Words for My Enjoyment

WFME’s Fad Watch ‘07

April 14th, 2007

A month long research project has finally reached the end.

That project, to scour the entire geographical location called Los Angeles, observe the fads currently being practiced by said Angelenos, then proclaim in writing here on this digital workspace said referenced fads that are shaping the cultural landscape of this great over-inflated, self-obsessed city of people. Wielding only my excellent sense of perception and a small pad of paper, I took to the streets and jumped right into the middle of the fadtastic melee.

The result? WFME’s Fad Watch ‘07.

Fads come and go, that’s for sure — but when you can be the guy to announce new fads and then said announced fads become even more popular, thus shaping the cultural zeitgeist and becoming more pop culture than fad? Well, it’s an exciting process. That’s why, for zero monetary compensation whatsoever, I took up the challenge.

This is a list of the current “up-and-coming” fads affecting Los Angeles:

• The Library: Believe it or not, the stuffy, quiet, boring place they call “the library” has suddenly become the hot place to spot celebrities, conduct important business, and find that soulmate. The library, for all intents and purposes, has taken the place of the coffee shop — with one distinct disadvantage. No eating. Or drinking. But where the food & drink element has disappeared, there has appeared free Wi-Fi internet, and the opportunity for children, teenagers, college students, professionals and homeless loud-talkers obsessed with using the card catalog database to become close knit fellow library friends. Fadtastic Factor: 3 out of 10
• Pretending To Be In A Gang: It used to be dangerous to wear gang colors in the City of Angels. Blue or red meant death or dismemberment. But these days, people are strapping on bandanas and hitting the hot spots with great success, using their “gang colors” to get them into the hot clubs, hotter restaurants and even going so far as to give themselves tough-sounding names. [Thanks to Mad Dog, Snake Eyes and Scorpion-Piss (a.k.a. Spencer Rothstein) for letting me hang with them and their fellow bangers for my research.] Fadtastic Factor: 4 out of 10
• Starting A Fake Non-Profit Organization: Ten years ago, people were giving money to charities. Five years ago, people were feeding the homeless at soup kitchens. Today, people are starting their own non-profit organizations. Requiring little to zero cash as an upstart, all one needs to start their own non-profit is a random clothing/accessory that they can charge five bucks for. A ribbon, an arm band, a drink cozie, a paperclip painted a unique non-profit color (red, yellow and green come to mind), an eraser in the shape of a slowly dying polar bear, etc. Now, party conversation has moved away from who you know, what movie you just starred in and what kind of car you drive. These days, it’s all about who you’re supporting and which lanyard keychain you’re carrying. Fadtastic Factor: 6 out of 10
• Pushing Parked Cars Off Embankments To Reduce The Influx of Tourism to Los Angeles: If there’s one thing people know about Angelenos, it’s that they hate tourists. Can’t stand ‘em. Wished there was a point during the tourist season where they could hobble them. But since that’s against the law, the latest fad has found a way to come close to that. If you’ve ever been to L.A. you know that there are places all throughout Hollywood where tourists can park their cars, get out, and admire the scenery. Well, now — groups of tastemakers and fad-creators lurk in the bushes until tourists have gotten out of their cars, then quietly push their vehicles off the embankment and hundreds of feet to the ground below. For Angelenos it’s a hilarious new fad that’s quickly taking the city by storm. But since it usually takes place at night, it’s so far been flying under the radar. Until now. Fadtastic Factor: 8 out of 10
• Rainwater Roulette: Amidst L.A.’s beautiful locales sits miles and miles of hidden concrete gutters — shuffling rainwater to the Pacific after each storm. For years, such gutters and their contents have been ignored. But now, it seems as if the adolescent population of Los Angeles has found a new use for them — it’s what they’re calling Rainwater Roulette. The game is simple to play and requires a minimum group of six people and one styrofoam cup. One person scoops up dirty rainwater from the gutter, takes a sip, and passes it along to the next player. Eventually, the last person standing (i.e. the one who hasn’t thrown up or passed out) wins the game and a monetary bonus! Look out laser tag and water-slide parks…this fad is nipping at your heels! Fadtastic Factor: 9 out of 10
• Frozen Yogurt That Tastes Like Pee: If you’ve never heard of Pinkberry, you’re sure in for a unique treat next time you visit Los Angeles (or New York, where the disease has spread already). Causing long lines out the doors of their 6+ stores (which were all erected in the last six months), Pinkberry is making tons of cash off selling two very simple frozen yogurt flavors. Regular and green tea. Neither are dairy based, both are slightly sour, and more often than not people reflect upon the flavor as “resembling pee.” And yet, like lambs to the slaughter, Angelenos continue to unload huge piles of cash and wait in abnormally long lines so they may swallow a substance most people in the Midwest would gag on. And in our opinion, if you can get people to pay for pee, you’ve got the greatest fad ever. Fadtastic Factor: 10 out of 10

If they haven’t hit your town yet, now is your chance to be a fad-maker yourself.

Posted under Fad Watch '07, Fads, Gangs, Los Angeles, Non-Profit Organizations, Pinkberry. |