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I like this author's reflections on sustainability, supply chains, and labor, but I don't find their class-anxiety over their cork-pull being middlebrow very re

I like this author's reflections on sustainability, supply chains, and labor, but I don't find their class-anxiety over their cork-pull being middlebrow very relatable. My first impulse is "give it to a thrift store", which is where I buy all of my clothing. But then I think about how poorly-organized and unpredictable the housewares department at the thrift store is, and wonder if, once it was donated, if anyone would ever buy it. We do a bad job at recycling in our society, but we do an even worse job at reusing. Imagine if reuse were something we were really dedicated to: thrift stores would pool their inventories and rationalize their stocking in a way that would make the nearest thrift store a viable choice when you want a specific common item, and not just when you're browsing to see what you can find.

jrmg 5y ago
The addresses this: For its refusal to signify, its bulk, and its sheer unnecessariness in my already-overstuffed drawer, I’ve been ready to ditch this corkpull for months. During the pandemic, though, it’s even more impossible than usual to get rid of things. After a year inside with all my objects, clutter has taken on a malevolent unruliness, tote bags procreating inside other tote bags and external hard drives with unknown contents taunting from the back of the closet. Boxes and paper grocery bags pile up along the hallway, full of things to be gotten rid of. But the thrift stores and donation drop-offs are still closed, or have limited hours. And you know that most of those things don’t get sold.
klyrs 5y ago
This article is a counterpoint to any call to reducing consumption, where people get downright angry or at least dismiss it as completely impossible/ridiculous. Our culture is based on consumption, and it seems that people cannot imagine a life without a junk drawer full of unused corkscrews.

jrmg 5y ago

The addresses this: For its refusal to signify, its bulk, and its sheer unnecessariness in my already-overstuffed drawer, I’ve been ready to ditch this corkpull for months. During the pandemic, though, it’s even more impossible than usual to get rid of things. After a year inside with all my objects, clutter has taken on a malevolent unruliness, tote bags procreating inside other tote bags and external hard drives with unknown contents taunting from the back of the closet. Boxes and paper grocery bags pile up along the hallway, full of things to be gotten rid of. But the thrift stores and donation drop-offs are still closed, or have limited hours. And you know that most of those things don’t get sold.

klyrs 5y ago

This article is a counterpoint to any call to reducing consumption, where people get downright angry or at least dismiss it as completely impossible/ridiculous. Our culture is based on consumption, and it seems that people cannot imagine a life without a junk drawer full of unused corkscrews.