The Politics of The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving by John Hoffman

[Antiwork]

Not including the practical how-to of dumpster diving is this book a satire? I've only read the intro and Chapter 1...Whenever the author is just talking about things and telling stories he is so hyper-individualistic, needlessly competitive and selfish I can't tell if it's a satire or if he's some right-wing libertarian... Am I the only one who feels this way? He constantly talks about dumpster diving as being a competition to give you an advantage in life over everyone else. I'm thinking this has to be a joke... For most, dumpster diving is all about repurposing the waste of capitalism that is harming so many people, how people are going hungry while food gets thrown away, you know the drill... This guy makes fun of homeless people, Mexicans, and I'm sure I'll find more examples if I read on....he talks about how he grew up in a miserably poor neighborhood and his family stayed well-fed and comfortable while everyone else barely scraped by because his family knew how to dumpster dive, and then he talks about how they kept it a closely guarded secret from everyone else, and the only reason he is sharing it is to make money off the book. He constantly talks about having your dreams "triumph" and having a "Darwinian advantage" over other people. It's so ridiculous I thought it was probably a joke but he keeps repeating it throughout...Thoughts? Is this something people have talked about already?

 

[roughdraft]

Interesting post, it might not even be a political issue. He might have a more chemical issue. Extremely self-centered and unaware, he might suffer from a serious mental issue or something of that sort.

It does seem like it could be satire, right? or we think it should be satire?


"Truth is stranger than fiction"

Really interesting, I appreciate your post. I know I didn't say much but wanted to throw in my .2 because of that

 

[Antiwork]

Interesting post, it might not even be a political issue. He might have a more chemical issue. Extremely self-centered and unaware, he might suffer from a serious mental issue or something of that sort. Really interesting, I appreciate your post. I know I didn't say much but wanted to throw in my .2 because of that

Very possible, that would account for the more unhinged stuff I just read, like how "the parasitic government" should be privatizing the National Parks and other public land. Constantly talks about how people should be competing and profiting so, unfortunately, I think he's just a right-wing libertarian.

 

[Antiwork]

Okay I've discovered it isn't satire... he is a full-fledged Ayn Rand reading libertarian who says you shouldn't have pity on people who can't cope with the "cold hard universe" and is perfectly happy to view homeless people as competition for resources. I literally couldn't make it through the book, some things he says are literally insane and kinda took all the joy and excitement out of dumpster divin for me.

 

[laughingman]

This is one of my favorite dumpster diving books. It does have a lot of good practical real world advice. But yeah the author is just... like that. He goes on to talk about his family selling dived food and home goods back to the other poor people in his community to make a profit. And even his father blackmailing someone with dived documents. He has another book on building with used materials and its more or less the same. Good information. You just have to strip away the toxicity to get to the good stuff. It is a shame to say but I grew up in a the same situation and met a lot of people with a similar outlook. It just sort of happens sometimes. Some combination of bitterness and hate for humanity as a whole, Individualist and self centered and full of spite. It's a good reminder that good information is out there even from unlikely sources.

 

[laughingman]

Okay I've discovered it isn't satire... he is a full-fledged Ayn Rand reading libertarian who says you shouldn't have pity on people who can't cope with the "cold hard universe" and is perfectly happy to view homeless people as competition for resources. I literally couldn't make it through the book, some things he says are literally insane and kinda took all the joy and excitement out of dumpster divin for me.

Defiantly don't let one ass-hat get you down. There are hundreds and thousands of good hearted community supportive divers out there who just didn't wright books. Remember that survival is a community activity not an individual game. This cat lives off of community and governmental support while calling people who need support invalids. Which should probably tell you all you need to know about him.

 

[Antiwork]

Yeah, I'll be out diving tonight! Got a lot of great info and tips and discarded the rest. Thanks for the insight btw

Defiantly don't let one ass-hat get you down. There are hundreds and thousands of good hearted community supportive divers out there who just didn't wright books. Remember that survival is a community activity not an individual game. This cat lives off of community and governmental support while calling people who need support invalids. Which should probably tell you all you need to know about him.

 

[Antiwork]

Defiantly don't let one ass-hat get you down. There are hundreds and thousands of good hearted community supportive divers out there who just didn't wright books. Remember that survival is a community activity not an individual game. This cat lives off of community and governmental support while calling people who need support invalids. Which should probably tell you all you need to know about him.

Went out diving, discovered the biggest food haul ever and got a free set of 15 kitchen knives with that wooden block and sharpener for my RV kitchen. I love dumpster diving lol

 

[laughingman]

Went out diving, discovered the biggest food haul ever and got a free set of 15 kitchen knives with that wooden block and sharpener for my RV kitchen. I love dumpster diving lol

Congratulations on the finds.