Thursday, 03.27.08
Craigslist Jubilee
Photo by Flickr User MBTRAMA under a creative commons license
Babes in the woods
July/August 2007
Caitlin Flanagan writes on the dangers of unleashing children in the wilds of the internet.
Imagine Robert Salisbury's shock and horror as he saw thirty strangers cheerfully carting away his prized possessions -- and, one assumes, some of his not-so-prized possessions as well. It's easy to imagine bargain-hunters helping themselves to, for example, stray soup-cans, or an aging toaster oven. To be sure, Salisbury wasn't stabbed, shot, or, as in the case of another spectacular Craigslist crime, "tased" as a result of this prank. But our stuff is much more than just stuff.
The things we buy reflect who we are and who we want to be. There is an obvious sense in which this is a bad thing. One of the highlights of Porgy and Bess, the great American opera, is "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'," in which Porgy explains the illogic of consumerism.
I've got no lock on the door That's no way to be They can steal the rug from the floor That's okay with me 'Cause the things that I prize Like the stars in the skies All are free
Porgy is footloose and fancy-free, unshackled by stuff and the need to accumulate. Granted, Porgy lives in dire poverty and at one point kills a man out of rageful pride. He's not exactly a model citizen. Yet he makes a powerful case. Think about those harried commuters who travel vast distances to and from work every day, just so they can buy a larger home for their families. What if they lived in a smaller home and spent more time playing tee-ball with the kids? Then there are the workaholic executives who really want to spend their days meditating in virgin wilderness. Well, why not quit the job and start tramping? The tax base would collapse, it's true. But chances are we'd be happier.
Could it be that the malicious pranksters who wronged Salisbury did him a favor by reminding him that there's more to life than stuff? Well, no. That's insane. The malicious pranksters should be sent deep into the bowels of hell. Yet one wonders if we should make these Craigslist free-for-alls a regular event, something like the Biblical Jubilee. Every year or so, a name will be drawn by lot -- everyone will come and take everything the unlucky gal or guy owns. For one thing, this will make people think twice before spending thousands of dollars on flatscreen televisions. And, more importantly, it will remind us that there is more to life than stuff.
Our Craigslist, ourselvesMichael Arrington argues that when it comes to Craigslist, we need to take the good with the bad. |
Want-ads don't kill, people doDon’t blame Craigslist, says Scott Nichols, but the company should at least help identify the scammers. As for the looters: how could you? |
This is a mogul?Ryan Blitstein profiles Craig Newmark--the bald, muscular founder of Craigslist--and his amorphous online empire. |
No friend of mineTim Redmon denounces Craig Newmark as the hypocritical enemy of struggling, local, alternative newspapers. |
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Or perhaps it would make them lock their doors. Or buy a gun(s), and then we've got bigger problems. What a stupid idea.
Posted by TH | March 27, 2008 6:41 PM