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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
there are regular "drop and swaps" in this area, both for clothing and for furniture.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
I read about these potlatches in a sociology class Faldage. They were also used to lord one tribe's superiority over another.
When a tribe wanted to quash a neighboring tribe, they'd invite them over and lavish an inordinate amount of gifts on them. If the neighboring tribe could not top the gift-giving feast in a specific amount of time (I don't remember exactly how long it was) then the tribe would lose face and be considered inferior.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
The US threw a giant anti-potlatch during the Cold War. It was called the arms race. "My deficit spending is bigger than yours," etc.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771 |
When it gets to the point that people are navigating mazes in their houses, there's something much deeper, psychologically speaking, at work.
Anyone know the name of the photo-essay books that someone did - s/he convinced families from countries all over the world to bring *all* of their possessions out of their houses or apartments and took a family portrait among all their stuff. It's a fantastic eye-opener about focus on material goods in particular societies (esp. the US) - you see a family in front of their hut in Africa, and they've got a couple of cots, some light blankets, 3 bowls, and a jar. A follow-up book has also been published ~ people were asked to empty out their kitchen cupboards, and that was *especially* incriminating of USns. Fascinating stuff...
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
>>>people were asked to empty out their kitchen cupboards, and that was *especially* incriminating of USns.
I don't know about "incriminating" FB. Comparing different people from different cultures as a guilt-inducing ploy doesn't seem right to me. I do believe we should be conscious of the world around us, and help those in need, but not be guilty for what we've got.
If their cupboard is full, it's because they earned the money to fill it. I do agree that there are some places that have so little it is a hardship but, even if I gave everything that I have, that wouldn't change one bit.
There is always going to be people that have more than me and people that have less.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771 |
I stand by my choice of words - and I wish I could find a link to post to illustrate why! The disproportionate range of prepared foods as opposed to staple ingredients, especially when seen in the context of what other cultures have in their kitchens, is clearly illustrative of Western priorities. I don't have liberal guilt over my cupboard being full, I have non-partisan guilt over being lazy.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
>>>>I don't have liberal guilt over my cupboard being full, I have non-partisan guilt over being lazy.
You do? But why?
If you take a prepared meal and pop it into the oven, you can do other stuff with the time. What makes the other stuff you do less valuable than the time you'd take preparing the meal yourself? How do you gauge those things?
I have to admit I'm not very good at the guilt thing. My Mom & Dad taught us that if you're feeling guilty it's because you did something you knew you shouldn't have done in the first place. So don't do it. I'd rather go the hard route than the easy one and feel guilty.
So FB, pop that meal in the oven and go for a walk, paint, sing a song, relax and do nothing, or anything - it's good to do stuff that makes you happy too.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
Those houses piled to the ceiling with junk manifest a serious problem. The hoarding is the result of a mental disorder, and is not easily cured. The piles and piles of magazines and newspapers present a fire hazard, the debris often houses vermin, the piles obstruct access by rescue workers, and the weight of the junk can threaten the structural integrity of the building.
Here's a bit on the subject I found at the website for Mindful Things, which summarizes news in the field of psychology:
Many elderly woman who have never married and who live alone tend to hoard. They accumulate so many possessions that living space becomes unliveable. Those who never married hoarded the most, which the Boston researchers thought might be related to a greater attachment to possessions. The women, who had a form of mental disorder, collected mostly old newspapers, containers and miscellaneous paper, and kept it in the living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom and sometimes the bathroom. The accumulated possessions created a fire hazard, unsanitary conditions and represented a threat of falls. Involuntary cleaning was not a viable solution, according to the researchers. Since hoarding springs from problems processing information and of emotional attachment, false beliefs about possessions, and avoidance, treatment should focus on modifying those things.
The site also had this summary, which just proves how accurate it must be:
Internet users have a distinct psychological profile. According to new research, they're more trusting of others, more accepting of political and social diversity, and are more open, tolerant, optimistic and literate than those who don't use the Internet. They're more likely to support nontraditional roles for women and homosexuality, although on issues like interracial marriage and teenage sex, no clear differences emerged. To gather the data, researchers interviewed 2,300 people in their homes for approximately 90 minutes.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771 |
My college mentor said this about her mother, now in an Alzheimer's care home: "I finally realized that my mom is a bag lady, and her house is her shopping cart." 
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636 |
gift horse: I've decided I'm putting my house on a diet.I don't put mine on a diet as much as give it enemas when necessary. If I start getting the first signs of pathways, then it's time to get out the soapy water  They say a clean house is the sign of a crashed computer. Complete tidiness and sparkling floors have never been real high up on my list of priorities although I must say that when taking care of the house was my principle job, it was in the top three. I found that getting started was the hardest part, so I would always leave one thing undone every day so I would know just exactly where to start the next day. It worked for me, but then my ex would always home in on the one thing I didn't do. He just didn't get me...
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