Freeganism Sweeps Dumpsters Across the Land!

Ready to feel guilty about having a job and buying things?

There is a moving tale in this article from the Connecticut Post today about Zaac Chaves, a "Freegan" who spends money on as little as possible, doesn't use a car, and lives predominantly off of items he finds in the garbage and people's trash. A greater catalog of the philosophy of this group of people can be found at Freegan.info.

These people are fighting capitalism, and live "based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed. "

Being a Freegan means you have an awful lot to be proud of! You swim through the dumpster, finding food, clothes and other goodies to survive off of.

I remember when we used to call these people bums. And now there's a political and moral lesson to being a bum.

Here's a slice of the life of the Freegam Chaves from the Post: "In addition to the foods he's found in the trash, his discoveries include a new flashlight and a perfectly good computer mouse. Sometimes, even if an item isn't usable, it can be transformed into something that is. For instance, the shoes Chaves wore on his recent dumpstering expedition were fashioned out of an old car tire."

There's even a "Dumpster Directory" on this site, presuming all these hobos have computers that someone threw away.

Seriously... being a bum is now considered a level on the moral high ground? What's so moral or high-minded about wandering down a back alley with a shopping carriage filled with cans while defecating in your pants?

Mr. Chaves, take a shower, hose out the seat of your pants, and get a job.