Palahniuk’s Slumming

“It's important to be aware. She still wants to make a difference.”

It was easy for me to assume that these characters were very one-dimensional. Inky’s quips about this being the new that – lime is the new pink, insanity is the new sanity, dressing down is the new dressing up – gave the impression that she was only concerned with being in style and going along with the newest trends, no matter how absurd. With this in mind, it seemed very likely that Packer and Evelyn were less concerned with the actual causes they were helping and more with the social gatherings that came with them. Spending their money on banquets, cocktail parties and silent auctions for various charities, perhaps as an excuse to show off their wealth. This assumption can be backed by their turn to social diving as soon as they were introduced to the concept. Evelyn easily gave up her silent auction for teen sex workers to spend the night on the streets, drinking cheap liquor and wrapping herself in a trash bag. Further more, she and Parker choose, out of embarrassment, not to go to the police about the kidnapped girl they witnessed. However, in the end, Evelyn continues to give money to the numerous charities she’s invited to, even though she doesn’t attend. So I’m left wondering - did she value charity before the death of her friend and husband or does she now feel obligated to make a difference because she has truly seen life on the streets and how the other half lives. Not totally surprising of Palahnuik, this is both a disgusting and thought-provoking passage.

Slumming

I found this story sad. But I also thought it was interesting how they went to all these events to make the world a better place and then the one chance they had to really help someone they didn't. I also thought that pretending to be poor because you tired of your rich life style is wrong but it also reminded me of a commercial I saw for a new show called "Undercover Millionaire". Which is about millionaires who go and live in these poor communities for about a month then revel who they really are and give some of the people some money.

Scumming

After reading the first couple sentences I was very interested in this story. It was amazing to me that rich people wanted to escape their rich lives and live on the streets in poverty. As I read the story, I began to realize more and more why they had done this. As inky always said “being absent is like being the new present,” this phrase really made me think. As if a person were to always be at social events with friends or attending fundraisers with their rich friends, and then all of the sudden they switched their lifestyle and lived on the streets. Would it make people wonder where you are or what you were doing? Also inky talked about how easy it was to get away or travel to different places by taking a flight. But, inky and her husband were able to get away by merely hiding on the street, being a CEO and a publisher they were able to go unnoticed by acting or portraying the homeless. I found it to be incredible that they would change their roles within society by acting as the homeless or I guess you could say getting away from their old identities by portraying a poor person. I can see how it would be interesting to try this, but me personally; I would not take the risks that I feel would be associated to this lifestyle. In the end inky and her husband ended up getting stabbed to death. That confirms my beliefs of never doing something like this, if anything – when I am older and have money I would like to help the needy and reduce the risk of deaths on the streets. Overall this was a very interesting story.

Slumming.

I thought this story was incredible. The notion of billionaires taking a break from their wealth and becoming like any other bum on the streets is impressive. In a way, this story glorifies poverty - but only in the sense that when you have nothing, that includes having no responsibilities. Without being burdened by their image, Evelyn and Packer had the opportunity to just enjoy being alive. They really didn't have any cares or worries.

More than glorifying poverty, this story really degrades wealth. Without wealth, you can better appreciate the small things in life. "Just Packer's arms around his wife could be a duplex on Park Avenue. A villa in Crete." Evelyn and Packer no longer saw the need for fancy things, because they were happy with just each other. For them, being "homeless" was a great awakening into a whole new perspective of the world around them.

The girl who was kidnapped and murdered was a wealthy and attractive young woman. She was probably kidnapped because of her money - putting the high social status even lower on the "happy" scale. I thought that really was an important detail. It was also important for Evelyn and Packer to watch her try to escape and to be seen. Neither side of the spectrum is perfect. Wealth has its downsides, as does poverty.

I really enjoyed Inky's outlook on things. To her, everything was different than how it appeared. This is the new that, that's the new this. Everything was backward, and to some, she might seem crazy. I think she really had a lot of insight, though. There are things about being anonymous and hidden that really are the new famous.

I just really liked this story.

Very much. :)

Slumming

I thought this article was quite intriguing fascinating and angered me all at the same time. I started to feel myself getting a little angry. Just the fact that rich people would even want to know what its like to live like the poor is the stupidest thing that I have ever heard before in my entire life. I think that they should be ashamed of themselves. It was almost as if they were mocking the poor. If they think they could hold these little special charities and parties on the weekends because they think that they are doing someone a favor, then they are sadly mistaken. Even some of the parties that they hosted were absolutely ridiculous to me. A silent auction for irritable bowl syndrome, that sounds stupid for someone to even think of.

I don't really believe in stereotypes unless I have seen them for myself, but I know that a lot of people say that the rich are nothing but a bunch of materialistic people who blow thousands of dollars on things that normal people can't afford just cause. But then there are a lot of them who take their lives and helping people very seriously. This story kind of paints the rich in a very negative way. I think that they felt like they were doing people a favor, like they were actually helping someone. Although this seems to be a fictional article which I am glad it is, it did affect me in a way. Maybe to not believe that people like this actually exist in this world. But I do believe that there are people out here like this.

Slumming

"Insanity," Inky would say, "is the new sanity."

This was a very interesting reading assignment, to say the least. First of all, it amazes me that million, or billionaires, would ever participate in a weekend get-a-way that consists of cheap alcohol, inside-out dirty suits and public indecency. However, it's no surprise to me that even people who could buy all the things in the world is not satisfied. This supports the idea that money can't buy happiness; sure, it can buy you fur coats and "social status" but what's the importance in that? Always being cautious of what fork you are using to eat your salad or what social events you should make an appearance at, doesn't that get old. In a high social group, one may feel judged or always under a microscope and that someone is always watching your every move, waiting for you to mess up. Does that constitute a good life? Living large?? Apparently to Inky and Packer, it's not enough. It's a cool idea to live a double life. I think it's pretty common for people to day dream about living a different lifestyle. For me, I daydream about being a millionaire, like I'm sure most of you do. And while of course, if I earn millions one day, I'm not going to be disappointed, I also will keep in mind that money and fame isn't everything. Like Inky says, "Nobodies are the new celebrity."

Slumming

I felt as though this article tied in fairly nicely with the overall theme of identity that we've been covering. I've read Palahniuk before, so I knew I'd probably like the story before I even began reading it. I thought that the main characters of the story were all just extremely narcissistic human beings, who draw a lot of comparisons to the actual CEO's and celebrities of today. I think we've all seen the multitude of movie stars who do telethons and/or go to fundraisers for various world problems, but are seen at any given award show wearing a $10,000 wardrobe. Palahniuk obviously has some disdain towards these people, and I love the names of his hilariously ironic (and fictional) charity events. The main idea I took away from the story was that even when these wealthy characters are willing to give up every material possession in their lives, they still weren't able to help save another person's life, for fear of having their name smeared. I really enjoyed the story and I think, as is with all of his writing, Palahniuk raises some very important social questions to the reader.

Slumming

This is a perfect example for how materialistic our world has become. I found this story to be very disturbing, but it was a different look at two extremes. Mr. and Mrs. Keyes not only disgusted me for what they had done, but they surprisingly were inspiring as well. What I didn't understand was the fact that the couple was not afraid to drop out of their rich reality to play the part of homeless, but they wouldn't help out the girl that was murdered. They were so apprehensive to have their public image destroyed for the sake of another girls life, and then they tuned out the reality of this in the end. The dream of living the life of someone less fortunate proved to be very irresponsible and I was hoping it would have changed the main characters in the end. I found the irony of the names for benefits very humorous. "A dinner dance for massive head trauma." "A cocktail party and silent auction for irritable bowel syndrome." In a way, I found these inappropriate names coincidentally relative to the faulty reality that this high class society has created. I was surprised in the end that the Mrs. Keyes still continued to cut herself out of the news that could have saved another girl's life or even ended the lives of her and her husband. I guess the charade is over.

A familiar story

It seems like this was written with the intent to antagonize the main characters for their empty and narcissistic lifestyles. Charity events such as ‘banquets for people blown apart by landmines’ are all too familiar in reality, where self-promoting social events hold a greater value than the cause itself.

Taking another step into it, the story doesn’t only seem to be putting the generalized rich people in a negative light, but humanity as a whole. The very ending of the story confirmed it for me—“to go swimming with endangered gray whales. Sleep in the canopy of a dwindling rainforest. Photograph some vanishing zebras.” Making a difference is not really what is important to most people, but feeling like we are making a difference is. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for most people, and this would be very alienating to me if I had never admitted it before. I am not telling people to go out into the world and be more compassionate; I’m instead urging people to come to terms with reality.

It didn’t take long for Mrs. Keyes to realize that the homeless lifestyle wasn’t so extravagant, and that the free enterprise had the medicine all along.

Slumming

I felt that this article was really odd. I’ve heard of the this type of thing before, rich people wanting a taste of the poor life. It’s a pretty old concept. Saying that, I have never heard a story like this. All of the things that happened to the Keyes and their friends could have been avoided. Simply by not taking their money and lifestyle for granted and finding another less dangerous way to show them how to appreciate what they had. But I think the one think that I take away from this is just how stupid people can be. It’s one thing to be rich and want to see what it’s like to have nothing but the way they went about it, made it nothing more than game. And like a lot of games rich people play, it turned serious, and deadly.

A Slummy New World

I think this short story is closely related to the other reading about Evan Ratliff. It shows that Ratliff was not the only one who wants to hide in plain sight (even if the short story was fictional, it still shows that other people have at least thought of the possibility). Even though Ratliff hid for a different reason, both readings showed how thrilling it could be- to be someone else. I can't say I would go out on the street for fashion, but I would like to go out and take a step out of my comfort zone to try something that would allow me to be separated from the life I live now for a short period of time... just to try. The Keyes had a nice thought, getting out of their rich and comfortable lives to something dirtier. By stepping into a different life, a person can feel rejuvenated. In the readings, Inky says she is falling in Love with her husband/boyfriend but that connection faded while they were living a comfortable life. Now that they are on the streets, having no worries, she is feeling better about everything and everyone.

In a way, this glorifies the sadness of homelessness. I understand it is amazing to get out of the normal, everyday routine once in a while, but to, in a way, mock the real homeless people sounds cruel. If this weren't a fictional story, it would enrage me. Just knowing that those people are doing this because it is a fad and that they can go back to their normal, rich lives any day they want it kind of disgusting. Sometimes I don't think of the Rich as real people... they think they are above the law, above morals, and are super-human.

Thankfully this was only a fictional tale. I did enjoy the twist of an ending. Moving from high class living to trying the fads of being a slum, to now, hiding in your old identity of a rich individual. Maybe the persona we have now is really the best refuge to have...

Slumming

After reading this article, I found myself enjoying it because it was different from what we usually read. The article was about these two rich people who decided to become homeless just for the hell of it. At first they were enjoying their life as homeless people until one night when they witness the kidnapping of a Brazilian oil heiress. They end up not calling it in because they didn’t see any faces or the license plate but the girl was still on their mind. After this incident, Mrs. Keyes decides she is going to remove all contact from the outside world. She gets rid of her TV, recycles her newspaper without reading it, etc. basically so she doesn’t have to read about all the terrible things going on in the world.

Now, even though I enjoyed the article, certain aspects of it kind of pissed me off. The whole “trendy” thing to do is the worst. Reading about these bourgeoisie types of people just deciding to be homeless is a very aggravating thing to me when there are so many actually homeless people who could benefit from these people. And I feel that was the author’s intention to the whole story. Or maybe not and I just over-analyzed the whole article.

Slum Dog Billionaire

I felt that this article was a bit disturbing at first because of the vast detail in the hobos drinking alcohol and the detail of sexual intercourse, because it doesn't go in context with the reading I feel. I felt that hearing about how two rich people go and pretend to be poor to try and have fun or try something new is a bit rude because some people are in fact poor because of their up bringing and can't help it. The fact that they had money and led to a life like the article I feel fits perfectly under the typical rich person who is so bored because they have everything they want, but can't ever enjoy the intangibles in life. I feel that this article more or less discouraged me to read further every page I read.

I feel that they shouldn't have gone to a life of the poor, but rather maybe have studied it or understood their are other people out there other than rich people. When it comes down to it, part of me wants to agree with what they did living like that but my conscience says that no one should ever want to live that way. If I was in their shoes I would have told my friends to get therapy for trying to live poorly; but rather to help the poor instead of embracing it. I found that through many years of community service you learn more from the less fortunate than you do trying to live like them or act like it.

Slumming

This article to me was a bit strange and especially in the manner that it began. I liked the article and related to the idea of wanting a more simple and pure life as opposed to the fallacies they faced as rich people. Witnessing the murder must have been very traumatic and really explains the beginning of the article once you read that. The charities in the beginning also sounded a bit silly but I can understand why she would want to help people from that point on in life. But sitting around all day and never getting word from the outside world would be like torture to me. I think that it would eventually become a miserable experience to basically be locked inside of ones home and to not get any sort of details or happenings.

The idea that homelessness would be cool and would be a good thing is kind of an abstract concept to me, but I can see the appeal. All the fads nowadays have to do with ripped jeans and holey cloths. Its easy to see that the new cool is with grunge and looking generally ruffled. Living as a homeless person would also appeal to simplicity I think. Having the only problem in your life be food and shelter would kind of simplify things. I might like to try it sometime, but personally I like amenities. This story was probably the weirdest one we have read so far in this class, but I think it speaks to everyone. Honestly, would we be better off homeless...?

Slumming

This weeks reading was somewhat confusing to me. "Poverty, is the new wealth. Anonymity is the new fame." It was shocking to me that this was what one of Mrs. Keyes friends, Inky, said. A wealthy woman who ran Vogue magazine sitting on a bench dressed in dirty clothes and wearing a terrible plastic grey wig, partaking in indecent activities with another wealthy man who was also dressed as a bum drinking a mixture of mouthwash, cough syrup, and Old Spice cologne. Why would these high class millionaires want to live the life of a homeless person on the streets when they could have litereally anything they could ever want? Simply because when they looked at their lives they were not satisfied. Their lifestyle of having banquests, fundraisers, and charities where they wrote thousands of dollars in checks for donations to help others became routine and boring.

Inky also says, "Think of it as a kind of poverty sorbet." "A nice little window of misery that helps you enjoy your real life." That almost seems ridiculous for someone to say. That you need to pretend that you are poor and homeless to appreciate the things you have, but at the same time gaining joy from this pretend lifestyle. I feel that if an actual homeless person could see what these people were doing they would probably be offended and find these people very ignorant.

What seemed like just a fun little game of make believe for the wealthy to get away from their actual lifestyle actually started becoming reality when Mr. and Mrs. Keyes saw a car pull up with a kidnapped girl who was trying to escape and begging for any bit of help like just catching the license plate. But they did not. They saw the newspaper headlines of the missing girl but they felt that they would be no help any only be ridiculed for what they were doing in the nighttime. Then they heard that the girl had been found dead. After that Mrs. Keyes decided to stop partaking in these outings. Except her husband kept going to protect Inky. But one night Mrs. Keyes got a call from the two and they were being chased by someone and couldn't contact the police. Then the next day she saw the headlines in the newspaper that they had been stabbed to death, and numerous headlines of the same sort that a killer was continuing to stalk the homeless.

Personally I think that all of the things that happened to the Keyes and their friends could have been avoided. Simply by not taking their wealth and lifestyle for granted and finding another less dangerous way to show them how to appreciate what they had.

slumming

"No one is easier to ignore than the homeless." I really liked that quote from this week's reading. I think that it rings very true. There are times when I have been walking around a city, I will see a homeless person and the people I am with will say "just ignore them." We pay absolutely no attention to these individuals who seem to hold no significance in our life and for that matter in society's "life" either.
All these rich and famous people attend banquets and dinners, writing checks and donating money, supporting foundations and causes that most likely hold little meaning to them. These events are just another way for the rich to hangout and network, for the rich to appear compassionate. They have millions of dollars so writing a check for a couple thousand dollars is nothing. Their life is luxurious to the utmost yet for some "globe-trotting is just the chance to feel bored more places, faster." So the characters in the readind choose to "hide in the open" and play homeless.
They experience all the things they couldn't before. The freedom to do as they please right in the public eye, without people judging them or the media critizing/humiliating them. When you are homeless, nobody cares what you do. The rest of society just places thier preconcieved stereotypical notions of the homeless on you....assuming that they even see you or take the time to think of you at all.
Homeless people are taken advantage of and murdered all of the time. The sad truth is that most of these individuals were invisible to the rest of society anyways, so thier absense is easily filled by the next guy in dingy clothes with a brown paper bag sitting on a park bench. In light of the Academy Awards just being on, I look at these famous people and admire and envy them. These people, the rich and famous, are far more unrealistic than the homeless are though. I have never been walking through Columbus and stumbled upon Brad Pitt, but I see the homeless all the time. So maybe the wrong group of people are being "seen" as invisible.

Slumming

This week's reading is very different to say the least. It talked about the rich and wealthy now pretending to be homeless for kicks. Those who once had everything in the world give it all up to spend the nights as bums. They claim that this lifestyle is the new wealthy. They compare the similarities between the homeless and the wealthy. That both are never tied down whether there traveling in private airlines or shopping carts. I think that these people were just tired of the boring monogamous life that they were living. They always had anything they wanted and for once they just wanted to have nothing. They wanted a new perspective on life and what could be more different than being homeless. Eventually, this caught up to them when they witnessed the realities of being homeless. One of the couples witnessed a murder which lead to the other couples deaths.