Monday, December 22, 2008

"Recess Is On" my last nerve.


I'm dusting off the ol' blog just in time for some holiday humbugging. This site caught my attention a couple months ago, right when economic mayhem was just getting fired up. It was a pretty spare site then, and I had a hard time figuring out what the hell it was. "Fuck the recession"? I felt like I could get behind that sentiment to some degree. I mean, what better time to re-prioritize? To wean ourselves off pointless consumerism and reconnect with the things that truly make us happy? If we could view the recession as an opportunity rather than the end of life as we know it, then maybe we didn't need to let it get us down.

But, whoaholdon, that is not what the Recess Is On site is about. It's actually a marketing effort by Morgans Hotel Group, the intent of which is to convince you that the recession is basically a disapproving adult that wants to rain on your parade and guilt you out of spending money or having fun. The panicky hoteliers want you to give economic realities the middle finger and continue to blow rails off Miata keys in any one of their well-appointed 5-star hotel restrooms! They host "Recess Parties," and show you where to pick up "Recess Fashion" (Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, and Prada, FYI), partake in "Recess Culture" (???) and generally indulge all your material desires with renewed shamelessness. Which I guess totally makes sense if you are rich and the recession is little more than an excuse to party extra defiantly.

The site is totally lame and asinine but it's hard not to laugh at lines like this: "Bars and clubs are businesses. Isn't it up to us all to go out and drive commerce?" and "There are the necessities of life and then there are the necessities of living. Fuck frugal." Yeah, you tell 'em!....corporate hotel group.

By far, my favorite part is this totally weird "Fuck the Recession" video. Chicken feet! Champagne! Weird hair! Stock images! Attitude is everything!