(1b) Matt Gibbs

Name
Matt Gibbs
Subject
How to avoid the nuthouse
Postcode
3218
Visit Time
27/09/2004 12:11 AM

Remark
I’d just finished reading Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” as a class text. I understood Holden Caulfield’s despair. Could we ever fix all the wrongs in the world without going mad?
Then Camus’ “The Outsider” fell into my hands. Immediate enlightenment. Camus had the answer. The world is absurd. Accept it.

Matt Gibbs – the young professional.

Matt lives in Box Hill South, in Victoria’s inner Eastern Suburbs. A suburb predominately populated by married couples (53.7%), with a large proportion of citizens are aged between 25-54 (40.8%)

Presuming Matt uses public transport he would use the Lilydale and Belgrave lines.

Matt is a 39 year old motivated professional who is married and plans to raise a family. He has attended a public school and moved to Box Hill after completing his computer science degree and beginning work as a profession IT consultant. He reads the newspaper, and watches TV. He is concerned with finance and the economy because of impact on his mortgage and accumulated debt.

Matt’s house is a 3 bedroom Victorian style house with little to no sustainable resources. While Matt is concerned about global warming – he has been exposed to it in minimal increments and worries about the financial implications of political action on the subject.

Matt liked ‘Catcher in the Rye’ but was thrown by the worlds wrongs – a sense of helplessness overcame him. But after reading ‘the outsider’ he is resigned to the worlds wrongs. To this end, he feels helpless and is unfaithful that his behaviour can change the world. While he respects sustainability he cannot see the possibility of action.

Matt is educated and tries to avoid using plastic bags. In future – when sustainability becomes more of an issue – Matt will take mild action in changing his life style – but will be forced to change certain things because of price hikes and taxes on wasteful products.