Comments on: New thread: A Theory of “stuff”

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:44:56 +0000

I follow the litter bag method myself, Ostrix, although I resort to it less often than you. No sentimentality here. My wife is a different story, and she’s in the same house…

By: ostrix

ostrix — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:20:57 +0000

Some people find it easier to throw things away rather than making order among them, piling accurately in the corners. Like myself ))) Apart traditional tidying-up (an unpleasant process :/ I make a regular checkout around the apartment with a litter bag in my hands, purging it (not the bag, the apartment ))) ruthlessly from what isn’t in use any longer. I’m easy going on that, but I know people who just can’t throw things – they associate themselves too strongly with a 10-year old, worn out T-shirt or some broken vase ))) Sentimentality, isn’t it? ))))

By: Mr. Crotchety

Mr. Crotchety — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:31:57 +0000

This bit is the first thing I thought of when I saw this new post, Cheri. It has to be part of the discussion.

Another excellent reference from popular culture is the movie, The Jerk. “I don’t care about the money, I just want the stuuuuff.”

By: Christopher

Christopher — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:01:44 +0000

Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:06:58 +0000

Not a freak at all. Indeed, the majority. Ownership as self-definition: to surround yourself with souvenirs of your past; and with signals to your visitors about you. We all do that to varying degrees. But there’s more to say about all that….

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:12:08 +0000

How about stuff we use to define ourselves?

I keep books I love on the shelf, I keep my CD collection even though I have it all in MP3.

I have even gone so far as to buy books I read as a kid with no real intention of re-reading them, just cause they were on sale and I wanted to have them.

Am I a freak?

Yes, but not for the above reasons….

By: Cheri

Cheri — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:07:36 +0000

Sorry for putting the whole YouTube thing up there. I thought I was just pasting the link, but when I hit the button, the whole film clip came on.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:46:16 +0000

Simple, yes, so it came up in our conversations. Then it turned out not to be so simple.

BTW, If you’re cleaning out your stuff in October and you get to the ski/winter things, which you haven’t used in six months, you’d have to throw those out, by that rule.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:44:13 +0000

Clearly, I got ahead of myself: I wasn’t thinking about Prop 8 at all, but about the totally different relationship that women and men have to their stuff. Women are much stuffier stuffers than men, on average, and I intend to write a post about that.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:40:09 +0000

Wow, this fits like a glove. Carlin just obviated a few blog posts.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:07:11 +0000

Any stuff you haven’t used in the last six months, throw out.

Simple.

By: Jag (defensive punster)

Jag (defensive punster) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:27:39 +0000

Hmm interesting that you felt the need to say that your wife is a woman (prop 8 etc). Very much looking forward to her insights.

Re clutter, physical congestion and stuff-iness – psychologists believe we have built in cognitive biases that make hoarding our default behavior – e.g. the endowment effect and loss aversion.
For (perhaps too many) details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endowment_effect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_aversion

Bottom line – you have to work hard and invest concious energy to overcome these tendencies.

By: Cheri Block Sabraw

Cheri Block Sabraw — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:33:21 +0000

I’m sure you have seen George Carlin’s schtick on Stuff but if you have not…