The current minimalism fad might be the only sane response to having so much cheap junk in our lives. When considering Christmas gifts to buy or receive, many weary shoppers find that the most appealing present seems to be nothing at all. It’s a weariness induced by material overload of items that just don’t work.
Writing on his Substack, author Walter Kirn bemoans living in “Generation Junk.” In painful detail, to which so many of us can relate, Kirn describes the catalogue of appliances, tools, and dishes that have quickly become useless. These items, he writes, are “ending their long journeys from overseas factories in unmarked graves in my local Montana landfill.” He adds, “I have a whole ghost kitchen in this landfill, and soon I will need to reserve a bigger plot.”
Don’t we all at this point? It is absurd that when neighbors ordered a new…
