Community Chat

[furbabylover]

@novamc1 So this is exactly the sort of thing that drives the lemmings off the cliff. Don't we have enough labels in society without conjuring up another one with which to stigmatize people? Here we have yet another pseudo-syndrome cooked up by the psychiatry industry. I guess "hoarding disorder"will replace the now ever popular "bi-polar disorder" which amazingly has become the diagnosis du jour. Let's drop the pill pushers and their addiction to labelling and get back to rational thinking, formerly known as common sense. I am convinced therapists serve a purpose as surrogate family and can work wonders in people's lives, but psychiatrists and their protocol of putting people in labelled boxes and medicating them with questionable drugs is something I hope we out grow.

[novamc1]

@furbabylover 

I have no worthy comments to make about the psychiatric profession, but thank you for posting something that actually relates  to the original post of an article written by a psychiatrist.

Somehow this thread wandered off into odd and apparently angry posts about violations of  the federal Sherman Antitrust Act and objectionable activities by individuals that have nothing to do with mental health.

Anyone who wants to address the topic of marketplace anticompetitiveness or price fixing (hopefully in a different forum) can start with the following basic info....

<<The Sherman Antitrust Act is a landmark U.S. law, passed in 1890, that outlawed trusts —groups of businesses that collude or merge to form a monopoly in order to dictate pricing in a particular market. The Act's purpose was to promote economic fairness and competitiveness and to regulate interstate commerce.>>.

[Gorgf]

I agree it becomes a game or amusement for some. Stress reducer? I had a GF get crazy running around trying to find a can if Disinfectant Spray like the world was coming to an end. Families would break up to enter a store so they could buy more hamburger when allowed two per customer.  Sending in kids to help buy. So much for one shopper per family. Driving to other communities for "the find." 

I have also caught the show Extreme Couponing and people build additions for this stuff and special shelving. They probably donate as one family could never ever use all of it. There is a Shelf life on salad dressings and canned goods longer, a couple of years. It becomes a part time job.A game to see how little they spend. 

My Mother knew a woman who had to have every glass canning jar filled in the 1960s.. My parents were Depression Children and both saved everything. I remember hearing" You might need that someday!" I have the tendancy but since I am financially secure  I no longer feel like I have to keep everything. I am working on donating and tossing.  I like to keep certain staples on hand as hate to run to the store for a can of tomato paste etc.

I hate garbage and junk mail and old periodicals. Out to recycle. Good article@novamc. Thankyou and I will reread.

[Porcelain]

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@novamc1 Don't worry. No one is angry with you. It's all good.

"What you are describing could perhaps be called "good old fashioned capitalism" rather than greed.  

It's the American norm to pursue making money any way we can without breaking any laws.  Our economy wouldn't have gotten very far without that type of spirit driving businesses and start-up businesses of all types.

Not many people would let a dollar lie unclaimed on the sidewalk if they came across it.   At best, they would donate it to charity or a needy person, which is what many "stockpilers" have been doing since the early days of the pandemic.  At least this happens where I live."

This is where you changed the topic of your own thread and appeared to praise or at least excuse price gouging. You've also edited your post so I can't quote it all here. But I'm glad it turned out you are actually against price gouging. That makes much more sense. 

I agree the direction you took with your thread, discussing economics, is different than your first post about the psychology of hoarding vs. stockpiling. I found the psychological topic much more interesting.

[novamc1]

@Porcelain 

In reply to this ... ..<<This is where you changed the topic of your own thread and appeared to praise or at least excuse price gouging.>>

I certainly did not introduce the subject of price gouging on this thread.  Capitalism and the pursuit of a profit by selling to ready, willing and able buyers is NOT price gouging, and gougers usually don't have much of a willing, able and ready market of buyers, do they?   

Gouging is not even a word that I would normally use any other day, either.  It certainly did not enter my mind as being relevant to the original post, which dealt with (as you might remember) stockpiling vs. hoarding and the difference between the two .

Maybe you need to explain what you're saying  so others understand your point,   but I'm not interested in reading a reinterpretation of what I already  posted and stand by.

And by the way, I edit my posts for typos,  spelling and to eliminate excess wordiness (having once been well-paid as a journalism school grad, writer and editor and can't break the habit). 

I do not edit to change any point I intended to make, so I'm really sorry you can't find what you think I wrote before editing was done.  Would sure like to see it.

[lovesrecess]

If you have ever lived in an area that gets hurricanes, you know what stockpiling is...it’s just being prepared. Now everyone needs to be prepared...stockpile....whatever term you prefer.