Medievalistic Ideas Parallel Societal Trends
I have been trying to figure out what makes people think that “trash picking” is a degrading and perhaps even disgusting thing. I mean, it’s not like those of us that do that sort of thing are less than them or come from another kingdom, phylum or class than the rest, right? (Don’t answer that too slowly, you may not want to dwell on the answer.) For those of you who are uncertain, the answer is, “Yes,” you are the same species as those who do not enjoy picking things up off of the ground and/or out of various types of bins.
I think this division is caused, in part, by the medieval notion that there is a hierarchy that all living things fit into. True, all sorts of people still believe this and I am not saying it is wrong. In fact, to some degree, I agree with some parts of this idea. However, the part that concerns us trash pickers is the part where maggots, ants, and other creepy, crawly creatures are placed a long way down the “natural” order of importance from animals such as lions, tigers and bears (see, you thought I was going to say something clever here–I showed you, didn’t I?) To generalize perhaps too much, it could be said that the animals that used only part of what they killed were given preference over those that used every bit of what was given to them.
So, to draw this back to our hobby of using things that most people throw out, this idea has continued into our own day. For instance, the Natives in the American continents (specifically North America) were considered savages. Did they waste what they killed or what was given to them? Not until they were taught to be “civilized.”
Keep in mind; I am playing this up a bit. I don’t think that people respect Bears because they leave a mess of fish bones and guts when they have a meal. I also don’t think that the Europeans thought the Natives of North America savage because they used up everything from their hunts. I don’t even think that people today are disgusted by the idea of rummaging through their dumpster for their neighbor’s leavings (who me? Never!) because it means that they will lower themselves according to some medieval way of looking at the world.
What I am saying is, isn’t it interesting that the people and things that are respected the most by most people are exactly the types of things that waste resources? And isn’t also interesting that the things that many people look down on in affluent society are the things that make good use of materials or clean up the messes that affluence generates? (How’s that for a twisted view of the world?)
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1 opinion for Medievalistic Ideas Parallel Societal Trends
Mara
Jun 27, 2007 at 11:19 am
I find this a very interesting thought. Although, unless desperate, you still won’t find me going through my neighbor’s garbage. Loved the comic! Did you know roaches can hold their breath for about 40 minutes? How they figured this out is beyond me, but you won’t find me trying to flush one down the toliet. Instead I would capture it under a heavy bowl and leave it for my husband to get rid of. See I’m resourceful too!
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