XBox 360: Here We Go Again...

11.22.05 - A new game console just hit the market, creating a familiar scene: stores staying open late, people waiting in line for 20 hours or more, products disappearing off shelves and retailers running out of stock shortly thereafter.

Haven't we seen this all before (Sony's PSP, Harry Potter books, Furbys, Star Wars movies, Elmo Dolls, Cabbage Patch Dolls)? What is it that makes people brave cold weather and huge crowds to spend several hundred dollars in the quest to be the first to own something?

I don't pretend to know the answer; I can only speculate. In this land of abundance, though, it is hard to fathom that people cannot wait several days to purchase some new toy. I mean, these crowd scenes are reminiscent of the rush for food and medicine we see in tragedy-stricken areas helped by the Red Cross.

Are we ever going to put things in perspective?