Would people spend two days camped out overnight to get the chance to talk with their senator?

Why? Most of them are idiots.

Normally I'd say "screw you" to this guy, but here he's right - these people aren't even lining up to get a really good game. They're just in it for hardware which can't do anything really by itself - getting it early is just good as a status symbol, and they could be doing more productive things with their lives.

That said, it's their lives and their rights - and just as they could be doing more productive things, they could be doing worse (like dumping toxic waste in wetlands, or something).

I understand where he is coming from, but I don't like that sort of attitude, I know campers are a bit extreme, but I think people like this can forget their own passions you could just as easily say 'Why are you spending $500 on a Sat-Nav for your car? You have a map! Would you pay that much to talk to your senator?'. 'Why are you spending $100 on that designer perfume? There are some nice ones for a fraction of the price and you could gave the rest to charity!'. 'Why are you watching that comedy show? You could be watching something about Iraq or Korea!'.
If this guy spends all of his time saving money to give to charity or for doing good, and all his time learning about current affiars with no time left for mere entertainment, I salute him, but I somehow doubt this is the case.
People have their niches and it is a disproportionately small amount who are interested in 'important' things. Films, TV, fashion, cars, photography, football, and video games are big in the minds of many people and people will do funny things for their particular interest that the rest of us would find crazy. To me, Football fans paying £60+ ($100+) for a good seat at a Chelsea match, or going all the way to Eastern Europe to see their team play FC Nobody is crazy, but I'm not going to ask them what they could be doing with their time and money, or what they'd do to speak with their MP. I'll just be happy they get something they enjoy out of the money they earn.
My time, my money, don't try and make an 'approved activites list' for me.

@Fandel

Tickle me Elmo
Furby
Cabbage Patch Kids
Beanie Babies
etc.

It's not game consoles, it's the "I've got one and you don't" theme on a want. The Items you mentioned aren't in a huge demand. Get something that has been beyond hyped, throw in a mention that places will only get a handful, and even the stuff you mentioned will have lineups for days just to get one.

LordLundar beat me to it. People were -trampled- in mall rushes for Beanie Babies. Back when I was in High School and taking holiday and summer jobs I worked in a seasonal store that sold Beanie Babies along with other assorted worthless junk (black velvet pictures, useless candle holders and picture frames, etc): there were at least three repeat customers who would camp outside the entrance on a weekly basis to look for new Beanie Babies. One was caught on multiple occasions trying to break into the employee/storage area to get at the boxes.

As for his assertion that people who camp out for these consoles don't care about anything else, that's a baseless assumption and should be treated as such. End of story on that point.

Problem is, it IS an 'exploit for personal gain' society that is forming, I've seen it in the actions of everyone from Senators, though Right Wing Lawyers and Corporations and down to people mugging other people for their game console. It's no longer about 'What you can do', it's about 'What you can take'.

Someone is oblivious to the fact that most of the campers were ebayers who stood to profit anywhere between $1000-$2000+ for waiting in line. Yeah, that might be it.

This guy does a helluva job making an "ass out of u and me".

"And all these people care about is acquiring the latest video-game player… rather than deal with the problems I’ve listed, they’d rather bury their heads in this new electronic sand."

Well, let's see how one can deal with each of the things listed...

"We're amidst a major upheaval in the governance of the country;"

Oh noes! Democracy worked and, for the 110th time, there's been some sort of change in our government!

"A sworn-enemy has developed nuclear weapons and has tested the means to attack us with them;"

So the gamers of the world should unite and go beat them into submission with our new PS3s!

"An even-crazier sworn enemy has the rockets to reach the United States and is on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons themselves;"

Which one is this? But in either case, the gamers should use their mad skillz and go into Iran (I'm assuming he's talking about Iran) and go fix the situation. Cuz we're gamers, and since video games are murder simulators, might as well point it in the right direction! WOOO!

"We're mired in a war against terrorists in Iraq and engaged in another front of the same war against like-minded terrorists in Afghanistan;"

See above, except change Iran to Afghanistan and Iraq. YES GAMER GEEKS! GO JOIN THE MILITARY!

"Depending on who you listen to, the economy may be about to plunge off a cliff"

So buying stuff for 500-2000 over the original retail price, you know, capitalism? is -bad- for the economy?


"Porous borders on our north and south are allowing in a stream of illegals which probably includes hardened criminals and perhaps terrorists"

Gamers! Hold hands at the boarders and don't let anyone through!

"Might they possibly ever be as obsessed to find out the true facts about, say, what the war against militant Islam is really all about?"

Who's to say they haven't? (And maybe that's part of why they're "burying their heads in this new electronic sand")

And all people seem to care about is writing flaky little op-ed pieces in newspapers! I mean, come on! There are really important issues going on in the world! Why would you bury yourself in front of a word processor instead of camping outside your Senator's house for two days? Surely, this nonsense will get us nowhere!

...

It's called capitalism, Feldman. Why were people so excited about the PS3? The prospect of making $2,000 profits for essentially standing around in a line for a couple days. That's a lot more than I make in two days. It's not rocket science - it's a correction of the market and people willing to exploit it. Did you miss that part in Economics 101?

As for Senators, no, I would not spend two days camping in front of their house to talk to them. Aside from getting arrested for "stalking" them, if I elect them to represent my views, they should do it. Because if they don't, I'll gladly spend two seconds voting them out of power.

And, to belabor the obvious, I seriously doubt Feldman pitches a tent in front of Rick Santorum's residence every weekend.

For the people who are in line for the console itself, and not to sell it on ebay, it's not about hiding your head in the electronic sand. Deep down, it's about art and storytelling. It's about loading up a next-generation video game for the first time and engaging a long-forgotten sense of wonder. And I don't think you can completely seperate that from world events. By far the most anticipated launch game for the PS3 is Resistance: Fall of Man. I'd even go as far as to say the people standing in line for a PS3 are essentially standing in line for Resistance: Fall of Man. Judging by its website, the game clearly offers a anti-fascist message, and likely covers other important issues, in addition to its jaw-dropping interactive storytelling. The developers have constructed an entire alternate timeline for WWI and WWII to serve as the setting for an alien invasion. How is that electronic sand?

@ Mike Abundo

I wouldn't wait three days in a parking lot to buy a video game system, but I definitely agree with you that most senators are stupid and I wouldn't wait even three minutes to walk with a stupid senator.

I don't give a crap about politics except for when they're attacking video games for being too violent. I hate it when they do that. I totally agree though!! Why walk with a retarded senator who spends most of his time eating crumpets and drinking tea in a fancy ballroom? That's all politicians ever really do is eat doghnuts and drink tea in ballrooms. They don't do anything for the country and most of them can barely walk because they're so obese.

If I had to choose between burying my head in a PS3 or giving a crap about politics, I would choose the PS3 every time. Although I wouldn't make such a big deal about being the first one to buy a video game console, I don't care anything about politics and this guy is saying that politics are more important. Why doesn't he tell the politicians that? They obviously don't know!! If they did, they wouldn't be so retarded.

Politicians are a bunch of idiots in ties and suits with the I. Q. of a dog. Oh, and by that I don't mean to put down dogs. By dog, I mean a really stupid retarded dog. Most dogs are smarter than politicians. It really is a shame because I've been to Washington D. C. and I like the place but the people suck. All they do is mess up the country. I think you're absolutely right politicians aren't worth walking with. If you did walk with one, you'd probably be three times dumber afterward. That's just my opinion.

The reality is that we all should, like Steve Feldman, be worried about the impending Naval assault of Islamic fundamentalists. We need to be working in factories, making anti-Mexican landmines as it's pretty clear dumping hoards of tax money into building the American Great Wall isn't going to stop them. We need to spend more time and money on national defense measures, and end the outdate concept of "liberty" so that we can all be safe in this homeland. If we can't find a working solution, we should be pouring money into whatever our leaders can come up with and not spend it on frivilous things like games, music, or other un-American entertainment.