Sordid Amok!The antidote to materialism isn't minimalism; it's maintenance. Keep things. Fix them. Mend them. Grow old with possessions you know well because you've cared for them.
justmichelle@SordidAmok I have the pair of loaf pans my mom gave me when I moved out of the house. I can't remember if they were new then. If they were, they're 38 year old loaf pans. The comal I use for all my flatbread was my grandmother's.
@justmichelle Our grandparents were sitting on goldmines
Moose Jolly Holcomb@justmichelle @SordidAmok my favorite bundt pan used to be my wife's grandma's, it's perfect.
@ReverendMoose @SordidAmok I'll say. 💕
trisweb@SordidAmok I love this.
As I listen to a tube amplifier made in 1958, that I restored and repaired, driven by a preamp made in 1980 that I repaired from absolute shambles, through speakers I found on the side of the road and restored.
vandenberglegs@trisweb @SordidAmok My amplifier was given to me by my father-in-law after he used it for probably 25 years. My stereo speakers were bought by my dad in the early 70s from an estate sale, so now idea how old they are. I grew up listening to these speakers and they're still going strong.
@vandenberglegs @trisweb They don't make 'em like they used to. That's not an accident. They deliberately don't make 'em like they used to.
Michelle HughesHow? Everything is made out of cheap materials and assembled out of parts that can't be replaced individually.
ocdtrekkie@MegaMichelle @SordidAmok Choose what you buy carefully. I recently upgraded two flashlights with new LED bulbs. ...The stores here didn't sell flashlight bulbs anymore because new flashlights don't have bulb sockets, but I was able to find them online.
David S@ocdtrekkie @MegaMichelle @SordidAmok also see if you can find a repair cafe near you. It's surprising how much of the cheap disposable tat can be repaired with a bit of know-how, a soldering iron and some glue.
@MegaMichelle It does require some learning on the part of the individual.
Thriftstores and antique shops have a lot of stuff that was made to last.
Also, how much time do you have to spend tending to your things?
@MegaMichelle Not a lot. Mending clothes and darning socks don't take a lot of time. I do that while listening to Democracy Now or watching a show. I maintain and modify my guitars. Not much else requires it. Almost everything I own is old.
Some stuff - laptops, phones - are out of my range. I'm still learning.
Some stuff - laptops, phones - are out of my range. I'm still learning.
I like watching youtube videos of people doing crafty things, but it seems daunting to me. I tried to get into building RC planes once, and I spent a bunch of money on tools and materials which now collect dust in my basement. That's why I prefer computer programming hobbies. All you have to do is read.
✨buff dog himbo✨@MegaMichelle @SordidAmok imo it's a combination of trying to own decent quality items which are built to last, and also having realistic expectations & goals for their maintanence. For example, sewing machines can allow you to mend several types of problems in clothing that are more difficult to do.by hand, & you can repair many of them yourself. If you can't, there are still a lot of sewing machine repair shops which can do it for you for much cheaper than replacing the whole machine.
@MegaMichelle @SordidAmok Also, it's still possible to find tailors for clothes. Yes, it adds to the cost to buy a decent quality piece of clothing & then have a tailor perfect the fit, but it does greatly extend the item's lifespan if you don't feel confident fixing a tear or running thread or fit issue yourself, to just take it to a tailor, & is still often cheaper than buying a new clothing item (of decent quality, that is, especially if.you don't buy secondhand).
@MegaMichelle @SordidAmok otherwise... you're doing like i did some years ago, buying tanktops from Forever 21 at $4 apiece, made of the thinnest, cheapest cotton/spandex blend you can imagine, which literally disintegrated within 5 years. No repairing, no patching, it must be thrown away & a new item bought. 🤷
Sometimes necessary, especially if you need several pieces at one time (weight gain/loss, a disaster where you lost all your stiff, etc), but not desirable.
Noodlemaz@MegaMichelle @SordidAmok we have a thing here called Repair Cafe, does that exist where you are? Help and learning!
Yeah, we have a hackerspace that does that on ... Thursdays, I think?
Many years ago, I brought in an mp3 player that had a broken headphone jack. I brought in a new headphone jack that I'd ordered, but I found out those weren't as standard as I thought, and the new one was too big to fit.
Secret 3rd South African@MegaMichelle @SordidAmok I'm similar. I don't like clutter or having that much stuff in general. Most of the things I have are out of necessity (I don't really want a big lump of a portable AC in my front rooms, but I'd die in the summer without them).
I do what I can though. I don't think we should beat ourselves up too much if we have to toss some things.
@MegaMichelle @SordidAmok check out house clearances and second-hand places, use gifting apps and start swap clubs!
TeflonTrout 
he/him@MegaMichelle @SordidAmok Ah! That's what they've trained us to think, but with certain exceptions (Apple, Samsung, etc) most things are made with bespoke parts....that are in turn made from industry standard COMPONENTS.
I built my pc to be long lived, so it has a spacious, easy to open case with excellent airflow. It turns 10 next year and is going strong, but it was dropped once while moving. Clips that held the CPU fan in place broke, but those are pretty well standardized despite looking integral to the fan itself in my case.
Many complex looking items are also highly modular, too! iRobot vacuums are dead simple to take apart and there is a strong aftermarket parts supply. DJI drones are similar, parts are cheap af on alibaba, and come straight from the manufacturer of the og components.
If something dies, you have nothing to lose by taking it apart to troubleshoot it, and potentially hundreds of dollars to save!
@TeflonTrout @MegaMichelle "If it's broke, you can't break it more" is a phrase I use. I have been able to extend the life of some electronics by a few years, sometimes with really sketchy kludge work. I love a good kludge.
sylvie@MegaMichelle everything TODAY is made out of cheap materials
MizGanzer
Kevin Karhan 
@SordidAmok and most importantly: Demand #repairability and #LongTermSupport for devices.
- We need #RepairabilityPropaganda like thee one @iFixit pushed for advertising, but like for real!
Mx Verda@kkarhan @SordidAmok yup, I was just thinking I want to keep using my N64, PS2, and 3DS, but we need repairability, mechanics, and maker spaces by default. It's human af after all
@SordidAmok @MxVerda Noone expects you to know everything...
That's why communities are essential: So someone else can help you even if it's just with documentation on how to do things.
@SordidAmok @MxVerda OFC.
Humanity as a species surpassed the point where "everyone can know everything" 10.000 years ago, so it's reasonable to accept that and actually act as a society...
- I know jack shite about cars beyond "air and fuel goes in here, makes boom, hot exhaust and torque comes out there and there" but I don't have to.
And frankly if we'd reach that point that there's noone available to fix it then certainly society has collapsed so far that even a bicycle with rubber tires is considered "peak technology"…
@SordidAmok @MxVerda In return, I know how to "make computers go brrr" on #Linux and rescue data from systems...
@kkarhan @SordidAmok I complain a lot so I'm decent at concentrating aphorisms. And NSFW art, but I lack the long covid'd brainpower to plan anything
Camerontw@SordidAmok there was a contrarian book a while back that said the problem is not too much materialism, but not enough: materialism should mean caring about and so for things, not cycling through them: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/lead-us-into-temptation/9780231115193/
🪷 प्रियंका | Priyanka 🪷@SordidAmok Absolutely.
Common Sparrow@SordidAmok I have some household items which were my grandmother's, which are still in regular everyday practical use. Her heavy-duty Silverseal roasting pan is from the 1950's, and her beautiful Singer featherweight sewing machine is from the 1930's. (I wrote about the sewing machine in an earlier post, with a picture of it here):
https://mindly.social/@CommonSparrow/113909148335590111
I love things that "take a licking and just keep on ticking"!
https://mindly.social/@CommonSparrow/113909148335590111
I love things that "take a licking and just keep on ticking"!
Common Sparrow (@CommonSparrow@mindly.social)
Attached: 2 images My sewing machine is the same well-loved machine I've used ever since I was a teenager, a half-century ago. The machine was already 30 years old at that point. It had belonged to my Grandma, a gift from Grandpa in the early years of their marriage, and she happily passed it along to me. It is a beautiful 1935 Singer Featherweight (picture attached). It works like a dream, despite its age. It has had all its wiring completely overhauled, because the old insulation was flaking off the wires. But otherwise, it's all original. The other members of the quilt group admire it whenever I haul it along to a quilt meeting. I still have the original instruction book and carrying case, too! The handle has broken off the case and been replaced with a rope handle, but that's okay. It's not an antique to be kept on a shelf, but has been a practical working machine all its life, a useful life which still continues. So I love the machine itself, for its practical usefulness. But I also love its long history. When I use it, I have memories of sewing projects of my youth, and also memories of Grandma, and all of her sewing history before my time, all of which makes it special. 2/ #Sewing
@CommonSparrow That is a beautiful machine.
Snippety Snap (she/her)@SordidAmok
Even bath mats can be family heirlooms.
My mom was born in 1935 and went off to college 72 years ago. At that time, her mom gave her a bath mat with a label that had her name sewn on it.
When I moved out as an adult, my mom gave me that bath mat. I am still using it today. Yes, it's a bit tattered, but my mom passed away in 2022, and I like that it still has her name on it, sewn on by my grandmother.
Lesson: Buy quality items that endure.
cool kid on the block
Kevin SeraphinRed Menace: Dialectics of Nature: Engels on Dialectical Materialism as a Worldview
Episode webpage: https://redmenace.libsyn.com/dialectics-of-nature-engels-on-dialectical-materialism-as-a-worldview
Media file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/redmenace/dialectics_of_nature.mp3?dest-id=1073807
Red Menace: Dialectics of Nature: Engels on Dialectical Materialism as a Worldview
In this episode, Alyson and Breht explore Friedrich Engels’ Dialectics of Nature, a bold and underappreciated attempt to apply dialectical materialism to the natural sciences. Often dismissed or misunderstood, this unfinished work offers a sweeping view of reality - from physics and chemistry to evolution, human consciousness, and ecological breakdown - through the lens of Marxist philosophy. Together, they unpack Engels’ central claim that nature itself unfolds dialectically: through contradiction, motion, transformation, and interconnection. They cover the three laws of dialectics, Engels’ materialist account of human evolution, his critique of mechanistic science, vulgar materialism, and metaphysical thinking, and his early warnings about capitalism’s ecological consequences. Along the way, they connect these insights to Marx’s concept of species-being, and reflect on what this revolutionary worldview offers in the age of climate crisis, hyper-alienation, and late capitalist decay. Finally, Alyson and Breht have a fascinating open-ended discussion about the existential and spiritual implications of dialectical materialism as a worldview. Whether you're new to dialectical materialism or looking to deepen your understanding, this conversation reframes Engels’ work as a profound contribution not just to Marxism, but to the philosophy of science itself. ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: or here: Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio & Red Menace
testman
Mutant From Hoosier@blockhead @SordidAmok plus I look real cool when I fix stuff 😎
Sponge Of Density🏳️🌈@SordidAmok It's frustrating some stuff is so hard to repair. For example, I've got an iPad. It's still perfectly fine after eight years. I would be happy with it. Unfortunately the battery is shot and it loses 75% of the battery when unplugged from charging in the time it's taken you to read this.
Changing it is beyond my physical capabilities and paying someone else to do it is beyond my financial capabilities so I'm screwed.
Pete Prodoehl 🍕@retrosponge @SordidAmok I have an old iPad I use on an exercise bike and it’s plugged in all the time. Finding uses for devices that fit within their limitations is helpful.
@rasterweb @SordidAmok Yeah, mine is so screwed that it runs out of battery even when plugged in.
It drains faster than it can draw power.😕
@retrosponge @SordidAmok Oh wow, that’s terrible. :(
@rasterweb @SordidAmok Yeah, it's really screwed.
Ted_Cville@SordidAmok Maintenance is the key to civilization..
Old Man Miller@SordidAmok
Unfortunately, 90% of the population doesn't know a screwdriver from a hammer and can not fix anything.
Unfortunately, 90% of the population doesn't know a screwdriver from a hammer and can not fix anything.
MidsouthMouth.OctaviaKeats@MillerTimeGarage @SordidAmok
Trader or Community > one person who can do it all or own it all on her own
Trader or Community > one person who can do it all or own it all on her own
Critter (he/him)@SordidAmok learning to use a sewing machine as an adult was great for keeping clothes running well past their wear out point.
I now wind up having to do mending for the housemates from time to time haha
☮ ♥ ♬ 🧑💻@SordidAmok “He fixed things--clocks, refrigerators, vidsenders and destinies. But he had no business in the future, where the calculators could not handle him. He was Earth's only hope--and its sure failure!” — Phillip K Dick
"The Rainbow Beast" Full Metal Archaeopteryx@SordidAmok
Bring back heirlooms!
Bring back heirlooms!
ɹǝʇsɹǝoℲ uoʌ ɔıɹƎ@SordidAmok I think it’s both. I’m a minimalist and I fix things.
@von I enjoy my cluttered, messy home, but I'm relatively poor which is a kind of minimalism in itself.
@SordidAmok to each their own! lol I like room to move around and free space. Yeah I feel ya on that kind of mimimalism lol
Angelino Desmet@von @SordidAmok It 𝘪𝘴 both. However, I think the post stems out of frustration for people who conflate minimalism with discarding anything they don't need to the landfill.
I must confess that's how my minimalism started as well. But by now I have a 100% sale rate on the second hand store Vinted, and 100% 5-⭐-reviews on anything second hand. Pardon the tooting of my own horn, but I am proud of it. It's remarkably satisfying to find stuff a new home.