Cocooning

Cocooning

According to an article I read on USA Today (today) I am very cool and trendy.  I didn’t realize that I was living on the leading edge of change.  Cocooning was coined in 1981 and was used to describe individuals or families that felt more comfortable staying at home and bringing their entertainment to the environment that they can control.  Some examples are:  home swimming pools, large HD televisions for viewing sports events and viewing new movie releases at home instead of going out to venues, and one of the biggest is bringing home the always improving Home Game Systems.

I remember having to take my children to the Arcade at the Mall because the early home systems were so primitive, that blinking lights of different colors represented the football teams on the television screen.  We must not forget the very first video game “Pong,” that was supposed to be a game of tennis.  With that game even I could be a tennis champion.

Recent events such as shootings at theaters, assaults at sporting events, and crimes in general are bringing cocooning to a level now being called Super Cocooning.  Fear was never my driver, although recent events are beginning to make me look like a genius for my choices over the years.  My smallest television screen at home is 55 inches and comes with internet technology.  After all how many trips to the local Cinema will it take to pay for the latest technology?

Two tickets for my wife and me are slightly under $30 dollars at least double that cost if you go to IMAX Theater.  The cost of admission to go to the theater is the inexpensive part of the experience, have you tried eating anything once inside. My wife and I can easily spend $40 to $50 dollars by the time we head home.  The abuse is very obvious, and yet we go for it because we are a captive audience.  A 32 ounce soft drink is usually $4 or $5 dollars (3/4 of the 32 ounce cup is filled with ice that doesn’t cost the theater to produce because they have ice machines).

Sporting events are even more outrageous.  The last time I treated my boys to a football game, it cost me over $500 dollars and that was just the admission.  I didn’t enjoy the game because we were sitting next to some very drunk and obnoxious fans.  With a nice setup at home any sporting event can be much more enjoyable, not to mention the up close shots that professional HD camera work can offer with modern day technological advances.

I mentioned the costs of participating in entertainment of any type outside the home, and yet my biggest concern is the level of enjoyment vs. the safety of my family.  I am not suggesting that we drop out of society, simply that we be aware of options, and always our surroundings.  The best is yet to come....