scrapme 
I am thinking aloud…so be warned! The subject of outsiders' perspective of scrappers kinda overlaps with my other thread. But this isnt about closet scrapping. It's about what influences individual opinion/perspective of scrappers? If you ask me, scrapping is one of the most misunderstood/misjudged professsions there is! What has led to and influenced the narrow-minded conclusions some conclude about scrappers?
Replaying in my mind is a movie that depicted an alcoholic/down-on-his/her luck man/lady walking thru the alley, putting cans in a grocery cart. To me this gave the impression that can collecting was done by people down and out on their luck. Somebody going nowhere, stuck in life collecting cans. It almost doesnt seem to occur to people that anyone would scrap for reasons other than last ditch financial survival. Why is this?!
Maybe we're perceived negatively because we do have piles of metal and debris that (to the untrained eye) appear to be junk messily strown about. But there are messy stages to making a sculpture, performing surgery, painting a masterpiece, flipping a house, etc. i do know people whose opinion was influenced by rats nesting in outdoor scrap piles and who dont want to look at scrap in "their" neighborhood. I personally keep my scrap indoors and there's not enough to encourage varments nesting. Inside I can work on breaking things down anytime vs. weather imposing. But…if I had acres I wouldnt be against collecting scrap outdoors as well.
Of course there is the uncaring "smash and run" wanna-be scrappers. Selfish and thoughtless way to go about scrapping. IMHO. This is the folks who break the glass from tvs and leave scattered glass. Not good for our image, the neighborhood, or the environment.
During the Great Depression, when most people were in the same 'boat' of financial suffering, was recycling/reusing/scrapping thought of with the same connotations?? Maybe scrapping during that tough time contributed to it being seen as something you do as a last ditch means of survival? Does the reason we scrap even matter?? But it does seem to factor into outsider opinions. I think all of us dont let others' opinions bother us, we still do what we do and smile at the bank.
Let it be known, I like scrapping!! I see nothing wrong with working hard, making money and saving the environment all in one! I admit scrapping is much harder (physically) than I ever imagined! it's not as simple to identify metals, etc as I once thought! I'm learning everyday from this forum. if you ask me, anyone who bothers to get out of bed and scrap, from pushing a grocery cart or wagon, riding a bike, to driving a truck or car, it is doing something productive! And after gathering, there's scrap piles to take apart! I have started looking at the piles and saying "i've got piles of money everywhere!!" It sure helps my motivation!
So, this has been my current thoughts (maybe rants?) on what influences outsider opinions about us scrappers…
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