…and Commerce Always Wins.
Wear Sunscreen
Right now, it’s very hot in Germany. Hotter than ever before since meteorological records began. And there is a scientific consensus that the Earth’s atmosphere is heating up because of growing fossil fuel emissions. Climate change is, for the most part, man-made — caused by the industrialised nations and by people like me who open yet another print-on-demand online shop.
Back in the ’90s, humanity already knew that this problem had to be tackled globally. One generation later, laws and regulations have come into force that can be traced back to those decisions, increasingly taxing the use of fossil fuels and the release of greenhouse gases.
Naturally, this drives up energy prices and the cost of living. It confronts people here with complex decisions about major purchases — a car, a heating system — as well as everyday life. Complexities that make them angry. Angry enough that, among other things, populism is once again finding fertile ground.
The Show Must Go On
Surely we can’t be expected to rethink — let alone sacrifice — the routines we’ve worked so hard to build. Things like flying abroad twice a year or ordering T-shirts made in Bangladesh online.
And consumption just keeps rolling on as if there were no tomorrow. But heaven forbid petrol or electricity should become more expensive.
This particular high, carrying neo-nationalist undertones since 2001, goes hand in hand with global capitalism. It seems to be drifting into ever more brutal resource conflicts while still showing no sign of slowing down. Meanwhile, large parts of the population outside the glorious West are only now reaching a level of prosperity they have no intention of giving up.
Killing in the Name
As a result, more and more people are competing for limited natural resources. Habitats for animals and plants are disappearing faster and faster. Energy and housing costs continue to rise — after all, building materials are natural resources too — and the public mood grows rougher and hotter, all beneath the steadily warming cheese dome we call our atmosphere.
Does the world really need another brand shipping T-shirts with 90s-inspired designs around the globe from a print-on-demand shop?
Certainly not.
So why am I doing it anyway?
Especially considering how little it fits the 80s kid I used to be — the one who always took the final warning in wildlife documentaries to heart: that shrinking habitats were pushing those fascinating creatures towards extinction.
The teenager who never understood the never-ending party called the Love Parade because, to him, it always looked like dancing on the edge of a volcano.
My Favourite Game
Today I understand that all of this has a lot to do with life itself.
One person pours a lot of money into a classic car, drives it once a year to meet fellow enthusiasts, and spends the rest of the year simply polishing it.
I just happen to enjoy making music, so I combine everything I’m reasonably good at — entertaining, drawing, songwriting and creating content — into one project.
The tax office calls that a hobby business.
Everybody else calls it a quirk.
Only now have I truly understood sayings like “to each their own” or “live and let live.”
Maybe collectively remembering old songs distracts us from crises and guilty consciences for a little while.
We need reflection.
A pause.
And a little more optimism.
One shitty T-shirt won’t save the world.
It might even make it a tiny bit worse.
But maybe, just for a moment, it also makes it a little more fun.
And as long as nobody is buying too many of them, Daddy Grunge doesn’t really have a moral conflict on its hands.
So, let the fuckening begin.