SCL: Copying Popular Fads

(This is my entry in a writing contest for Stuff Christians Like. I hope you enjoy.)

The bookstore that I work at was one of the first places to start selling Silly Bandz. In case you don’t know what Silly Bandz are (or their equivalents; Zany Bandz, Crazy Bandz, Insert Synonym Here Bandz, etc…), they are rubber bandz that have been molded into various shapes. Sounds simple right? Nothing too special? Tell that to the kid who exclaimed to me at work one day, “I’ve only got 90 of them!” as she held up both of her arms that were adorned with so many colors that Joseph himself might have gotten jealous. Because the bookstore was one of the first venders of these things, I had the rare opportunity to watch this fad grown into fruition.

I was born in the late ‘80s, so I was in on the end of the slap bracelet phenomenon. I was on the front lines of the P.O.G. revolution as well as the Tamagotchi invasion and the Pokémon card wars. Over the years, I’ve learned the pattern of fads. And I knew that, eventually, the Christian companies were going to stick their products into the mix. Sure enough, since the fad began I have seen no less than four different sets of Christian-themed Silly Bands come into the store.
I don’t think that there is anything wrong with Christians making their version of the current fad, but what if, instead of going on the defensive by copying fads, we went on the offensive by creating fads? We had the W.W.J.D? Bracelet phenomenon back in the ‘90s and that was cool, but I think that we’re long past due for creating a new fad.

What about coins that bear the faces of various Bible characters? People like Paul, Steven, David, Moses, Jesus of course; the possibilities are endless! They could take them to school and trade them with friends. And, as a bonus, teachers can’t take them away without looking like sinners.
Or what about T-shirts with fake advertisements that reference obscure Bible stories. Even though the concept of fake ad shirts isn’t new, we could make up our own.

Got She-bear problems? Call Eli @ 2SA-M224
Right-handed assassin not getting the job done? Call JUD-G315

Or, for the less morbid:

Tax troubles? Call MAT-1727 and we will help you fish for a solution.

What are your ideas?

*Edit: All of the 's's have been changed to 'z's. I should have known that the only thing that could make these rubber bands cooler is to make them rubber bandz.

Coney Island

It should be stated that I love amusement parks. And because of a venture out West that I took with a friend a few years ago with Campus Crusade for Christ, boardwalk parks have a special place in my heart. So when the opportunity came to go to New York, Coney Island was on the top of my to-do list.

The main ride that I wanted to experience was the Cyclone, which was built back in the early 1920's. In 1968, it was declared a New York City landmark and in 1991 it was placed on the National Registrer of Historic Places.

There is a legend that speaks of a coal miner who had aphonia (which means he couldn't talk). Even though he hadn't spoken in years, he screamed on the way down the coaster's first drop. As the train returned to the station, he said, "I feel sick" and promptly fainted at the realization that he had spoken.

Coney Island is also the home of the Polar Bear Clubs, those crazy people who jump into freezing waters. Why do they do it? For health reasons. Many people who have tried this say that they haven't been sick since. They believe that swimming in cold water at least once a week will strengthen the immune system and make them stronger.

Fact or fiction: feel free to decide for yourself.

photo by voigti fox behind the lens