So at the moment I’m reading Infinite Jest. If you haven’t read it already, READ IT NOW. Like, STOP READING THIS AND GO READ INFINITE JEST.
Ok, now that it’s six months later, let’s talk.
September 12th will be the sixth anniversary of David Foster Wallace’s death. As a tribute, I’ve thought up a little writing exercise.
One of my favourite ideas in Infinite Jest is subsidized time. In short, the US tries to make up for a balance of payments deficit by allowing corporations to sponsor years. Yep, it’s incredibly genius and a great example of Wallace predicting a consumer-frenzied future. Really, it’s only a matter of time until this kind of thing starts happening for reals.
So with that in mind, let’s consider what some of those future years might be…
2014: Year of Wendy’s Right Price Right Size Menu
2015: Year of the John Lewis Christmas Ad
2016: Year of the iPhone 8
2017: Year of the 30-Day Spotify Premium Free Trial
2018: Year of the XFINITY Double Pay with X1
2019: Year of the Oreo
2020: Year of the Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE Limited Numbered Signature Edition
2021: Year of Shrek
I for one welcome our commericalised future.