Golf clap. He made it through the whole thing without once saying "millennial." not that he didn't insinuate it a dozen times. There's a discussion to had here - the roots of minimalism are in an elimination of ornamentation and the modern allure of minimalism is related to a conscious commitment to choice - but the author never attempts it.
People with no spare money don't buy shit. HOLY FUCK, MAN! I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT. When I see crap like this, I dig into the author a bit. He wrote a few listicles for metalfloss. we went to... fucking Tufts University. $63K A year tuition!?!?!? So, who the hell is this guy's parents? Dad was a manager at Boeing, mom was a Biology teacher. Obviously grew up with a whole hell of a lot more money and resources that I, or any of my friends did. Oh look he has a Tumblr, because of course he does. He Co-founded Study Hall that got a lot of press early this year because nobody has ever put together a shared working space before. Oh, look, Brooklyn. Because he cannot be any more of a stereotype, here is an article with a picture of him So what you have here is a kid who grew up with wealthy, educated parents writing articles that I like to call "No shit, Sherlock." But they wrap it up in a hipster pretense of "Oh, look ye plebs, for thine betters have written to offer you mine insights into how the world works." This article is so hipster I grew a top knot reading it.
That said, that one listicle he wrote for Mental Floss is on a fuckin' Reddit thread. We want to make things a little better. I mean, you could probably craigslist that shit. Or, you know, write a medium article and call it a business proposal. It's not like these articles can't be written.
It’s not easy to be a freelance journalist in New York. You choose to go it alone. You decide to be your own agent, pitch editor, and boss. You also probably choose to hang out in your apartment for days at a time, escaping only for bagels as a reward for finished deadlines.
Not so much hate as laughing at the folly of it all. He got paid to write that tripe. I'm sort of envious that I'm not in on the 'spew nonsense get paid' bandwagon. Then again when I look in the mirror, the guy looking back at me is not disgusted by what he sees. It is also a disgust with the use of Reddit threads and Twitter feeds as a source for a news article. That is one of a whole list of reasons why CNN comes off as a high school level news source.
I would love to be a writer of some description, but this right here is the wall that I haven't yet been able to climb, i.e. how to be more signal than noise.
When I read it (not on here, but The Orange Site) I genuinely liked the article. But you know what? It also confirmed my own biases. I liked the article because it told me something I already believed. For all I whine about how people should read more critically I do not practice what I preach
It's an interesting position. I've felt like owning less stuff is better for me: less to worry about, to clean, to spend money on. I grew up in a family that didn't hesitate spending money on luxury items (fur coats, TVs, new furniture, as well as small things that barely make difference), so perhaps this is where it's coming from. I don't think minimalism is bad. It brings peace of mind. Just because you can afford to go for it doesn't mean you shouldn't. I feel like the author's coming from a different position than myself, though. It sounds like he's talking more in terms of luxury gadgets like the next iPhone rather than about what minimalism actually is. I agree with that position but also disagree with bringing the whole umbrella of the term over a small subset of luxurious products that feed off the new fashion that stems from it.
Before I ask: I'm not in any way defensive of the author, his views or his origins (of which I know nothing about). I don't mean to judge your feelings towards anything or anyone or fight you over them. I am genuinely curious of your response to the following question because I'd like to understand how people think. How did you come up with such a dismissive attitude towards the author's point of view? What made you think that way? Why do you think the author deserves such an attitude (and do you)?
Read my comment up above in this thread. When I see garbage like this, I try to figure out the mind of the person who wrote it. less than 5 minutes of the google and I had his whole life history. Wealth parents, went to a very exclusive college, lives in east Hipsterstan, looks like every other jackhole writing a blog and 'trying to change the world' that sort of thing. Good question. I'm sort of a dick to people who breathe and then write an article on "HEY EVERYONE! this oxygen stuff is cool you should try it!" garbage. As I called it, this is a "No Shit, Sherlock" article. And every one of them is written by the stereotype the author presents.
So you've done the research and haven't just come up with that off the top of your head. Thanks for the insight. Shit, this is so many new thought patterns to comprehend from your comment! We've clearly been raised very differently, and where I find myself thinking about the subject as if it's a legitimate matter unless it's really badly written, you dismiss it if it doesn't fit your criterion of insightful (and well-worded?) writing. I'd like to understand what's going on through your head when you react to this sort of an article or a post, and if you have any more insight, I'd greatly appreciate it.
No, and I hope I do not come off that way. I'm dismissive in that there is a whole class of blogger types out there that have lived incredibly sheltered lives of privilege that then go on and tell me that they had this wonderful insight into life that people like me used to call "common sense." And there is an envious part of me that is upset that these people are getting paid to be elitist condescending jackholes. Think if you saw an article written by someone whose parents paid their way through life, coasted through college, then wrote an article saying that everything you are doing they did better. Wouldn't it come off as dismissive of your life experience? Articles like these are everywhere, sadly. I find them insulting to people who have to live out in the, for lack of a better term, "Real World."Shit, this is so many new thought patterns to comprehend from your comment! We've clearly been raised very differently, and where I find myself thinking about the subject as if it's a legitimate matter unless it's really badly written, you dismiss it if it doesn't fit your criterion of insightful (and well-worded?) writing.
Thank you for saying this. I can see now why I can't see the way you think: it's because I was one of those sheltered children. This was important for me to recognize. In a weird way, it's inspiring: as if I was given permission to do something about my life, to make it better. Any advice on what to do to step into the "real world"?there is a whole class of blogger types out there that have lived incredibly sheltered lives of privilege that then go on and tell me that they had this wonderful insight into life that people like me used to call "common sense."
Don't be a dick. This includes not being an ass to the guy you look at in the mirror. Everyone is fighting the same battle in their head that you are. Don't make their war any harder than it is. Leave the place better than you found it. AKA all the liberal hippie stuff in every religion ever.Any advice on what to do to step into the "real world"?