The plastic is already made. So what are you going to do with it?

(Before anyone says anything, yes, I know Funko pops are made of plastic vinyl. They're just an example I'm using for my post. Yes, I am unhinged.)

So, I want to begin by saying that the conspicuous overconsumption of all plastic goods, to say nothing about what is created for markets such as the toy lobby, is harmful to our planet, our wallets, and our dopamine receptors. I think, if you find yourself a believer in the anticonsumption movement, it is safe to say that you are aware of these facts. But there is another facet of the reality of living on a plastic-crazed planet I think no one on this sub genuinely knows how to deal with. That being, since we are only now, en masse, beginning to adopt pro-environmentalist notions, we have a lot of plastic floating around our homes, neighborhoods, and stores that has already been produced. That plastic is not going away. And we all know that plastic recycling is basically a hoax.

I'm not saying someone should go raid Barnes and Noble for all their Funko pops, but if they notice a few in circulation, either in a thrift store or at yard sales, there's nothing inherently wrong with that person purchasing it. This sub tends to look down on collecting as a hobby, and I agree that there is a difference between finding a few artifacts from a fandom you enjoy and filling your home with licensed knicknacks. The problem no one on the sub seems to recognize is that the mass-produced bullshit is already here to stay. Plastic and polyester do not degrade. If you try to get rid of it, Goodwill or Salvation Army will likely toss most of the crap before it hits the shelves, after putting the "good" items on their web marketplace. There is no guarantee, when putting an item on your Poshmark or Facebook marketplace account, that you will be able to even sell those.

Many people that collected Funko pops, for example, threw all their collectibles away after the height of the craze. And yet, to this day, we still have people who, having built their collections, not only still have them, but admire them every single day. Those discarded Funko pops are not rotting in a landfill. They'll still be on this planet long after humanity has gone extinct. The collector that is still invested is saving countless products from the dump. They are gaining enjoyment long after everyone else has stopped. They are longitudinally invested in taking care of their goods. There is a mindset there that most consumers are missing.

For me, I do collect Squishmallows. I buy them when I go to thrift stores, since I care less about the tags and more about their smiling faces. I hug them. Wash them. Sit them with the others, making sure their ears are out of their eyes. Children these days are not interested in these types of stuffed animals, and I never even see adults at my local thrift sorting through the piles of tagless Squishmallows. But that doesn't matter to me. What matters is that this item remains in circulation, bringing joy and comfort, rather than sitting in a trash can. I am aware that the products themselves are made with slave labor. But what do we do to the sacrifices and hard work these humans have contributed to our society if we, in a haze of trying to be as anticonsumption as possible, refuse to enjoy what many of these workers wish they could provide for their families: comfort. Joy. Signs of economic prowess, even if that means the ability to sort through a well-stocked thrift store.

Everyone lambasts how much Temu and SHEIN fashion are in the world today, yet few sit down and think, "Gee, I wonder what I could do with all this fast fashion to make it not degrade so quickly? Couldn't I also figure out how to repurpose some of this?" When was the last time you said to yourself, after finding a shirt from SHEIN out in the wild, something like, "I can do something with this fabric!" instead of "Ugh. Something else from a cheap online retailer." There is such a totalitarian dogma on this sub that the ramifications of overconsumption would be simply refusing to engage with these products. The problem is, since not everyone shares in the reality that SHEIN and Temu are terrible, someone's discarded poly shorts and pilling tees are going to end up in your lap. Are you going to be angry, or are you going to make a pillow?