Ubhubhani we-COVID-19 oqhubekayo utshintshe ubomi bezigidi zabantu kwihlabathi liphela ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo. Abanye bethu kuye kwafuneka banyamezele ukuphazamiseka okungephi kokuvalwa kweevenkile kunye nokuvalwa kwezikolo, ngelixa abanye bebone abantu esibathandayo benikezela kule ntsholongwane - okanye baphulukana nobomi babo kabuhlungu.
Ngelixa ukuvalwa kwehlabathi kubangele ukuthengiswa okukhulu kwiinkampani ezininzi zomdlalo wevidiyo - kuquka neNintendo – inikwa abanye ithuba lokwenza imali ekhawulezayo, nabo. Ngokomzekelo, khawuthabathe uMax Hayden oneminyaka eli-16 ubudala; ngokuguqula imidlalo yokuzonwabisa, amakhadi okuthengisa iPokémon kunye nezinye izinto 'zobunewunewu', watsalela kwi-1.7 yezigidi zeedola kwingeniso, wenza i-110,000 yeedola kwinzuzo.
UHayden wajolisa ingqalelo yakhe kwiimpahla ezazikwimfuno ephezulu ngexesha lo bhubhani, njengezifudumezi zepatio kunye neenkqubo zokudlala, kuquka i-PS5 kunye ne-Xbox Series X. Uthengise 'inqwaba' yezinto zokugqibela ngexabiso elingange-$1,100 inye, kabini ixabiso letikiti eliqhelekileyo. Unethemba lokuba uza kuba nonyaka olungileyo ngo-2021, kwakhona ejolise kwizinto ezinqongopheleyo kunye nemfuno ephezulu.
Abathengisi ngomnye wemiba emikhulu kwihlabathi lemidlalo ngoku, kunye 'ne-scalpers' ethatha izinto ezinqabileyo ngenjongo eyodwa yokuzithengisa ngenzuzo enempilo. Nangona kunjalo, The Wall Street Journal uvelise a kukhanya ingxelo ngoHayden (enkosi ku Kotaku ngokuzisa oku kwingqalelo yethu), encoma ubume bakhe bobulumko xa kufikelela ekuguquleni ingeniso.
Ngaphandle kokunconywa, esi sicatshulwa sisuka kwingxelo ye-WSJ siyashwankathela kanye yintoni engalunganga kubathengisi ngokubanzi:
Ukuthengisa kwakhona izinto ezingabalulekanga kwiimeko ezininzi kusemthethweni, nangona abathengisi bahlala beyijonga njengoko inokudala ingxabano nabathengi. Imeyile yentiyo kunye nokunyathela kubathengi abanomsindo malunga namaxabiso aphawulweyo kuza kunye nommandla. [Utata womntwana ofikisayo] uthe ekuqaleni wayengonwabanga yimpumelelo yeshishini lonyana wakhe kuba waxhamla kwimeko edalwe yingxaki yezempilo. Kodwa wagqiba kwelokuba kuvumelekile kuba unyana wakhe uthengisa izinto zodidi kuphela, kungekhona izinto eziyimfuneko.
“Ngumahluko wokwenene,” watsho [utata], oneminyaka engama-61 ubudala.
Uyakwazo oko? Ngamanye amaxesha, i-capitalism iphosakele.
[umthombo wsj.com, nge kotaku.com]
