Could Minimalism be the next scam?

This is probably not the first article critiquing Minimalism and won’t be the last. But we had a boom of new Minimalists over the past 5 years or so. And with that comes a new book, classes, merch, etc. In practice Minimalism is fine in a weird way Minimalism is creating what it preaches we shouldn’t do: overconsumption.

Buying new books and taking classes about the subject is fine at first but when it becomes a constant in your habits it becomes a problem.

So basically Minimalism is buying less things you don’t need and spending more time doing things you like. Focus on more internal goals rather than external ones. And reducing excess stuff you already own.

I mean I get it the Minimalist gurus need to pay for the bills somehow. But making people pay for podcasts and ideas seems kind of counter to what Minimalism is.

Full disclosure I consider myself a Minimalist but I won’t buy your book or pay for your classes. Because that’s spending on something kind of excess. I mean if you’re just starting on you can spend time researching it and trying it out.

In a way it’s kind of gatekeeping and the founders even joke about it on their site.

Many Eastern religions practice almost the same basic teachings of Minimalism. And like Sushi it seems to be co opted and made popular by white people.

And they don’t do a paywall on those teachings. I mean I only found out about this via a YouTube video. I was taught early on when I was a kid about indulging over things.

But despite all of this I think spreading the word is fine. It’s when people capitalize on the opportunity which is wrong. Stores like Huckberry which do have some nice things ultimately fall short on the premise of Minimalism.

You’re just buying new things to replace your old stuff. And some things are expensive for no reason. Instead of following influencers and celebrities you follow minimalists. Which is kind of the same since they both kind of want you to buy into what they are buying.

It’s still Opulence. Instead of fancy stuff you swap it out for mono tone and simpler designs.

But having a goal is fine, it’s just sometimes people disillusioned themselves into thinking it was a different lifestyle to what they were doing before.

TLDR: It’s cool that you’re doing minimalism now but stop before you buy that next thousand dollar coffee table you don’t need. Following rich minimalists is fine but unless you’re rich too your place won’t look like theirs and it doesn’t have to.