Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Trippin' through thoughts

Every once in a while I bump into those vocabulary words that try to illustrate the business world. While passing on the street or waiting in a coffee shop for the waiter to milk a cow and bring it to the table along with the espresso, I keep hearing these buzz-words : corporate this, corporate that, f..k corporate, hail corporate. I still don't know what's so special about this word, or is it already a lovemark and I keep swimming into the ocean of ignorance I dive in from time to time ? Is it me, or does this seem like a friendly arcade flipper game ? Everywhere you turn, everyone you meet, how you breathe, how you think and how you feel, is somehow related to this word. Is this becoming the shadow of this nation perhaps ? Hell no, I don't want another identity. Now you might say, what's this idiot thinking ? He's an active creative freelancer, he runs a small business...he is part of the corporate environment and he says this word does not define him. Well, for those of you who will say that, I have to state that this word is not an alter-ego. It's another reason to be ironic, it's another reason to split doing / making stuff with passion, from having to do / make things with "passion" (and for this quotation please feel free to find matching words). 

Well, the reason I'm writing today about this "corporate" word, is due to Radu Afrim's play "Jocul de-a vacanta" and a particular song that keeps popping into my head every single time I hear the word "corporate". According to my fellow psychologists this could be translated as a Pavlovian reflex. But why this connection ? I guess it's caused by the extremely well chosen song lyrics that in an acid symmetry howl : "vivat corporatia". Every single time I hear this, somehow, communist targeted anthem, I realize the reason why "corporate geniuses" like Richard Branson or Steve Jobs created brands like Virgin or Apple, and were not born under the protective communist wings, they were not fed iodine pills after the Csernobil incidents and so on. I really wonder if in a normal, hard working, non-paranoid society, our people (understand it as you like) would have been able to come up with the true meaning of the word "corporate". Even if I will not kill my dream to remain in the advertising industry, for sure I won't be carrying a "corporate" badge tied to my Jaguar car key. What are the odds of seeing me carry a "The 4Th Floor" or "Just Enjoy Thinking" badge tied to my Mr. Bean vintage Morris edition car key ?  I would be honored to read some comments from you sometime and also on Radu Afrim's song which I invite you to digest while getting ready for a new day at the office :) Just enjoy thinking, as I always say 




2 comments:

alexandra cioca said...

indeed! reflexul pavlovian îşi spune cuvântul când vine vorba de piesele de teatru semnate de radu afrim.

The 4Th Floor said...

Absolut, nu incape indoiala. Apai Radu afrim are rol terapeutic prin ceea ce face :)

Post a Comment