The desire to live 'commercial grade' is partly about shelter from 21st century storms and the rest, conspicuous consumption.
When Hurricane Milton was approaching Florida last month, a mom in suburban Tampa went viral on TikTok for her refusal to obey evacuation orders. When talking about feeling safe staying in her home, she said: “My husband built this house commercial. It’s residential, but it was built commercial-grade.” She wielded the phrase like a crucifix. It’s not hard to see why commercial-grade is a balm to apocalyptic fears.
But why is Richie Rich’s in-home McDonald’s more thrilling than an assistant who can fetch a Big Mac at any hour? Isn’t a vending machine that dispenses free soda just a refrigerator with extra steps? For many people, it’s so much more exciting to pantomime a purchase without having to pay a dollar, to cut out the transaction but keep the rest. This proposition is particularly seductive to people for whom a purchase is a fraught, wincing thing.
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