I finally got around to watching the much buzzed-about Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo over the weekend. It’s basically Hoarders lite, with Japanese organizing consultant and author Kondo arriving at American homes to help rid them of everyday clutter using her KonMari method.
Though I was horrified that the couple in episode five might throw out their copy of Settlers of Catan (they appeared not to, thank Neptune), I generally found the show’s shtick refreshing. Sure, Tidying Up isn’t exactly a thrill ride, but especially because I was raised by a mother who despises KonMari—instead of “dispose of it if it doesn’t bring you joy,” try “I am hanging on to this object for the duration of my life because I or any of my children could conceivably have a use for it before the Earth explodes”—the show was a nice introspective watch that motivated me to sort through a stack of old papers and organize my closet.
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Still, as with literally anything, Twitter users had opinions. People especially bristled at Kondo’s opinions on books, apparently aghast at the idea that they should perhaps at least consider not lugging around a personal library for the rest of their lives. Personally, I found joy in reading the counter-responses to these many #takes, and the back-and-forth has basically turned into a meme.
Anyway, keep on yelling into the void of online, and remember—Settlers of Catan expansion packs do not count as clutter. This is canon.
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