A piece about consumerism and capatalism

Useless Clutter

Useless clutter.

Useless: not fulfilling or not expected to achieve the intended purpose or desired outcome.

Clutter: a collection of things lying about in an untidy state.

"That's all life is about, that's the meaning of life, trying to find a place to keep your stuff. That's all your house is think of it that's all your house is it's a place to keep your stuff, if you didn't have so much goddamn stuff. You wouldn't need a house. "- George Carlin

Today's society is very obsessed with stuff and this goes back I feel to the 1950s Americana feeling of having certain things and 1980s feeling of mass materialism. The comedian or as some call him ( I will be counted in that group) Philosopher George carlin does a routine about stuff or as I should call it due to the title of this essay useless clutter and I quoted this monologue at the start of my essay and I will do so as well as other people throughout it . Why do you own a house really? To keep yourself warm? To stay out of the rain? These things can be accomplished without a house. When a young person moves out of their apartment that they've lived in all throughout college (or if your less fortunate your parents house) they bring all the things that they've had with them, these things this clutter are things they have probably had since childhood that they kept when they moved out of their parents house and they still probably have some more stuff at hoe in their parents attic because their apartment wasn't big enough fro all of their stuff. Back to the point I tend to ramble sometimes but I will try to keep the point clear

When the metaphorical young person moves into their first house it is bigger, they may have a partner with them that may facilitate a larger house but usually.

"Sometimes you gotta move, you gotta get a bigger know why? Too much stuff!" – George carlin

This is most often the facilitator for moving to a new house, you are combining your clutter with a partners or you are bringing a chid into the world which in and of its self is just creating more stuff on this planet and then that stuff wants its own stuff, the world economy I field by clutter its the main reason the capitalist system works

"That's all your house is a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get MORE stuff!" – George carlin

Consumerism is inherent in all modern cultures now. You cant walk down a street without signs saying how you social, personal, work and sex life can be improved by buying this specific stuff, you need stuff to make you go places and stuff to make you stay awake so you can go to work to make or do stuff to give you money so you can buy more stuff. You're jealous of people with better stuff and you aspire to be the social media movers and shakers who always seem to have the best stuff, ironically is it not the capitalist society that strips away individuality the most , how is everyone wearing adidas shoes, adidas track suites, listening to pop music and totally wasted with all your friends different from everyone wearing brown and black, listening to Wagner and heiling the fuehrer everyday or wearing gray and worshipping your saviour chairman Mao?

When you have a free will a choice and you use that free will and choice to try to blend in , you worry about what the neighbours will think you say the rosary and bless yourself when you pass a graveyard , you wear your Gucci ,your aides and your trainers does that not give up your free will to the clutter pushed upon you, what is the use of a shoe other ten as a shoe why pay more for a shoe when another one is cheaper, because you are trying to conform and to conform is to consume , to purchase to create capital to gain more and more clutter which inevitably becomes useless. The useless clutter that permeates peoples homes is often a talking point for the owners of those homes "wow what a nice painting, I love that ornament, oh Barbara that tea pot is simply divine" you want acknowledgement that you have spent your money on stuff that other people will deem to b appropriate that other people will except you for your useless clutter. When you have a lack of it you feel unsafe when you have an empty place in your house you feel uneasy.

"We have more places then we do stuff, well guess we better go out and buy more stuff" – George carlin

People feel a social pressure to buy and consume, it is similar to a religion in that sense, and oh we didn't see you at mass on Sunday were you ill? We heard you didn't donate your yearly amount to the church o you need more money? We heard you weren't at the pub Saturday were you sick? You didn't buy the new iphone are you broke?

Useless clutter is useless and it is clutter which as the definition I said earlier is a pile of rubbish with no perceived use.

However

That is not the only side to useless clutter. My useless clutter that I have around my room I feel gives my room personality. They are historical artefacts, posters of my interests and pictures of memories with my friends and family. Does this make me a hypocrite? Yes and no. I conform to a certain degree I buy things that society says I should buy, everyone is a conformist but it is how much of one you choose to be, that is important. Your useless clutter should define you; you're useless clutter should never be the same as someone else's useless clutter. You should be able to make a story out of it you should have feelings about your clutter. Memories, they should be your memories they should be your symbol of individuality and not something you use to conform.

In conclusion

"Collect memories, not things"-author unknown