Cathy Classics by Cathy Guisewite for June 25, 2022

Facilitates the cycle of insanity

Ah, the days when the malls were the place to be. I remember the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s when the malls were the place to shop or hang out very well. Then it all changed and the malls are gone, tranforming or on life support. Nice link from the Tampa Times about this:

https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2022/06/08/as-tampas-malls-die-morph-or-survive-a-city-remembers-life-at-the-mall/

The only good reason to free up time and space is to fill it up with more desirable stuff.

I have managed to avoid malls for a couple of years now. My personal opinion is that indoor malls were designed to breed a generation that would be happy living in near-Earth orbit. Between the music, the horrible acoustics, the stale air, the industrial lighting, the lowest-common-denominator food and the visual overload of SALE SALE SALE everywhere, there are enough negative experiences that I will GLADLY pay more at a shop on Main Street (where all I have to deal with are the SALE SALE signs).

I live in a big city, no malls. A treat used to be a Saturday when I could drive out to one of the big suburban malls and spend the day, including a lunch break and a dessert break. Sometimes a movie. Now I don’t even own (or need or want) a car. I walk everywhere. I have no idea what suburban malls are open now.

I can’t even think of a place that inspires hope and possibility.

The what?

I used to be really into malls, mainly after watching some cheesy TV game shows, but they fizzled out for me and I haven’t entered one in years. I realized today that I do a good bit of some clothes shopping online, too, vs. years ago when it was all in-person. How times change.

HI, MOM. Hello, “Cathy” Clan.

Malls were good for walking in the winter before covid took that away too.