Hoarders

[8bitpontiff]

I saw this A&E show called "Hoarders" last night and holy shit. It's about people who live in houses filled with garbage. Like, 4 TONS of garbage. Then people come in and try to clean the houses up and it is INEVITABLE that they find at least one dead cat somewhere. No matter what. At least one. It's insane. My wife watched it with me and

Comments

[konami]

When we consider how much stuff the average people tend to have, it doesn't seem so unusual.

Most hoarders are called eccentric, or filthy. Why do we need to keep classifying everything as a mental disease?

[8bitpontiff]

You don't think having a dead cat in a house where the homeowner is unaware of the DEAD CAT's existence seems so unusual? Really? You must have a lot of stuff...

I guess it's a form of OCD. I totally agree with you, though. How could something be considered a disease when the cure is CLEAN YOUR SHIT?

[konami]

Well, I think hoarding is excessively common. You must of been in enough houses to know we all keep way too much junk. Aside maybe college people in their 20's; might not quite get it as they moved out of their parents pad and think they're already beat the world.

But yes, having a dead cat in your house, is a bad sign; but of course the TV show is going to focus on the worst of the worst.

[8bitpontiff]

Dude, I have my basement full of old instruments and Beatles toys and books and records and shit. Everyone has that. This is not what we are talking about here. We're talking actual garbage and feces on kitchen tables. Living rooms that can't be walked through because there are ten years worth of cans strewn about. THAT's hoarding.

I agree that having a dead cat in your house is a bad sign.

[shadowiii]

My wife has a problem throwing things away (she has very mild OCD). However, when I went through our things and was like "do you need this?" she'd know when she didn't and throw it away/store it.
I think people like this need to be TOLD, which is why the show works. And I mean "works" in the loosest sense; I still consider it to be extremely trashy television. Unless you are like cleaning your house while watching it. :P

[8bitpontiff]

I wouldn't really call it "trashy" (unless you are going for the pun) because it is presented as more of a documentary as opposed to a sensationalized 'look at the freaks' type show, even though that is exactly what it is. I mean, it's not Maury or Judge Joe Brown.

Do you have to tell your wife to not piss on the microwave? I think people should just KNOW not to do that and if they DID happen to do it, by some freak accident or lapse in judgement, they should KNOW that they then have to clean said microwave without someone telling them to. This show is fascinating.

[shadowiii]

Like I said, she isn't NEARLY to this level (honestly she just doesn't like throwing things away), but I was just trying to give the idea of how the show would force them to pick up while living alone they don't.

[aliasjack]

Is it that she doesn't like throwing trash away, or that she places sentimental value in little things, like maybe a newspaper, a picture she liked, or old clothes? Maybe keeping used grocery bags, since you never know when you might need them?

That's the difference between a hoarder and a pack-rat, as I understand it. As sort of a pack-rat myself, I can't much judge that kind of thinking.

[8bitpontiff]

Call me sick, but something about the PKAC happily rolling around a huge ball of dead cats strikes me as funny.