Everyone loves the mall. This has already been established and the video evidence made available by Kevin Smith. In the greater Reykjavík area, there are two malls worth visiting: Kringlan, located just outside Reykjavík city centre and Smáralind in Kópavogur, which has acquired some international notoriety for resembling male genitalia when seen from the air. (Guess which one is Smith’s favourite?)
Like elsewhere in the world, in Iceland the mall is a world full of opportunities. With sufficient funds (or credit) there is no limit to how much fun there is to be had. Obviously there is a plethora of stuff to buy: clothes, electrical gadgets, CDs, or whatever else the mind desires. Even more important is the fact that shopping greases the wheels of economy, so really buying that awesome new phone that simultaneously allows instant text messaging, taking photos and talking while driving eventually serves the greater good.
But going to the mall to shop is to miss the point entirely. The most exciting thing any mall has to offer is not the merchandise for sale, but the people who are there to buy it. The mall is the modern day equivalent of the ancient market square, where people gathered to enjoy each other’s company, make conversation, or in the case of Socrates, solve the riddles of philosophy. Many of his questions are still raised in the halls of the malls. So, go to the mall: it is your duty as a citizen and as a moral being.
Kringlan
Kringlan 4-12, 103 Reykjavík
Tel.: 568 9200, www.kringlan.is
Smáralind
Hagasmári 1, 201 Kópavogur
Tel.: 528-8000, www.smaralind.is
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