Seperating fantasy from reality

The shopping mall is a place where reality does not exist. It makes us forget about all the other concerns or troubles we may have outside the mall. This is because the mall’s environment makes us forget these concerns and makes us focus on shopping. It hypnotizes us to shop, shop, and did I mention more shopping? The mall controls the environment inside from the designs, circulation, lights, even temperature. Kowinski goes into detail about these events and explains them becoming it’s own special world. So basically, when this was all complete, malls are like a Disney Land or a Universal Studios in that they create an alternate reality for us.

Projects such as Carousel Mall and the Meadowlands Xanadu are great examples to relate to. These two malls create a sense of stability, peace, and most importantly, excitement and fun when entering these malls. The temperature is just right, it’s not too cold or too hot, you see new people, and also there are many more things to do besides shop and eat. Examples of this are the Carousel or the movies in Carousel Mall or even the large indoor ski arena in Xanadu. Whatever mall it might be, the main goal for these malls is to get rid of the outside world and focus on the people inside and forcing them to shop. This is once again, another example of how consumerism rules the world and controls our minds.