Instant Gratification and the Society of I-Want-It-Now

***Author's Note: This is my first attempt at an essay, and is subject to what I might call the gap in taste and execution. Ira Glass discussed this gap in detail, but that's a post for another day. In the meanwhile, constructive comments and general feedback on your thoughts on this matter would be much appreciated.

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Instant Gratification and the Society of I-Want-It-Now
by Lacey Smith
Friday, May 01, 2009

The preeminent expression of current American ideals does not occur on election day. Nor does it occur in the House, the Senate, or any of the branches of government we hold so dear. It is not republican or democrat, nor did it waste it's vote on Ralph Nader in 2000. American ideals are just as likely to shop at Wal-mart as at Whole Foods Market, and they don't discern when it comes to preferred VH1 Celebreality shows. It would seem that the beast that is American Ideals does not show itself overtly, though it is ever-present, kind of like those Billy Mays infomercials for cleaning products with exclamation points in the name. But this element of our current culture as Americans is not elusive, or even subtle for that matter. We want everything, and we want it now.

I once asked a russian-born, now proudly American friend what her predominant stereotype of America had been before moving here at age 13. Her response was that everything comes pre-packaged, so that you can have your own individual anything at any time, a statement not far from the truth. One can get everything from 100-calorie portions of Ritz Bitz to tuna fish lunches in convenient packs that save time, but create waste. And while the green craze has taken both the nation and Al Gore by storm, it's hard to believe that many Americans would willingly accept a disappearance of all individually wrapped Little Debbie snacks. In the war between ethics, morality and convenience, convenience will win nine times out of ten.

This change is not merely food-related. Ancient people as old as 22 or 23 years old can now remember a day before Wikipedia, when doing research meant walking to a library and finding an encylopedia. In this instant culture, makings plans does not require more forethought than a text message and real-time conversations occur less often face to face than mac to PC. Back in the day, maps existed. So did newspapers. The United States, with our internet and our iPods and our newsfeeds, is addicted to convenience in all areas of life, pampered far beyond the wildest dreams of generations before us, and often lacking in the characteristics that can only be forged in some form of genuine struggle, like fighting for women's suffrage or civil rights. We've likely obliterated patience as a virtue, but at least now we have Facebook.

It might not seem possible to suggest that a culture raised on the readily available convenience of things like Easy Mac and DVR could be inherently linked to an increasingly irreverant view of the merits of hard work, sarcrifice and paying ones dues to society. With convenience comes an overwhelming sense that all is within immediate grasp, and with that, a sense of entitlement that pervades the public psyche in a way few things can. We've become pushier, ruder, and generally more exacting of impossible standards not just with beauty or technology, but with academics, medicine, and the assumption that all of the worlds problems ought to have been handled by now. In the view of a society based on instant gratification, Swine Flu should have been cured about two days ago.

In an economic climate such as this, satisfaction may be a bit more delayed. And that could be a great thing for anyone who has grown a bit weary of a world where nail polish is supposed to dry in sixty seconds and food comes as quickly as it's ordered. Maybe the financial pause will have a spillover effect, and allow us the chance to breathe, take a second, and perhaps indulge in those things, like big weddings, trips to the doctor, and college educations, that we once took for granted but are now hard-earned and a long-time coming.