More On Smaller Houses, Dumb People and Trash...

It has been pointed out to me that my previous post was harsh and bordering on elitist. Fair enough.

M says: I was thinking of pointing out that point 3 isn't likely accurate if what they toss has lasted (i.e. not broken). Also, I would have changed the wording of part 2. You made the language strong and negative. It's not necessarily that the owners are dumb. From a different view, big house owners are spending all their money on the house, so they can't afford to replace their stuff. I also suspect that many of them thought "hey, if I put this out, the vultures will take it away. I'm not really throwing it away, just giving it to someone in need." It would explain why so many people placed them so the nice stuff would be obvious, not hidden away. I also wonder if many people are just not educated as to what they can do with their stuff. They can donate many things to Goodwill or the ReStore. They can also sell it on eBay or Craigslist. Or, if they want it out of the house, they can sell it on consignment. But seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if most people aren't even sure what's allowed to be donated to Goodwill, let alone anything else.

I would argue that apathy has a lot more to do with the trash versus donation decision than a lack of education does. Also, apathy does not correlate positively with a successful life. My feeling is that the following thought goes through a lot of people's minds when cleaning out their homes: "Should I donate this or just toss it?" At that point, the environmentalist will donate it so less waste is produced. The social activist will donate it so a poor person will benefit. An apathetic person will simply toss it.