio.

Now I get that my flags would not attract many new tenants so why not go all the way and drop the subtlety and go straight for the subtext of the flags intended to attract residents.

How about these flags? No image required. The text says it all.

If you live here you will have lots of sex.
If you live here you will be wildly successful and rich.
If you live here you will be better than everyone else.
If you live here you will be beautiful and thin and will never age or die.
If you live here all your relationships will be perfect.
If you live here nothing bad will ever happen to you.
If you live here all your dreams will come true.

And, really, if they could offer all that they could easily triple the rent.

43 comments:

Imogen Lamport said...

Where do I sign up? Is the Devil the realtor? Do I sign in blood?

vicki archer said...

Note to self, buy some flags for home - La Belette's that is....xv

vicki archer said...
This post has been removed by the author.
TopSurf said...

Triple the rent...oh yeah by 10 fold that's for sure. I need some of La Belette's flags for sure!

*SparkleMirror* Kiln-Fired Art Studio said...

Very, very funny and poignant at the same time....
Loved this piece, Belette! It's amazing, this knack for metaphor you possess. But, then again, you have been practicing with Igor on this skill.
Almost every one of your flag suggestions rings so true it's deafening... The most true for me were the "corporate consumerism" that poisons and sickens me, and "Debt" that almost buried me alive and from which I unbelievably escaped. The only one that seemed more like a positive to me was "indifference" for neighbors are like family, many of whom I wouldn't choose to know.
The real flags of your apartments are fluttering beauty to those in search of home in paradise, kind of like the feathers of an ex that unbelievably attract new mates despite the fetid reality.
Beautiful post, Belette... Thanks,
David

Carol @ TheWritersPorch said...

LBR....it sounds like a third world country on steriods!

lakeviewer said...

Got get out of this place...I hope your sense of humor/dread is staying supple as you continue to house-hunt. You need a garden to feel connected to real dirt.

WendyB said...

Hey, didn't we exchange worries at some point? How are you doing with mine?

The Preppy Princess said...

Miss LBR, can we be Supreme Rulers of FlagLand with you? Tilly wants to be the mascot, but we said "nay-nay, that won't be happening Little Missy," as the Lovely Lily shall be the face of the new frontier. Tilly then asked she be considered as one of Lily's aide-de-camps.

tp

Couture Carrie said...

Love this post, darling! I always expand my vocabulary when I visit your blog!

xoxox
CC

Sara said...

I love that the flags fall down! Seriously, the complex paid for flags but didn't pay enough to anchor them properly into the earth? That says so much...

Before I moved east, I lived in a part of the suburbs that was all apartment complexes (I hated it). But it was pretty funny to see how each place would advertise. One put a new car on the steep hill out front near the highway with a huge sign, "You could win this car if you sign a new lease!" The car sat there for about eight months - in the rain, in the snow, in the sunshine. Not a very attractive offer after all.

Anyway, I look forward to your move, too! Be sure to topple those flags as you leave!

Randal Graves said...

Given how much I abhor crowds, especially the kind one presumably finds at amusement parks digesting pseudo-corndogs while waiting three hours for the next Death-Defying SkullCrusher Coaster Mk III, I must tell you just how much I enjoy this post. Since you brazenly stole 'ennui,' I just might steal this entire roller coaster and pass it off as my own.

The next time I get a Cedar Point flyer addressed to Occupant, I'm going to send it to you.

L said...

Oh sister that was too funny! I think you might have a new business venture...instead of those cutesy flags that people use to celebrate a holiday you should design ones that really represent how we are feeling. I personally would like a "stay the hell away from me I have PMS" flag to hang on my front door.

Hugs, L

MrsLittleJeans said...

Very very creative, and you have me wondering why my complex lacks flags. Don't we want to attract anyone to live in our community?

I suggest that you make little substitute flags and replace them in random order and send subliminal messages to people who pass by. That is what I would do...

Have a lovely day ...

home before dark said...

Sounds like an update to West's "The Day of the Locust." It also sounds like you need to get the hell out of there. You are not reading tea leaves, you are reading the flags flapping in your face. A writer's reach should not exceed her grasp or what's a semaphore?

Miss Janey said...

Hialrious and full of the triple truth, ruth.

Miss J has just this minute realized that maybe what she needs is some signs for her own lawn. Hers could be things to strive for: Serenity, Inner Light, Self Love... but probably the squirrels would try to climb them and knock them down and Miss J's just not up for the battle.

Jodi said...

Plus roller coasters are nauseating for most people over the age of 18 -especially after the apple martinis!

Bee said...

This post is proof positive that you have a wonderfully clever brain -- and that you don't just keep the good thoughts inside!

I've never heard of the word vexiologist before, but I'm happy to go with something more along the lines of "vexing." Shouldn't it be annoyances (rather than worries), though?

indigo16 said...

It is curious how property developers try to sell 'the dream' to think that this can be conveyed by pictures on flags is laughable and yet.....but for the fact that flags are great signifiers of ours and many other cultures. Think of the amzingly iconic images that have flags in them, such as Iwo Jima flag raisers or the Soviet flag over the Reichstag. More pertinently what about Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Flags for luck, happiness, longevity and prosperity.
You see for me flags sometimes signify imperialism, but more often than not they signify hope. You live in a building that fly's that flag of hope.
Now that must make you feel a bit better?

Dave said...

You have to get published! Your writing is the wittiest and best ever, and the world so needs to read it in a bookstore

La Belette Rouge said...

Imogen Lamport: I have forwarded the realtor your number!;-)

Vicki: Your gorgeous home shouldn't be disturbed by such flags.

TopSurf: I think such a hotel might be called the Hotel California.

Dave: 10 years of Jungian work gives you some access to symbols.;-)
Sorry to have hurt your ears but I am glad it range true. I wouldn't want to post faux flags.

There is a kind of indifference that happens here that really does feel dehumanizing. I fin myself wanting to yell "I exist. I am not a frightening person you need to avoid."

I would be so curious to know the impact of these flags on residents sense of this place. Truly, I would be shocked if they work. I think rather than creating the feeling they intend that they make you aware of how great the chasm between the sales pitch and the reality and would lead to greater dissatisfaction.
David, thank you for your always encouraging and thoughtful comments.:-)

La Belette Rouge said...

Carol: It certainly does feel like a bloated example of the all that is treasured by our culture.

Lakeviewer: We were going to see a place with a great garden. We just got word that it was sold. Rats!!

WendyB: I am worrying like crazy for you. I am worrying full time. You should be totally free of worries, except mine. How are you doing with mine?

The Preppy Princess: Tilly and Lily will be co-mascots and you will be the Princess and I will be the court joker.Huh? ;-)

La Belette Rouge said...

Carrie: You always expand my fashion vocabulary so we are even.

Sara: Isn't it telling that they aren't anchored??? I love it!!!

I feel kind of foolish, when we first got here I was fooled by this place and thought it was very nice. I had to ignore a lot of things to create a story that made this place as wonderful as I told myself it was.

Hence, I am being VERY aware of the stories I am telling myself about houses we are looking at.

Randal: You and me both. I think a crowd is 5 or more people. You start getting masses of people together and I want to throw my self to the floor like a toddler and cry until someone picks me up and takes me home.

You don't have your trademark sign next to ennui so I thought it was fair game. Please, accept my humble gift of this post to make up for my theft. Hey, at least it wasn't a package from Neiman Marcus that I stole.;-) I would be honoured if you took my vexing post over to your blog.

La Belette Rouge said...

L: I would love it if people would hang honest flags or if Hallmark would make honest cards. All the happy horse s**t really gets to me. For once I would like to see a mothers day card that really represented my relationship with my mother.

MrsLittleJeans:Be glad you are flag free.
The flags here are HUGE. I would have to hire Christo to come and do an instillation in order to make any impact. But, hey, I am close to CalArts maybe I could get some of the kids into a little environmental art project. That would be fun.;-)

La Belette Rouge said...

home before dark: You know I have never read or seen "The Day of the Locust." When you mentioned it I went to WIkipedia and read about it. I must read this book. It seems that Nest focuses on Exodus for his compare and contrast of Tinseltown. I seem stuck in Genesis. I hope I can move onto Exodus.;-)

Did everyone in the world but me know that Homer Simpson is named after a character in this book? I am definitely going to read it now. Thanks, HBD!
Damn, I should have written this whole post in Semiphores.;-)


Miss Janey: Hee-hee! I a happy to be a truth-Ruth!:-)

Are you saying that squirrels are tormenting you and keeping you from achieving those qualities?;-)

Jodi: Just an apple martini can make me sick. You add a roller coaster to the mix an I am in BIG trouble.

La Belette Rouge said...

Bee: Thank you. My brain is blinky so I never know if we are going to think things about that are worth writing about or ruminating on why Charlie Rose doesn't marry or what would my skin be like if I drank more water.
Yes, I think it should be one who studies things that are vexing. And, you are absolutely right. I am going to change the title to reflect your wise suggestion. Thank you!!!!!:-)

La Belette Rouge said...

indigo: Have you seen Eddie Izzard's bit on flags? In essence he says flags were used to gain power, property and mark territory----only he says it in a really funny way.

I do appreciate the idea of flags as symbols of hope. I suppose what I struggle with is that these are symbols of false hope. In the USA we say "I pledge allegiance to the flag". When I think about these flags and how we culturally pledge allegience to the mythology that eden and perfection can be bought I am not as hopeful.
And, I suppose, hope is not something I come by to easily these days.I appreciate your more optimistic and less vexing reading.:-)

Dave: You did it. You made my day. Thank you. I only wish an agent/publisher was as kind a reader as you. Truly, thank you!!!

drollgirl said...

bahahha! you are brilliant! if your sign suggestions don't go up, i say we snip them all down and build a bonfire. such lame signs!!!

enc said...

Shhhh! They're going to raise the rent if you say all this too loudly, La Bel!

♥ Braja said...

Then it would become elitist.

Wait.

Is it elitist already?

Mardel said...

I think the fact that the flags fall down is just perfect. Reality never lives up to the hype, or at least the kind of reality that needs hype never lives up to it. I kind of wonder what other people in residence think of the flags, or do they think of the flags? The dichotomy between the actual flags and your flags is very telling. It seems is time to get out and find new stories for yourself.

fashion herald said...

oh, lordy, this is brilliant! perfect in every way! and aren't you tempted to run out in the dark and knock over the signs every night?!

dollcannotfly said...

"If you lived here, you'd be home by now." I don't live there. I wish you didn't either.

Lena said...

I want those flags of yours...
"if you live here all your relationshipe will be perfect"? It's not that I want it really... it's more like I need it!!! LOL!!!
:)

sarah said...

Hmmm...absolutely unbelievable! The flags I mean...such a ridiculous symbol of our mass consumer lifestyle...you summed everything up so brilliantly. I guess in some way we have to try and ignore most of the crappiness and try and find authenticity in our own lives and that can be so damn difficult, it's something I've been thinking alot about lately.

~Tessa~Scoffs said...

Good readin' for one who can't sleep. Merci. But why is it that I am so tired all day but can't sleep at night?

Carla said...

Love the flag suggestions!! Carla x

corine said...

you're a genius!

poppy fields said...

Ha!...I think you'd mostly have mid-life crisis guys in a place with the third set of flags.

La Belette Rouge said...

drollgirl: They are really cheesetastic signs. I cannot imagine who thought these were good idea.

enc: It is our little secret!;-)

♥ Braja : Elitism is alive and well.

Mardel: I think it is a hoot that they keep falling down. So funny! I would love to know what my neighbors think of them but sadly the people here won't talk to me unless I have Lily with me.

La Belette Rouge said...

fashion herald: Thank you. I fear that if I knocked them down the sentiment of the flags would continue to fly high.

dollcannotfly: Oooh, I hate those signs too. I don't think anyone who lives in the buildings with those signs want to be there either.

Lena: Yet another reason for you to come to L.A.!

Sarah: Thank you. It does seem absurd to so commercialize a home space. I don't think that one can feel at home when the home is covered with ads.

Tessa: I hope that my post put you to sleep. Well, you know what I mean!;-)

La Belette Rouge said...

Carla: Maybe I can get a job as a flag maker!;-)

Corine: I wish I had a flag with your comment on it!

poppy fields: I do think my flag would change the demographic of the residents.;-)

The Seeker said...

Never understood very well the meaning of flags... Now I do, ma belle :)

Loved this. Hope everything is going for the best.

Love you

xoxo