I am such a bleeding heart.
We spent a weekend in Las Vegas and, with the exception of the very happy couple who were married, I hated just about every minute of it. All I could think the whole time was that here was the epicenter of everything that is wrong about America and about the world: excess, avarice, detachment, selfishness, mindless distraction, mass consumerism, perversion and poverty. And listen, I'm no prude by a longshot but I don't think every 10th vehicle needs to advertise "Hot Babes Straight To You" to get the point across. And yes, there were children--tons of them. We, as discerning adults can make sense of not only the massive amounts of sensory stimulation (although it took us half a day to adjust to that) and sexuality, but what's the redeeming value in having your kids there?
As we stood in front of the Bellagio, towering high in the western sky, watching the plumes of thousands of gallons of water being launched into the air by high-powered cannon-fountains, the only amazement I felt was at being in the middle of the desert staring at an amount of water used for entertainment that could have quenched millions of mouths worth of thirst. Not just the water, but the dollars spent to create this neat but pointless spectacle could have made a difference in the world in countless ways, innumerable places.
The indelible image in my mind was that of a homeless man on the north strip, bedraggled, rancid, manged and emaciated, passed out at the bus stop. At his feet lay a container spilled onto its side, bleeding its unknown contents on to the sidewalk. On his back a shirt proclaiming the spectacular Treasure Island Resort Hotel in Las Vegas. Such a billboard never entered the minds of the Las Vegas Bureau of Tourism.
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