Yesterday, I visited the NeoCon 2013 trade show in Chicago. It’s an exposition of office furniture manufacturers, and there were a ton of gorgeous fabrics, clever furniture styles, and basic equipment on display. I was looking for story ideas, potential sources, and, well, just to see what I could see.
(I love going to trade shows to see what’s new and interesting!)
Anyway, I was looking through the conference directory, and it listed a legislative roundtable meeting for the International Interior Design Association. That bothered me. Obviously, citizens have the right to petition their elected officials, and trade groups have to look out for the best interests of members. However, have we reached a point where every trade group needs to have a legislative staffer? Clearly, there are different regulatory issues that affect interior design, such as resource usage and accessibility. I get that. But we’re reaching a level of overkill, and not just in terms of regulation, but also in terms of the professionalism (and money) needed to influence politicians.
The professionalism of politicians seems to have fallen. Yes, the Washington Redskins mascot is offensive, but congress can’t leave that to the free market?
A few office furniture manufacturers showed different types of chairs designed to muffle conversation so that someone in an open office would be able to call a doctor or a babysitter without everyone overhearing. And at every demonstation of these chairs, there were two jokes: “It’s the cone of silence!” and “It won’t protect you from the NSA!”
Was it ever for the people, by the people, of the people? I dunno. I left feeling kind of sad.
