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reading about konmari — THREAD
the japanese word Marie Kondo actually used (Tokimeku) does not mean “spark joy” apartmenttherapy.com/marie-kondo-to…
a cultural perspective from a Japanese-American writer huffingtonpost.com/entry/marie-ko…
similar topic, slightly different take from a christian magazine sojo.net/articles/respe…
wow book hoarders are extremely angry and defensive yet strangely… unable to read her actual advice? openculture.com/2019/01/marie-…
there were some articles about OMG THE THRIFT SHOPS ARE OVERFLOWING but after that premise, they all admitted, like, there’s no proof it isn’t just seasonal and/or the town’s other thrift stores shut down and the quotes from staff were like “eh, not really”
what amazes me about the critical reception of Tidying Up is that while of COURSE there are things to criticize, almost all the criticism that actually exists is clearly the author imagining subtext that isn’t there and fighting it. vox.com/culture/2019/1…
eg the author of that last piece says konmari is basically the same as SPACE, but… it clearly isn’t. that’s like saying “bolognese and chili are basically the same dish.” bygeorgeorganizing.com/organizing-wit…
“But Kondo assumes the ideal of an empty space so that your stuff, not you, has to negotiate for the right to belong there. And just like that, your control deepens.”
this is… not in the book.
this is… not in the book.
Tidying Up is not Kami Fight Club
there’s a KonMari subreddit. it’s pretty good. reddit.com/r/konmari
this one almost gets it right, saying “everything sparks joy” but then continues onwards as if that admission didn’t let allllll the air out her complaint to start with architecturaldigest.com/story/maximali…
a little while ago i read STUFF: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, which is extremely interesting for anyone and not just people touched by that illness amazon.com/Stuff-Compulsi…
one of the things the authors talk about again & again is that hoarders have an even greater connection to things than normal people — altho they treat those things like shit, in the end. 
also… and this is my perennial complaint about so much writing… none of the people who did Tidying Up thinkpieces have ever read anything else on material culture and worldly philosophy
i have a few paper books but they’re harder to excerpt so here’s more STUFF
i have a few paper books but they’re harder to excerpt so here’s more STUFF
i love love love books but owning specific objects doesn’t shape my identity. they’re just things. it took volunteering at a free book charity to teach me that.
it’s a good lesson, because otherwise your things are an immense emotional liability
it’s a good lesson, because otherwise your things are an immense emotional liability
in conclusion:
KonMari is
thank u, next
KonMari is
thank u, next
japanese shinto doll funerals tokyotimes.org/ningyo-kuyo-a-…
“well, dolls. that is sensible. obviously dolls are special.” well here’s a ceremony for old sewing needles. i appreciate this kikuko-nagoya.com/html/harikuyo-…
addendum to marie kondo thread:
more clutterbugs get defensive about their piles, and use ethnocentricism as their weapon of choice…
more clutterbugs get defensive about their piles, and use ethnocentricism as their weapon of choice…
“messy” is a identity people CHOOSE, because it’s a bulwark against change.
nothing makes people more liable to attack than a challenge to their identity!
no matter how terrible that identity is!
nothing makes people more liable to attack than a challenge to their identity!
no matter how terrible that identity is!
