His main thesis -- that EVIL KKKORPORATE AMERIKKKA somehow brainwashes us into accumulating possessions -- is pretty mockable. I'd take up the burden, but it's frankly easier, as a lazy, gluttonous American, to dismiss it with a little moue of disgust. I find that Morford really helps me work on my moue of disgust; my moue muscles can lift 30 pounds now.
We accumulate stuff because we change as people -- we stop using (set of stuff A) and get (set of stuff B) that is more in tune with our new interests. That's not horrible, or morally evil, or wrong; it's just being a damn person. Yes, throw stuff out when you don't use it; that's fine. But ascribing some sort of moral sin-state to clutter is just being a jerk on a titanic scale, which is pretty much bog-standard Morford.
The idea that I'm doing something dumb because I'm brainwashed, instead of because I'm dumb, is personally abhorrent to me. If I'm dumb, I can learn. So far, for a variety of issues in my life, dumb wins on evidence. I *have* learned. Many things.
I like his point about clutter in general, though, at least the part of it where he's claiming clutter is a burden. It *is*. And I was amused by his description of the staunch minimalist house "lit by $15K of recessed lighting". Hit that one on the head, he did.
But yeah, he's pretty big on ascribing moral sin-states. That gets old. That was old in high school.
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We accumulate stuff because we change as people -- we stop using (set of stuff A) and get (set of stuff B) that is more in tune with our new interests. That's not horrible, or morally evil, or wrong; it's just being a damn person. Yes, throw stuff out when you don't use it; that's fine. But ascribing some sort of moral sin-state to clutter is just being a jerk on a titanic scale, which is pretty much bog-standard Morford.
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I like his point about clutter in general, though, at least the part of it where he's claiming clutter is a burden. It *is*. And I was amused by his description of the staunch minimalist house "lit by $15K of recessed lighting". Hit that one on the head, he did.
But yeah, he's pretty big on ascribing moral sin-states. That gets old. That was old in high school.