Hoarders (A&E)

[cityboy-stl]

My best friend (now dead) was like that. His apartment was filled to the ceiling with junk. There were rooms that were completely filled, I mean literally packed so full you could not even walk into them. Then there was so much junk in the hallways that the doors were blocked. There a was narrow little pathway up the stairs and a narrow little pathway from the bedroom through to the kitchen. The shower was so full of boxes it was unusable. There was barely enough room to get to the toilet and sink. I can't even begin to describe how disastrous it was. He was given notice on one place because of the fire hazard and still took 6 months to move it all to another place and did the same thing. Why they gave him that long I don't know. But yet "I might need it some day" or "Don't throw that away, it has memories". He was a good loyal friend but it was impossible to convince to do anything about the hoarding.

 

[Swellegant]

I've never watched that show, perhaps for fear of seeing myself in the hoarders' mentality, perhaps for distaste of reality shows without cute men in them.

I come from a long line of packrats, and though none of us has ever tipped over the line into hoarding, I have a lot of sympathy for hoarders. It takes an act of will for me to throw anything away, from magazines to clothes to (yes, me too) decorative tins. Other people will ask why I keep things, and it's not even because I have a possible use for them or have any sentimental attachment, it's just because it's hard to throw away.

And then, I live in a house that has harbored four generations of packrats. My great-grandmother, during WWII, stashed emergency supplies in the basement (rice, flour, tea, ginger, Chinese medicines) and they're all still there. When she died in 1948, her daughters took her jewelry and some keepsakes, but packed everything else...her entire wardrobe, even the purse she was using up until she died with tissues and wallet and lipstick in it...into steamer trunks and shoved them into the attic, where they still are.

When I tell people about this, they wonder why I haven't got rid of it, especially the foodstuffs... but I figure, they've sat there for sixty years, who am I to move them? Besides, they're interesting. Any magazine or newspaper or pair of shoes that sits unmolested for decades is bound to become interesting.

 

[Paws]

Can the episodes be watched somewhere on the internet? The official website won't let me because I'm outside of the U.S. of A. and I don't want to spoof my IP.

 

[Darkflower]

See, stuff would be interesting to me. Shocking, yes, to see so much crammed into so little space. But I'd be honored to be allowed to look through some of the stuff a hoarder might keep, if it was just stuff. It's when it rises to the level of filth that I get . . . horrified. Rotting food, animal waste, pets and their corpses . . .

 

[piano1]

My Dad saved lots of stuff. After he died, it was funny looking at the stuff he saved....some of it brought a tear or two to us because of the things kept. I found a story that I wrote then I was in 2nd grade as well as the birthday cards that I drew while growing up. Now I understand when my creative style came out!

 

[unloadonme]

I don't hoard things. I just have a lot of possessions and a small house to keep them in.

 

[2243]

It isn't just old people who hoard stuff.

I am aware of that and it was not something I meant to imply.

I saw about 6 episodes. In at least 4 of the episodes there were elderly parents who were the hoarders. I felt sorry for these parents who IMO seemed lonely, depressed and neglected.

See, stuff would be interesting to me. Shocking, yes, to see so much crammed into so little space. But I'd be honored to be allowed to look through some of the stuff a hoarder might keep, if it was just stuff. It's when it rises to the level of filth that I get . . . horrified. Rotting food, animal waste, pets and their corpses . . .

I admit that while watching the show I felt that. There was the divorced woman who had two kids and one that died. Her place was a mess, but it all seemed like new and clean stuff. There was also the gay black guy, some of his stuff looked old and dusty, but he actually seemed to have things kind of neat and organized. I thought it would be so interesting to be part of the clean up crew, I wanted to join and help. Then when they show the dead cats, rotting food, and the bathrooms I had second thoughts, but I think I would still help just to see the after. Though I would hate to hurry the work and try to clean up before a deadline like they did.

 

[looseliam]

Umm...

Your Grandmother has stacks of dead cats ?

The short of the story is 50-60 cats in the basement...

I think you can fill-in the rest.

 

[BINOWGAYLATER]

that sits unmolested for decades is bound to become interesting.

Hey - I've sat around "unmolested" for decades -- when do i become "interesting"? my clock is ticking !!