We are perpetually distracted. Gathered for meals, my friends and I often place our screens into a pile atop the table, vowing the first person to touch their phone pays for the meal. 30 minutes later, we all give up. Much of our conversation revolves around the screens and memes shared online, and the frequent dopamine boosts from our buzzing devices is too tempting to resist. Who can blame us?
“Do you have a phone number with us?” I ask, my hands poised over the number pad on the register.
“Yeah I might. Wait, where am I? Petco? PetSmart?” the customer asks.
“PetSmart,” I answer with my classic retail-friendly smile.
Yes, I know. No one else gives a crap about the trivial differences between pet stores with similar names. I didn’t even care until I started working at PetSmart over a year ago. Now, it stings a little every time someone mistakes our store for a –co instead of a –smart.
Sometimes we hear people say that we are our own worst enemies, and most of the time I think this is true. No one is “praying on your downfall” and your worst competition is your procrastination, your pride, just nurturing negative behavior in general. The movie, “Us,” created and directed by the brilliant Jordan Peele, explores these themes as he usually does, metaphorically.
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