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Years of good marketing may have convinced us that life isn\\u2019t complete without a junk drawer, overflowing closet or unusable garage. Now, according to historian Wendy Woloson, Americans are suffering from the outright \\u201ccrapification\\u201d of their lives. So where do we go from here? And how do we clear out that closet?

Woloson, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University Camden and author of \\u201cCrap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America,\\u201d says our relationship with junk goes way back. We\\u2019re naturally drawn to possessions for \\u201cour comfort, for our safety, for our sense of identity,\\u201d she explains. But Americans\\u2019 modern courtship with cheap goods began in the late 19th century as manufacturing geared up and trade networks went global. Enter plastic toys, collectible spoons, old erasers and gift store knickknacks. They\\u2019re all souvenirs from a long journey of capitalism and consumption.