No. I'm A Poor, and am very tidy and clean. Not quite minimalist, but not a lot of "stuff" either.

Anonymous wrote:Obsession with signs of low-class is a sign of low class.

+1

My bff has a messy house, too. There is cat hair everywhere but she does change the litter regularly. She and DH really need a cleaner to come in at least once a month but she refuses to hire one because she doesn’t want to spend the money on that. HHI is over $200k and they are DINKS.

I can’t stand clutter. My bff’s house is a complete disaster. Piles of clothes, dirty dishes, barely any towels. She does not care and she makes $200,000 a year. She said my house makes her nervous.

So much finger-pointing, parent-blaming (of course), belittling of different groups and general misinformation on this thread, it's sad.

It boils down to personality traits (and with that, anxiety, ADHD, hoarding, depression, etc). That's all. You can be messy and a good person. You can be neat and cruel. And vice-versa.

Unless it becomes unhygienic or dangerous, leave it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:K-12 research has shown kids with neat desks/bookbags/lockers are generally the smartest most-successful students.

Nope. My dad was literally a genius and the man had the messiest desk. Mun13-year old is just as messy —things spilling out of his backpack, locker mate talking about his messy locker and he never forgets assignments and always had straight As.

I have a PhD in biochemistry and you should see my office.

Einstein was notoriously messy.

The messy, genius professor is a stereotype for a reason.

Maybe, but not as prevalent as DCUM would like to think. "Oh I am a slob because I'm a freaking genius" Cue Dr. Evil......

No. No you are not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:K-12 research has shown kids with neat desks/bookbags/lockers are generally the smartest most-successful students.

Nope. My dad was literally a genius and the man had the messiest desk. Mun13-year old is just as messy —things spilling out of his backpack, locker mate talking about his messy locker and he never forgets assignments and always had straight As.

I have a PhD in biochemistry and you should see my office.

Einstein was notoriously messy.

The messy, genius professor is a stereotype for a reason.

I am the one everyone at home and work relies on to know important info, dates, schedules, etc. Yet, I’ve always been messy but my brain is highly organized. I know where I put everything even if it’s disorganized/messy.

I think people like this have so much going on in their brains always they don’t notice messy details.

Anonymous wrote:Do lower SES people live in slovenly conditions?

Is tidiness a sign of upper class?

slovenly conditions? take the stick out of your ass. what an ignorant question, and thought to even have.

Anonymous wrote:K-12 research has shown kids with neat desks/bookbags/lockers are generally the smartest most-successful students.

Nope. My dad was literally a genius and the man had the messiest desk. Mun13-year old is just as messy —things spilling out of his backpack, locker mate talking about his messy locker and he never forgets assignments and always had straight As.

I have a PhD in biochemistry and you should see my office.

Einstein was notoriously messy.

The messy, genius professor is a stereotype for a reason.

Anonymous wrote:Actually I noticed people who have had less tend to be more careful with their worldly possessions and less messy.

This has been my experience, too. Some of the nastiest houses I have been have been owned by people with means.

OP, just take how someone was raised into consideration. Example: big family, raised on a farm, in isolation and poverty might live a lot messier than someone whose family has close neighbors (in proximity and relationship), threw lots of parties and entertained a lot, and often had people into their house. There are more factors than rich vs. poor.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up UC. I had maids and cook. I am very messy as I genuinely did not learn how to tidy up. Now that I live on my own it is a struggle.

I grew up UMC. My mom was a neat freak. She was always cleaning. She always cleaned herself. I did not inherit that gene. I am messy/disorganized and my older son is exactly like me. I married a neat freak and my younger son is just like him. I have cleaners come once per week and I’m always running around picking up before she arrives.

I love minimalist/clean lines, but I can’t keep it that way (or things are shoved in over-flowing closets and drawers).

I often wonder if there is some genetic component to it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no, but rich people can afford to hire people to clean up their messes.

This.

I know a woman who cleans for millionaires. They are complete slobs. If something gets spilled they leave it for her to clean up. Clogged toilet? The housekeeper will deal with it tomorrow.

I am in grad school, raised UMC, divorced with two small kids and my house is regularly a disaster. Yes, I know better but a housecleaner is out of my budget right now, and if my priority were a clean house, I would not be doing well in my program.

That said, once I’m making more money I’ll routinely (and gleefully) outsource housecleaning because I do love a clean house.

I grew up UC. I had maids and cook. I am very messy as I genuinely did not learn how to tidy up. Now that I live on my own it is a struggle.