Blame Your Parents For That iPod Lust

from the addict-alert! dept

Early adopters, fanboys and gadget freaks: it’s not your fault. Apparently your need to have the latest and greatest shiny things is caused by your genes. Japanese researchers say that some people have a genetic predisposition towards neophilia, meaning they constantly need new things. What’s perhaps most striking is how the article calls early adopters “victims”, and says they have an “affliction” that’s akin to “addiction disorders”. Perhaps it’s just an extension of labeling everybody an addict, but in any case, it shouldn’t be too long before questionable treatments and cures for gadget lust — since it’s now an afflication, after all — begin popping up. They’d better not use any electronics, though, so perhaps shock treatment’s out.


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Comments on “Blame Your Parents For That iPod Lust”

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31 Comments
anony mouse says:

Re: Re: anony mouse

Materialistic, maybe. But shallow? Not necessarily. Just because you like having stuff doesn’t mean you don’t value friends and family more. And what about people that have a passion for music? Are you calling their dreams and ambitions “shallow”?

Just my anecdotal experience, but there is no one I know that I consider intelligent, thoughtful, and caring that walks around with an iPod on in a home full of the latest gadgets rambling on incessantly about how he/she is going to buy this or that as soon as its available.

I have a passion for music. It is expressed with a six-string guitar. Not with a basement full of crap that was just recommended to me as the hot new thing by the idiot salesperson at the local Guitar Center.

bob (user link) says:

Stop Blameing your Parents

face it you are just a screwup and it is YOUR Choice to be one. if you cant handle that it is all your fault then stay out of the news and out of the way. Dont give me Ohh.. Boohoo it’s all my parents fault. YOU are incharge of your own thoughts and actions. I’ve seen people with abusive drug addected parents turn out fine with no help from their family. and i’ve seen people with great parents turn out to be drug addected abusive people. it is all YOUR fault most people are just too lazy to take the blame for their own choices. so screw some FAG with a Microscope looking at genes saying Blame your Parents. the only thing you couldn’t choose is how you look unless you are talking about your FAT butt that wont even getup off the couch to answer the phone.

wolff000 says:

Bravo Bob

Got to see the last post or possibly the one above by the time I finish typing is dead on. Stop blaming everyone else for all your problems and deal with them like an adult. When i was a kid and I blamed things on others I got in trouble so how come when you are an adult and blame things on otheres you get a news artcle about it?

Raekwon says:

Who Cares?

Neophilia? Does it need a name? I suppose. My uncle spends nearly every paycheck on a new this, or a better that and so far it has caused him to get a divorce, lose his home, lose his kids, and lose his job. Addictions are addictions, whether it be cocaine or an Ipod. Impulsiveness and a desire for instant gratification are the culprits. I would be willing to bet that most people with “Neophilia,” also battle with other addictions (ex: gambling, drinking, etc.) or have at some point within thier lives. Not being able to be satisfied with your life, or being too lazy to fix it, chemical imbalances, or life-related trauma. I’m not saying you should blame your problems on someone else, all I’m saying is that addiction can be very serious and in any form grow beyond one’s control.

I’ve got my flame retardant suit on, proceed.

Josef K. says:

Private Eye

Neophilia isn’t a new buzzword, Private Eye (UK satirical magazine) coined it a while ago. However, they meant it in the sense that:

Neophilia is the new Road Rage.

Or something like that. On another note, Bob, maybe you can blame yourself for the abysmal grammar/spelling there? People weren’t actually blaming their parents (asides from passing it on), they were saying they have found evidence that this is caused by a genetic predisposition. Whereas you have anecdotal evidence and diatribe. You should co-write a book with Ann Coulter.

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