I wikipedia-ed Susan Sontag recently, and I came across this quote about taking pictures while on vacation:
The method especially appeals to people handicapped by a ruthless work ethic – Germans, Japanese and Americans. Using a camera appeases the anxiety which the work driven feel about not working when they are on vacation and supposed to be having fun. They have something to do that is like a friendly imitation of work: they can take pictures.
I think Sontag is right. At the risk of stereotyping, people from countries where a strong work ethic is praised tend to take more pictures. This makes me wonder if the obsession with work that is so ingrained in the American psyche affects us in other ways as well. Is it possible that in our obsession with work, we've forgotten how to play? We have so disvalued anything not useful for production that we don't even think about it. We don't allow ourselves activities that are purely recreational, even when we are having recreation. Everything is a part of the plan...everything must relate to work and utility in some way. Just a little something to be aware of.
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It's true that everything, for you, has to be useful. Some of us, on the other hand, don't have much use for utility... ;)
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