Plagued Consoomers / Consoomer Culture - Because if it has a recogniseable brand on it, I’d buy it!

[Emperor Percival Tachyon]

When i think of how even plants can become clutter i think more of something like these. Probably still better than funkos but not exactly ideal. Also, succulents are kinda like the funkos of plants , lots of hoarders for those.

I'm still not convinced this is quite the same thing as consoomerism like you see with funko-pops and plastic crap. That many plants has got to be some serious effort to take care of. If you treat it like a funko pop collection you just end up with a wall full of dead plants in a month.

Bonsai and bromeliads are cats for old Japanese men.

Bonsai especially, don't they have to trim them and shape them like tiny topiary? I feel like this is something that takes dedication.

I couldn't have that many plants in my apartment, I aint got time for all that. But there is just something qualitatively different for me when it comes to caring for living things, vs just impulse buying plastic. If the plant obsessed person is buying so many plants they can't take care of them all like a botanical equivalent of those abusive animal hoarders, then that's one thing, but I don't really think having lots of plants, even a silly amount of plants qualifies as consoomerism, it's more of an actual hobby.

Another thing with plants vs plastic merch. You can't grow new baby funko pops from your collection. They just sit there because theyr'e fucking platic. Your Warhammer army isn't going to start multiplying new mini figures. That multi-thousand dollar gaming PC with gaudy RGB doesn't produce new components when you take care of it. But if you have a shit load of plants and a green thumb on the other hand, you can grow more plants yourself with seeds or root cutting. You can give them away, or might even be able to make a little bit of money on the side selling the extras if you end up with too many.

 

[whitepumpkin]

Definitely. Bonsai takes a lot of dedication and is pretty expensive. You can nickel and dime it if you know what you're doing, but for the most part it's more expensive than the average plant to look after a bonsai. You need to know about the tree you have, repot it every couple years, trim it every season and let it grow out before doing it again. Sure, you can pay someone to do this for you, but I think the point of bonsai is to do it yourself.

Spoiler: Examples

Examples.

You can see bonsai as a hobby is usually a combination of things. Tree knowledge, design, and patience. It's not really a "buy and shove on a wall" type thing.

This guy restores clients bonsai but also has tips for your own. Even though his store is full of a lot of plants, it's not all his. Most people only own 1-2 bonsai and they're a "look after them for life" type of thing.

But I disagree slightly that having a lot of plants isn't consoomerism. Because tumblr has romanticized owning plants and a lot of girls now buy them simply because they want to feel "witchy" without knowing how to care for them. Succulents in particular because they're low maintenance and cheap, so it's easy to justify constantly buying them which can lead to neglect. There are some plants you only need to water, but others you need to keep up a schedule with them and maintain their nutrition, repot them, and constantly add in nutrients (and sometimes monitor that soil).

Most plants need light unless they're shade-tolerant, but only sunning one side of a plant leads to it bending to grow toward a light source. Unless you have a greenhouse (most of these girls don't), then you need to practice rotating your plants and keeping them from stressing out. It's easier with a few but over 100? I guess if you super love them, when you get home from work you can spend 3 hours caring for every plant. But I doubt most tumblr girls do that.

And, like all things consoomer, there's subscription boxes for plants.

Spoiler: Consoom Plants

Some of these plant sites are in the Philippines or SE Asia and they just dig them up from a ditch and ship them. And girls buy them because they have plants on their "wishlist". There is a definite consoomer vibe with a lot of these plant youtube channels because even though some are experts, it still has that mindset of "Buy Plant, Stick on Shelf, Buy More Plant, Stick on more Shelves". They dedicate videos to their "Plant Hauls" and their rooms are oh so carefully set up to be as aesthetic as possible. Wicker chairs, macrame wall hangings, hippie-esque furniture but also conveniently modern.

I definitely think it lures in a lot of girls who want to be quirky and witchy and shit, who then spend up to a thousand dollars buying plants they don't know how to care for, but they want for aesthetic reasons.

 

[A Logging Company]

Reading though this thread is making me realize every enemy America has had was right.

 

[Matt Damon]

Would you say there's overlap with audiophiles in terms of audio woo like using gold cables or incredibly specific sorts of amps/pedals, the "listening to the speaker" rather than what comes out of it?

Oh, absolutely. It goes right down to using specific brands of electronic components in gear. People will send out their already-overpriced boutique Tubescreamer clone to some faggot with a soldering iron and have the caps replaced with artisanal, seasonal, locally-grown, ethically-sourced components that make zero difference in actual sound quality.

They'll swear up and down that the species of wood you make an electric guitar from dramatically changes the timbre of the instrument. And naturally, the more rare and expensive the wood is, the more desirable its tonal properties are. What a fuckin' coincidence.

I've never seen a more credulous group of consumers than guitarists.

Have any examples of boomers filling rooms with guitars by any chance?

The one that always comes to my mind is Steve from Boston (formerly PixxyLixxx) on Youtube. He has somewhere on the order of 50 guitars at any time and he's always bringing in new ones and shipping old ones out. He complains that his basement is cluttered with guitars, but still constantly browses various sites looking for deals and is the type who will buy a guitar because "BUT HONEY, THIS STRAT IS A RARE COLOR!!!" And keep in mind, he's a hobbyist player and Youtuber so it can't even be justified as part of his occupation.

He's one of the few I keep tabs on because he's otherwise a pretty fun, likable guy and a skilled player, but there's no doubt he's a hoarder. He does round-ups like this every year and it gives you an idea of the sheer volume of instruments and other gear he goes through:

 

[eternal dog mongler]

Classical music neckbeards seem even worse.

One of my friends is a cellist and his cello is more expensive than my fucking house. He barely even plays the thing these days.

 

[Dagobert]

My mother and most of the other women in the extended family garden as a hobby, and aside from installing a deep hatred of plants in me as young Dagobert was conscripted to assist frequently, they also taught me a lot about plants and their care. Perhaps it's my background with them, and knowing how my family does it, but this plant shit seems in a strange way disrespectful to me. It's weird seeing people use them solely as props like that, sure they aren't intelligent or active but they are life. They aren't toys to be displayed, but living things to take care of.

I know this is autistic as all hell, but I can't help but wonder what these people would do to animals or people if they had the option.

 

[A Logging Company]

I know this is autistic as all hell, but I can't help but wonder what these people would do to animals or people if they had the option.

You don't have to wonder.

 

[Lapis Lazuli]

Wait, wait. This is why everyone is buying those stupid plastic fake ivies, isn't it?

Spoiler: This is dumb

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Why does the tech twink look like people thought Dream looked? If he's too lazy to scroll he should be fat as fuck.

Spoiler: This is dumb

I assume those are commissions or idealized versions of those type of people. For example, in real life the pink-haired chick with the "They/Them" sweater would either be fat or a tranny, not a thin, relatively attractive woman.

 

[Flying Whale]

I absolutely do. A sizable fraction of all guitarists spend their free time looking at new things to buy rather than improving their skills or creating music.

The consoomer side of Guitarrists doesn't come that much from having a wall of guitars. Since most can't pay for them. But the main concern is getting addicted to Effect Pedals. They're a great tool and can be really fun to use. But a lot of players will get a stupid amount of them, even having multiple of the same effect or even owning the exact same model multiple times.

Some of them don't even use them they just like owning an expensive Effect. There's even a scalper problem. Last year, a limited edition "Bliss Factory" was promoted for a Documentary about Pedal effects. The model was sold out in hours and mostly by scalpers. In response the creator of the pedal was so angry that decided to make it part of his normal line of effects. Therefore making the scalping worthless.

They'll swear up and down that the species of wood you make an electric guitar from dramatically changes the timbre of the instrument. And naturally, the more rare and expensive the wood is, the more desirable its tonal properties are. What a fuckin' coincidence.

Wood can be important but only for acoustic instruments. But it also comes from some music schools that ask you to get more expensive instruments. I can only speak for my country (Which is not the U.S.). But i've heard way too many times how some teachers will give you a bad grade just because you're not using the right Guitar. For classical guitar there are 2 different types, Studio and Concert. Structurally and even for the common eye, they're practically the same. It's ok to start the career with a studio guitar which is cheaper. But it is EXPECTED of you to get a concert guitar after a few years. Some times, students rent their concert guitars to other students just for exams, to avoid a bad grade. They also sell their Studio guitars to get the concert ones since they can't keep just renting them. But for electric guitars wood doesn't matter that much. Unless it's really bad wood that can break easily. Pickups are what matter for them. Active or Passive mainly, which do matter depending on which tone you want. I'd say it's okay to get multiple of them if you use them and constantly want to change from 6 to 7, 8 or 12 strings. But it is dumb to get a lot of different guitars that are not that different.

 

[NoReturn]

@Emperor Percival Tachyon
Bonsai especially, don't they have to trim them and shape them like tiny topiary? I feel like this is something that takes dedication.

Agreed. This is art, says I.

@whitepumpkin
Succulents in particular because they're low maintenance

You say these things...

@whitepumpkin
And, like all things consoomer, there's subscription boxes for plants.

But why tho. I get wanting lots of plants, but there's a limit to how much space one has in which to grow them or get them enough light. Wouldn't a subscription box have a limited lifespan unless you plan on a certain percentage of them dying over time?

My mother and most of the other women in the extended family garden as a hobby, and aside from installing a deep hatred of plants in me as young Dagobert was conscripted to assist frequently, they also taught me a lot about plants and their care. Perhaps it's my background with them, and knowing how my family does it, but this plant shit seems in a strange way disrespectful to me. It's weird seeing people use them solely as props like that, sure they aren't intelligent or active but they are life. They aren't toys to be displayed, but living things to take care of.

I know this is autistic as all hell, but I can't help but wonder what these people would do to animals or people if they had the option.

You don't have to wonder.

-> Taylor Nicole Dean & Jonny Craig - Animal Hoarding "Pet Mom" Spoonie & Her BF with a History of Domestic Abuse and Drug Addiction

Spoiler: This is dumb

I assume those are commissions or idealized versions of those type of people. For example, in real life the pink-haired chick with the "They/Them" sweater would either be fat or a tranny, not a thin, relatively attractive woman.

The artist says they're OCs, but they're definitely based on "aesthetics"/moodboards I've seen floating around tumblr and tiktok.

 

[Matt Damon]

The consoomer side of Guitarrists doesn't come that much from having a wall of guitars. Since most can't pay for them. But the main concern is getting addicted to Effect Pedals. They're a great tool and can be really fun to use. But a lot of players will get a stupid amount of them

That's a huge issue too and it's even dumber. At least guitars are physical objects that can't easily be replicated - there are a million all-in-one effects pedals/rack/computer software options these days that obviate the need for individual pedals at all.

But with unlimited customization abilities effectively forever, I might have to actually start using effects as tools for creativity rather than filling the emptiness inside me with an endless string of purchases!

And I agree, it's not bad in itself to own multiple instruments. I own six myself (including an acoustic, a bass, and a seven-string) so I'm no ascetic, but I own the minimum number I can to do everything I want musically. If I could get every sound I want from one guitar, I'd only own one guitar.

 

[whitepumpkin]

@NoReturn I swear to God you have an uncanny ability to find the most unsettling videos for this thread. I like cute shit as much as the next girl, but that Miku keyboard and the junk food hauls triggered me. It reminds me of this korean artist named 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 (콜로소 오픈) who draws overly cluttered, girly rooms/aesthetics, but at least those are drawings and not real life.


This is supposed to just be a drawing, not a goal to have for your house.

 

[Pissmaster]

True, the first picture is obviously preferable but there would need to be a ton more plants to be equivalent to the second one. There's no issues with accesibility, the plants are armoniously placed rather than piled up, there's a diverse selection, have breathing room and there's really not that many.

When i think of how even plants can become clutter i think more of something like these. Probably still better than funkos but not exactly ideal. Also, succulents are kinda like the funkos of plants , lots of hoarders for those.

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Well, at least that place is probably the best smelling house ITT

 

[UnsufficentBoobage]

succulents

I remember biting into some as a kid because they looked deseptively nutritious.

And "witch aesthetics" and their cousin cottagecore probably lined quite a few pockets with how much pointless shit they "require".

Oh, and glittery/textured tapes: I bought a set of holo coloreds once, realised they did not look as pretty on things as they do on the spool, and only used few inches of them to mark my shoeboxes so family stops peeking into them in searches for their shit.
I also used some of green to make my electronic alarm clock less bright, because that shit had some military-plane-defence-system-tier light with ZERO adjustment options...and now I can not see my clock if the ceiling light is on because shit glitters too much.
I think those girls, while they DO hoard, also run into it-no-longer-looks-pretty-when-in-use, and, as they are all about Aesthetic™, we cannot have that.

 

[RandallBoggs]

I remember biting into some as a kid because they looked deseptively nutritious.

And "witch aesthetics" and their cousin cottagecore probably lined quite a few pockets with how much pointless shit they "require".

Oh, and glittery/textured tapes: I bought a set of holo coloreds once, realised they did not look as pretty on things as they do on the spool, and only used few inches of them to mark my shoeboxes so family stops peeking into them in searches for their shit.
I also used some of green to make my electronic alarm clock less bright, because that shit had some military-plane-defence-system-tier light with ZERO adjustment options...and now I can not see my clock if the ceiling light is on because shit glitters too much.
I think those girls, while they DO hoard, also run into it-no-longer-looks-pretty-when-in-use, and, as they are all about Aesthetic™, we cannot have that.

All those stationary come in a prepackaged 'aesthetic' state, and these girls realize, whether subconsciously or not, that they have 0 artistic talent so they don't bother using any of it since they'll just ruin it. What's more aesthetic, the packaging the stickers come in or the mess of a page they'll be used on that realistically would look nothing like those studyblr aesthetic notes?

 

[Retired Junta Member]

The main hidden reason (beside aesthetic) these people love succulents and “cute” stationary is because they provide a sense of domesticity but in a effortless and cheap way. It’s like “build a house” for young adults who have been terminally online for the vast majority of their life. It’s just another layer of consumerism.

 

[Mr. Confederate Man]

One good reason for multiple guitars is it's an easy way to switch tunings in a heartbeat. I have two and one is in E Standard and the other E flat. Granted, I only bought the second guitar because I needed a new amp and a cheap guitar came with it, but it's handy

 

[eternal dog mongler]

The main hidden reason (beside aesthetic) these people love succulents and “cute” stationary is because they provide a sense of domesticity but in a effortless and cheap way. It’s like “build a house” for young adults who have been terminally online for the vast majority of their life. It’s just another layer of consumerism.

Microsucculents are weird and quirky and will survive your neglect. It's a whole aesthetic for cluster B queens.

 

[Retired Junta Member]

Microsucculents are weird and quirky and will survive your neglect. It's a whole aesthetic for cluster B queens.

Indeed. Same goes for stationary and beauty/kitchen assorted trinkets: they don’t require actual care, research or to be coordinated with the rest of the furniture. You just throw them around and that’s it.
I partially blame Pinterest for this crime against peace but it goes deeper.

 

[ForgedBlades]

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