Materialistic zombie

I buckled ok? I couldn't hold out any longer against the ever increasing smug, codescending and lazy journalism that infects our media, telling me at every turn that I wanted...no needed one. I was sure I wouldn't. After all, I held out against a mobile phone for 2 years while every one else around me got one and moaned at me for not getting one. Then again... eventually I gave in there, and I'm sorry to say I've given in this time.

I bought an Ipod yesterday.

Yes, yes, yes. I know everyone has one. Well not everyone obviously, that would be a little bit scary. A substantial number of people seem to own one. On the tube in the mornings you see at least 4 or 5 people with the white ear phones, begging to be mugged. I'm guessing there are many more who have decided not to get mugged, and have black ear phones.

It wasn't this weight of people that led me to buying the ipod. If anything this made me determined not to buy one. I have that slightly annoying thing where I shy away from extremely popular things as I presume in my sniffy and elitist way that it can't really be that good, its just that people have been taken in. See the mobile phone things above, or the fact I haven't read The Da Vinchi Code, or that it wasn't until last year that I read the Harry Potter books.

So when my imminent trip to Canada made me consider buying an MP3 player I looked at every one except the ipod. All so, presumably, I could say to someone 'Oh, got an ipod? Yeah, I almost bought one, but I've found this MP3 player which is far better and costs less... I'm sooooo cool'.

Now I've bought one, so what happened? Basically after deciding that I would get a Sony player Amazon reduced the price of the new 20GB ipod. So I had a look, read all the (mostly very positive) reviews, compared it to the Sony player and decided that actually yes, I would go for the ipod.

I also remembered that a lot of the popular things that I've derided in ignorance have actually turned out to be good. I've not got my ipod yet so I'm going to withhold judgement until I get it, but it sounds good. Sometimes something is popular because its very good. Not always admittedly, but often its the case (exceptions include The Sun newspaper, Tory Governments 1979 to 1997, Fosters lager and most of U2's back catalogue). Maybe, slowly and painfully, I'm growing out of that rather stupid teenage attitude.

Or I'm a complete sell out.