The most banal, grotesque, ironic, twisted, or perverse creations of the capitalist marketplace.

December 14, 2007 4:57 PM

The Museum Of Weird Consumer Culture.

Richard Wilk's homepage.
Wilk's book, Home Cooking in the Global Village, is online and free.

posted by sushiwiththejury (39 comments total)

Whats wrong with a satellite dish for campers and rvs? Just because youre in the wilderness or on a trip doesnt mean you cant watch some tv or write an email. Heaven forbid you upset Professor Rick's ideas of proper camping.

Whats next "People who use EVDO while camping drive like this and hikers with CBs drive like that..."
posted by damn dirty ape at 5:06 PM on December 14, 2007

Fun site. I like the Museum of Foreign Grocery Products that he links to in the food section.
posted by amyms at 5:09 PM on December 14, 2007

Yay! That's my Museum of Foreign Grocery Products. Pleasantly surprised to be included!
posted by stevil at 5:56 PM on December 14, 2007

Just because youre in the wilderness or on a trip doesnt mean you cant watch some tv

So it seems, unfortunately.

I guess most people are going to think at least one of these grotesque creations is actually an excellent idea, and I'm no exception. I'm not telling which, though.
posted by sfenders at 6:05 PM on December 14, 2007

The idea of putting a bloodshot contact lens into my eye...is just too bizarre for words.

Has this guy ever watched a movie?

Whats wrong with a satellite dish for campers and rvs?

I agree. If you are in a camper/RV, you are hardly communing with nature in the first place. Is having TV reception any weirder than bringing a cellphone? Or having electric lights?

And an electric baby wipe warmer. Again, what exactly is the objection here? That’s enough money to buy a lot of polio shots or anti-malaria mosquito nets. Whereas the electricity and time creating this website....?
posted by DU at 6:18 PM on December 14, 2007

I used to know a Weimaraner who had Neuticles. That poor little dude got felt up more than any other dog in the history of domesticated animals.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 6:33 PM on December 14, 2007

And an electric baby wipe warmer.

oh, my god - there really are such things

words fail me
posted by pyramid termite at 6:42 PM on December 14, 2007

A cell phone is emergency equipment. I always bring one if there is any possibility of an injury in a remote location.
posted by Manjusri at 6:44 PM on December 14, 2007

I'm pretty uncomfortable with the smiling clown sausage, ok?
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 6:53 PM on December 14, 2007

It's very Beer Frame-ish! Yay!
posted by macrowave at 7:18 PM on December 14, 2007

Link (old but fantastic stuff): BEER FRAME
posted by macrowave at 7:24 PM on December 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

Indiana University: Because Somebody Has to Make the Cars
posted by jbickers at 7:26 PM on December 14, 2007

I was expecting much more weird excess from the title. The actual content of the site was really tame, yesterday's news. Any COLOURS issue does a better job.
posted by cytherea at 7:44 PM on December 14, 2007

There's a few fun things here, but I have to say that a lot of this stuff falls into the kitsch category, and doesn't really qualify as weird, in my opinion. And the fact that this fellow finds items like these pieces of folk art from Mexico and Turkey to be candidates for his inclusion into the "weird" category says more about his provincialism than it does about "weirdness". And I find this odd, considering he's in the Anthropology Department at university. I mean, I see that these examples are there because they incorporated mass-produced items (CDs, Coke bottles) into the art, but that's so par-for-the-course in folk art from all around the world (including the US) that it seems... well, if you think that's especially weird, uh, where you been?

The Museum of Foreign Grocery Products that he links to on his Foods page is worth a look. Kind of like a stroll through the grocery store in an unfamiliar country, which is always fun.

Still, the Yasser Arafat potato chips from Egypt was a good find.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:55 PM on December 14, 2007

I was hoping for more "weird" and less "why do people buy this when other people are starving!"

Oh, and pepee isn't "used by actors in japan to make their genitals glisten when making porno films", it's lubricant. Sure, lubricant does make genitals glisten, but that's not why people use lubricant.
posted by Bugbread at 8:18 PM on December 14, 2007

Glistening genitals.

Just wanted to say that.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:49 PM on December 14, 2007

I could read these for hours (filtering out the Prof's tendencies to sound more annoying than Andy Rooney). Thanks!

But oh, The Bulls Balls link he provided gave me pause. More than pause.
posted by not_on_display at 9:48 PM on December 14, 2007

I've heard some very good things about Poopsy Daisy from some, er, aquaintances. As in, "It's like Febreze for the men's room." I guess you could even ask why Febreze itself has become so popular. Have we become a stinkier culture, with our sweaty sports-shoe feet and Cheeto fingers and agressively scented body-care products? I couldn't care less, having no sense of smell myself.

(Suddenly it dawns- My god, what if these products were invented just to mask my own ghastly odors?! Must buy Febreze by the case... FTW, Febreze CEO!)
posted by maryh at 10:40 PM on December 14, 2007

not_on_display, I did sort of like the honking nuts on the grand piano.
posted by maryh at 10:51 PM on December 14, 2007

flapjax: I've been living in Mexico for almost ten years now, and I still find parts of Mexican folk art pretty weird and fascinating. And I like it that way.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:57 AM on December 15, 2007

After seeing the "Mr & Mrs Average American" poster, I'm not surprised by the Bull Balls and Neuticles.

Mr America definitely needs to grow up and get a pair...
posted by Pinback at 1:47 AM on December 15, 2007

Supermarché feraille is a nice place to order some stuff. Where else could you buy dolphin or pizza in cans ? Or pet food with a whole family of mouses inside ? Or wine cola ? (click on "nos produits") You can play to the kill them all arcade game (in salle de jeux) while people are putting stuff in their caddies.
posted by nicolin at 5:07 AM on December 15, 2007

I liked the idea, but the site's layout and design were pretty bad. For example, all but one page were centered.
posted by jeffamaphone at 5:15 AM on December 15, 2007

Former butt wipe warmer purchaser here. The patient and his roommate thought it was cool. When the the patient got out of the hospital, I hauled it into the office to find a new home for it, and fights nearly broke out among the currently pregnant. Who knew? It was on everyone's wish list.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 7:55 AM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

It occurs to me that it's quite possible the next American "Great Depression" is really going to be more about people not being able to purchase consumer crap, and less about people not being able to purchase the necessities of life.

I read something about the dollar/economy falling back to 1970s levels. Well, my gosh, what a horrible time that was! We considered ourselves fortunate to have a cardboard box as a home back then!

Actually, no, it's just that we didn't have a house full of electric single-purpose gimmicky crap for uncorking our wine, peeling our bananas, and wiping our asses.

Those of us who have never bought into the consumerist bullshit culture will probably never notice there's a "Depression" going on.<sup>1

1</sup>Not entirely true.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:22 AM on December 15, 2007

If you collected watches I'd have though a self-winding watch winder thing was a pretty cool gadget to be honest.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:56 AM on December 15, 2007

I bet that butcher in the window of the dried dogs is scratching his head over the Michael Vick verdict.
posted by doctorschlock at 11:54 AM on December 15, 2007

five fresh fish writes " ¹Not entirely true."

Then what is the point?
posted by Bugbread at 3:32 PM on December 15, 2007

Prices are going to go up, bugbread, but they're not gonna affect those of us who aren't into purchasing a ton of junky shit for our lives.

Except for food costs. But, then, that may only be especially true for processed foods, of which I don't eat a lot.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:37 PM on December 15, 2007

Actually, no, it's just that we didn't have a house full of electric single-purpose gimmicky crap for uncorking our wine, peeling our bananas, and wiping our asses.

But, now, friend, NOW, there's one handy device that does all these things! No need to clutter up your house with those single-purpose implements of yesteryear! The inventors and designers at Flapjax Industries present... the SCREW-PEE-WIPE !! It's a corkSCREW, a banana PEE-ler and an ass-WIPE-er! It does it all! Get yours today, and become a proud member of the Consumerist Bullshit Culture!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:58 PM on December 15, 2007

Baby wipes can get VERY cold. Evaporative cooling, plus the changing table is often near a window. Then there's the pee reflex: A lot of babies instinctively pee if you hit them with something cold.

We don't have a warmer, but I've often wished for one. Go throw a cup of ice water on your lap if you don't agree.
posted by DU at 6:39 PM on December 15, 2007

Baby wipes can get VERY cold.

not as cold as a sears catalog in an outhouse in the middle of a michigan winter

kids these days have it SO easy ...
posted by pyramid termite at 7:48 PM on December 15, 2007

Go throw a cup of ice water on your lap if you don't agree.

Done.

Now what?
posted by five fresh fish at 9:48 AM on December 16, 2007

> A lot of babies instinctively pee if you hit them with something cold . . . Go throw a cup of ice water on your lap if you don't agree.

>> Done.
>> Now what?

Now you're supposed to agree, and/or urinate.
posted by not_on_display at 3:54 PM on December 16, 2007

Those of us who have never bought into the consumerist bullshit culture will probably never notice there's a "Depression" going on.

Except, you know, those people who have jobs tied to the novelty industry. But fuck them right ? amirite? Afterall its "bullshit" not real people with real jobs trying to get by in the real world.
posted by damn dirty ape at 4:04 PM on December 16, 2007

Yes, the novelty industry in China is one for which I am deeply concerned.

Things pulling back to 1986 levels is not really something that can get me worked up. Life in 1986 really wasn't all that bad over here in North America for most of us, afaik.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:13 PM on December 16, 2007

Just because the items are made in China does not make them "the novelty industry in China." All the shit you see at the malls, on television, etc that you laugh at (elitist much?) are made by American companies which may or may not manufacture overseas. No sales means these companies fold and americans lose jobs.

This is something that I never understood about the looney left: the contempt for a good working economic system. Its like you guys wish awful things to befall us just to make some elitist point about the 'nascar' crowd buying wipe warmers or to punish people for voting for whoever you dont like.

Like it or not, an economy that makes junk is still an economy that provide jobs and opportunity. Wishing bad things on our economy is like cutting off your own nose to spite your face. Although qualifying it with your 'it'll hurt the chinese instead' is not only wrong-headed but xenophobic.
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:46 PM on December 16, 2007

Huh. It's like Skymall, but even weirder. I'm glad to see the truck balls site and bottled water were both included. Obligatory Penny Arcade link.
posted by Tehanu at 7:52 PM on December 16, 2007

Yah, I'm gonna jump onboard for an economy based on oil-derived plastics designed to be disposed of on a semi-yearly basis. That's going to really give humanity a long-term advantage. Roncomatic: it slices, it dices, it saves the planet!

A junk-culture economy for a junk culture. Brillo!
posted by five fresh fish at 9:37 PM on December 16, 2007