This year’s craze, selfie sticks

Selling selfie sticks

There are many young immigrants in Italy doing what they can to survive economically. There are also many young Italians who are also struggling to live from day to day. The European economy is being squeezed by those leaders who think that the cure to economic problems is to cut governmental expenditures. Europeans governments, including, until recently, Greece, have accepted this prescription and the results have been a contracting European economy with difficult times for young people. 

Using a selfie stick. Florence is below.

The US, on the other hand, is lumbering along economically but is a high flier compared to the Europeans. The exchange rate keeps dropping in favor of US travelers in Europe. We are not complaining about the strengthening dollar.

Each year there are many young immigrants and young Italians selling stuff in places where tourists congregate. In recent years many of them sold the same thing, little flying toys with LEDs that buzz as the fly up in the twilight and float back down. Little kids (and big kids) seem entertained by these toys.

But that was last year. Perhaps the flying toys will reappear when the warm weather returns but the big new craze this year is selfie sticks. Young Italians and immigrants are selling selfie sticks everywhere. And, evidently, people are buying selfie sticks, too.

Walking with a selfie stick

Palazzo Vecchio visible on phone camera

The new toy has become so ubiquitous that museums are banning the things. (See A Running List of Places That Have Banned Selfie Sticks.) This list does not include the many museums in Florence that have banned the selfie sticks. The whole list of museums that ban the things must be very long.) The little devices engage their owners but well up irritation in the rest of us who have just gotten accustomed to the whole world being a phone booth. (See Why people hate your selfie stick : TreeHugger.) 

Now the whole world is a photo booth, too.