Hang Your Clothes Out to Dry!
I find it rather strange that I didn’t write about this before, since I certainly heard a fair bit of talk about it and find it rather bothersome, not to mention really stupid. I’m talking about the debates regarding hanging clothes out to dry and all the places where doing so is already forbidden. It’s even happening in a few areas here in Romania, so unfortunately I imagine it’s a far worse problem in more “developed” countries.
Actually, I don’t have to imagine. The fact that something like Project Landry List exists reveals how things stand well enough. Sure, that only focuses on the United States, but it’s bad enough even so. It’d be interesting to know if similar movements exist in other countries as well, because I’m quite sure they’re needed… Even in areas where the local authorities don’t currently seem to mean to move in this direction, the residents should still be wary and at least show their support for those who are confronting this situation elsewhere.
I find it interesting that, despite having one themselves, certain people are so offended by the idea of a naked body that they have created these laws that force a person to wear clothes in public at all times. That’d make one believe that those people find clothes quite appealing, or at the very least acceptable at all times. Yet these debates seem to prove that assumption wrong, because they signify that clothes, clean clothes, are not an acceptable sight anymore. The exact degree of cleanliness can’t be the issue either, because clothes tend to be less clean when worn by a person than when they’re on a clothesline. The idea that clothes could only be an acceptable sight if they’re currently being worn or that underwear should never be seen doesn’t explain the situation either, because in that case clothing shops couldn’t exist.
That said, my humble opinion is that we’re talking about snobbery at best. Certain people want to show that they’re so far above the rabble that they can’t even tolerate something that’s not seen as modern anymore, so they attack those who still do that thing as a means of proving their own status. Later, those who aspire to that apparent higher status take after them. But that’s only if we’re to assume the best, such as it is, about these people. Otherwise we can conclude that it’s nothing but pure malice, these people simply creating and using this issue to trample over those around them, to force their will upon everyone else, simply because they realized that it could be possible to do so.
I’ll admit that a dryer can be useful if you truly need something to be dry very quickly, but why use one, why consume all that electricity, when a clothesline would do? Granted that this is a far more significant problem because of all the resources used and all the pollution currently generated in order to create that electricity, but it’d still be an issue even if that electricity would be generated entirely from renewable resources, simply because you shouldn’t use something when there’s absolutely no need to do so.
It’s a matter of taking responsibility for the real consequences of your actions. Using a dryer makes things slightly easier for you, but harms Earth. Also harms your finances, but that’s not what I’m talking about here, especially since those who push for such bans aren’t usually the kind of people who need to pay attention to such matters. Hanging your clothes out to dry, on the other hand, doesn’t harm anyone or anything. Those who claim otherwise just don’t know what they’re talking about, mainly because in order to complain about something like this they’d first need to watch what’s happening on someone else’s private property, which could be taken as a violation of that person’s right to privacy. It’s interesting how people fail to notice this little issue…
I really don’t know what could be so unsightly about a clothesline; seems like a pretty normal sight… Then again, that could be just what the problem is: Certain people have somehow lived without seeing something like this often enough. Maybe if we’d do it even more, they’d get used to it and the problem would be solved? It probably won’t be so easy, but it’s certainly worth a shot, and we’d better do that fast enough, before they manage to make even more people get used to the lack of clotheslines.
But seriously, the presence of a clothesline on someone’s private property shouldn’t be an issue for their neighbors. Or for anyone else. Ever. On the other hand, using a dryer, especially when it’s not really necessary, can and perhaps should be an issue for everyone because the massive amount of electricity used by these appliances has negative consequences for our planet and, if that’s not enough of a reason in itself, we all live on this planet… What’s more, such a significant power consumption can strain the distribution system, which can cause blackouts or power surges, therefore potentially harming the user and many others. As hard as it may sometimes be not to believe that it simply comes out of thin air, we do need to remember that electricity is produced somewhere and transported to us through a system that needs to function properly if we want to be able to enjoy all the benefits it offers when we actually need them.
So make a stand and hang your clothes out to dry! Don’t use dryers, don’t use small drying racks and don’t hang your clothes to dry inside your house or apartment unless you really have to. Put clotheslines in your yard if you have one or in your balcony if you do not and use them. That way, your clothes will dry for free, without using any resources and without causing any harm. And, who knows, maybe you’ll help certain individuals get used to the sight a little more…
The simple fact that clotheslines have been successfully used for so long may not be a good enough reason to keep using them, but snobbery, the desire to be “modern” or pure malice are even worse reasons to stop, especially considering the alternative. You don’t replace something that works well with something that creates more problems than it solves. Or at least you shouldn’t…
