We can secure other people's approval, if we do right and try hard; but our own is worth a hundred of it, and no way has been found out of securing...

...that. - Mark Twain, and it seems I have found the limit to my blog post titles. Hooray, I have discovered a new limitation, this is why I am alive still.

The point of this post is to drive home a point. That self esteem is more valuable than group esteem.

I was reading my good friend Harvard's latest post and you know what I don't plug enough of other people's quality blogs as I should, we are a community after all. So if you are any of my average 7 readers a day, check out the Blog of False Impressionism, I find it valuable immensly as Harvard and I agree about a lot of things I suspect, but differ on so much more.

Anyway there's my previous post which is literally the post before this one.
I even wrote in the same 24 hour period. Anyway Harvard mentions briefly the desperation people can drive themselves into whilst not believing themselves responsible. I find his examples for the most part a little extreme, a healthy disrespect for rules is in my opinion a good thing, and the fact that he got beaten by his mum just makes him a pussy.
But he specifically mentioned LV bags, which cheers me up, because fuck, I am sick of seeing them.
I quote [paraphrase]

"I just love Louis Vuitton," Mika Sakamoto gushed..."I figure I'll spend about twenty-one hundred dollars today on new items,"...she especially coveted the commemorative purse Louis Vuitton was selling this one day only..."It has a tiny insignia in it with today's date inscribed inside, so that makes it very special,...I think one day it will be very valuable".."Ever since I was a little girl, my mother has taught me about Louis Vuitton," Sakamoto said, as Mom offered me a snack too.

- Shutting out the sun, pages 147-148, Michael Zielenziger.

That refers to one of the 4000+ customers waiting outside the new Louis Vuitton flagship store that bought $1.2 million in handbags, watches and luggage in a single day.

Harvard was making a point about the lack of responsibility in a kid not associating his own personal danger with his decision to jaywalk, preferring to plce the blame on the Taxi. I gotta sort of side with the kid, first up, because the example set for him by almost every other resident of Melbourne is, jaywalk away. And secondly, being in japan has given me new found appreciation for just how wonderful a democratic institution jaywalking is.
But he mentioned also blaming prostitution on the LV handbag for 'making me want it so much' and I appluad harvard for saying in about 123 words what takes me 2 hours.

I will say this, almost every time I go to a new place in Japan they mention some new building that has many great brands, Misaki told me to go pick a birthday present at 'Beams' and Chie, the Takis and Kizznizzdizz and Shizznizzdizz all told me about Nagoya's new jewell 'Mana House' which 'has many great brands' and lastly Brenton gave Roppongi Hills the thumbs up for being actually nice.
I will say this now though, Japan's intent of projecting itself as successful, affluent, sophisticated and enviable. Or more succinctly its status, succeeds with me in communicating only how desperate and impoverished this nation is.
Every girl I see with a LV handbag, sets off a chain reaction in my head: did she get that from an enjo kosai (or compensated date, where an old office worker recieves sexual favors from a schoolgirl in return for buying designer goods*), is she taking her LV handbag home to sit on the floor of her room, the room in her parents house, that she only sleeps in because the house is cold and uninsulated, where she changes into a tracksuit and lays under a 'heated table' keeping warm in front of a TV which takes up most of the cramped apartment.

One could laugh, I often do. You know in Australia Mambo pulled its hawaiian shirt line, because 40-50yo dads had started wearing them and Mambo's cool stock had dropped, I don't think Mambo ever recovered. The Japanese are willing to fork over decent Yen to buy a handbag when they can't afford decent plumbing, heating, food or petrol in a bid to appear successful. What will Louis Vuitton retreat to when Japan ruins its status image?

*which is exactly what Harvard said more or less, good to know its actually happening in the world.