Garbage and gifts

Out with the dog this morning, I passed what is a fairly common sight in middle class neighbourhoods. There was a fridge and oven out in front of a house with a sign that said, "Free! Works!"

It's not free though. To get it, you have to own or have access to a truck. You'd have to be strong enough to lift the stuff into that truck and you have to be willing to accept the risks that come from taking something "free" instead of buying something from a vendor who is bound by consumer protection and contract law and probably also offers a guarantee. If you had to pay to have the thing transported, it would probably cost you at least a couple a hundred dollars.

I know from past experience that if you talk to the people who put these things out, they are often upset that their old appliances not only have no resale value, it will cost them money to get rid of them. And if you are involved with certain kinds of charities, as Snake is, you will know that charities spend a lot of time warding off junk like that fridge and stove that is being passed off—as these people in my neighbourhood are trying to do—as a "free gift".

(As a quick rule of thumb, if it isn't worth anything to you, it probably isn't any good to anyone else either so pony up and pay someone to haul your junk away. And don't feel good about yourself because you put a lot of crap clothing and other stuff into a bag and gave it away. The charity you gave it to has volunteers who do nothing but sort the garbage out of such "gifts" to get the very few items of any use or value. If you want to give, give something that is worth something to you.)

As it happened, just a few blocks later, Montmorency and I saw something I'd never seen before: a mini garbage truck (I mean the truck was small not that it picks up miniature garbage). I asked the driver what it was about and he told me that if you call the city and complain long and loud enough that your garbage was missed in the weekly pick up, they will send him and his cute little garbage truck around to pick up your stuff. The city doesn't like to advertise this fact, he told me, and I can't blame them.

But think of that. The city not only will cave, they have a special little truck and assigned driver who does nothing but respond to these complaints. Think of how incredibly wealthy a society has to be to do something like that. Now ask the impolitic questions: What does it mean to be poor in such a society? And how do people end up that way?