Fighting the System

Through my teens and through College I always got high on the idea of being an individual and seperating myself from the norm. I mean, whats NOT cool about being completely independent, completely seperated from any description? It earned me a reputation among my peers, whether good or bad (it really depends on who you talk to).

Now that I'm out of the social stress and awkwardness of being around people 24/7 I find myself continuing to "fight the system" in unique ways. Sometimes I do it at work, like drinking from cans instead of bottles. Or by recommending a product that is considerably cheaper, but identical quality to customers just because I like the underdogs (it doesn't help profits and it doesn't help a customers self-confidence. Which is why people buy expensive things.)

I even "fight the system" in my purchases. That's one of the reasons I got a Windows Phone. I was bored of the iPhone, but more importantly, I wanted to have something no one else had. I wanted to support the underdog and watch them rise to power! I wanted to turn heads with my completely unique operating system!

Nerd.

I was tired of Apple dominating smartphones and I wasn't about to root for Android, which was a broken mess enjoyed by the masses cause they just didn't know any better (I know, I know. Thats just what I was thinking at the time. Settle down.) So I went with Windows Phone and the underdog Lumia 900. A great phone in many respects.

But then I got burned. Not realizing that Microsoft would have a crappy strategy with the Windows 8 platform, I bought in. Then I find out the system had barely any apps to speak of. There were hardly any games worth picking up, and the ones that were actually good cost 5 dollars. PFT! for a CELL phone game!? Then the software update came that wasn't even compatible with my phone, making my sexy piece of hardware outdated in a six-month period.

Lately I was thinking about getting the Raspberry Pi as a desktop platform for my work. I don't need a massive processor, and I don't need all the bells and whistles of a $300-400 laptop. I would just buy a 19 inch screen, all the cords I needed and have a functional computer for 160 bucks. Plus I'm pissed at Microsoft for screwing me over with my phone and I can't afford a Mac.

But then it hit me: Why am I doing this? Like, what am I ACTUALLY proving? I'm reminded of basically every rebellion in history. Here's how it usually goes: a bunch of people get upset at the big guy, they do things to upset him or to disrupt his influence, and then they get squashed like little bugs and people write about them later. Or the rebels lose interest and quit, in which case people just forget about them.

You can fight the powers in the business world. But it Ain't gonna do much. It's true in politics too. Now we should still do whats right when a government is trying to take over our lives. But technology and consumer products can't take over your life (not in a literal sense anyways).

By fighting the system in the world of consumer electronics, and consumer products in general for that matter, the only person you are hurting is yourself. I could get that little Raspberry Pi and not have to fork over the money on an overpriced laptop, but then I wouldn't be able to multi-task in my web browser or watch youtube videos. I also wouldn't have access to Office. Which is a pretty big deal if I'm trying to put in applications. By fighting the system when I got my Windows Phone, I gave up a really useful PDA and all the coolest apps on the market. I also gave up great customer service and long-term OS updates. I was proud of myself for the first couple of weeks, but after reality sank in I realized I was just acting stupid. And in that stupidity I wasted hard earned money and gave myself a compromised product.

Don't fight the system. Popular products are popular for a reason.