Not Fake Enough

In a mall recently, one of the shops mounted an eye-catching display of colourful, potted florals, taking up two tables, half the floor space, spilling out onto the mall floor. There were reds, yelllows and oranges everywhere. The array almost tempted you to get closer, to walk through the flower bed, to take one of the potted plants home. Only, you wouldn't want to do that. Because the flowers were moving and flashing lights. These were fake flowers. Not just fake plastic flowers in plastic pots. They were fake plastic flowers in plastic pots powered by battery. Some stems twisted this way and that, beckoning to the onlooker, others had spinning flower heads, some had leaves that waved back and forth, some had lights that glowed from the centre of the flower, some lights flickered like a disco ball.

It was a disconcerting sight, this sea of neon and fluorescent twirling plastic. As if fake flowers weren't fake enough, they now have fake flowers with fake movement and fake brightness. The flowers were not in a kid's shop. They were in an adult gift, souvenir and clothing shop. What's with that? Who buys flowers like that?