In 1913, Arthur Momand popularized a comic strip called "Keeping Up with the Joneses." The strip depicts the social climbing McGinis family, who struggle to "keep up" with their neighbors, the Joneses of the title.
Is NYC in itself a metaphorical "Jones"?
Keeping up with it can be quite taxing; it's expensive, and with the advent of the internet, it's not necessarily economically more viable than other markets.
The term "mimetic desire" was coined by the French philosopher René Girard. In his theory, he states, "Man is the creature who does not know what to desire, and he turns to others in order to make up his mind. We desire what others desire because we imitate their desires." So in turn, what this theory posits is that all of our desires are actually the desires of others and of society.
So what makes New York desirable? Is it because it is deemed desirable by many?
Have I merely adopted the idea that NYC is a desirable place because it is said to be a desirable place?
Now on the inverse, have I deemed New Jersey undesirable because it is often viewed as undesirable?
Have I actually mimicked other people's opinions and adopted them to form my own desires?
Do I really like NYC? Do I really hate New Jersey?
Maybe NYC is overrated, and New Jersey underrated.
Well, the truth is, actually New Jersey does indeed fucking suck.
The End
PS. Happy birthday Hassan