Although it’s still a bit too chilly for spring cleaning, for those of us who have too much junk lying around at home, Sunday will be a good opportunity to offload — while meeting new people and sampling some delicious home-cooked food in the process.
When Ellery Hamann hosted his first Really Really Free Market (RRFM) shortly after arriving in Taiwan in the summer of 2012, only about 15 people attended. Since then, the monthly event has grown tremendously, with hundreds of people expected to show up at Sunday’s gathering at the 228 Peace Memorial Park.
The RRFM movement, which first started in the US in 2003 to protest the country’s capitalist economy, eventually evolved into casual weekend get-togethers in cities around the world where people simply bring second hand goods to exchange with other items they want. For the Taipei gatherings, attendees are also encouraged to bring food to share, as well as to hold workshops such as drawing, sewing or guitar lessons. In other words, it’s as much an exchange of knowledge, talents and ideas as it is material objects.
Photo courtesy of Really Really Free Market
“I do not stress the anti-capitalism tenet at all, really,” Hamann tells the Taipei Times.
He adds that while that attracts some people to the event, the rest don’t think too much about it and come to have a good time instead.
“Most people come to make friends, find something interesting, get rid of old stuff they don’t need and have interesting conversations.”
But what happens if someone brings an item that’s highly valuable and another person brings something cheap?
Hamann says he gets asked that question a lot. While he admits that valuable items are picked up pretty quickly, no one would know who brought it since all the items are laid out on mats. In his experience, the market has tended to draw out the good in people rather than the bad, and that most people come with good intentions.
“It’s interesting because it’s almost like an experiment in human nature,” Hamann says.
He adds that it’s not so much an exchange, but more of a free economy that’s based on generosity and good will.
Hamann jokes that another reason to attend is that there’s usually some really bizarre items up for grabs.
“The weirdest thing I can think of may not be appropriate to mention in a news article,” Hamann says.
It was a mug with a breast on one side and the nipple was where you drank from. Someone took a fancy to it and brought it home.
That being said, there’s not always something for everyone. In the past, Hamann and his team have tried donating the leftover items from the market to various charities only to discover that they don’t always want the items they have. Because of this, participants are now asked to bring unclaimed items except for clothes back home with them — leftover clothes will be dropped in donation bins throughout the city.
The event has also spread to other cities in Taiwan including Taichung and Hsinchu. Hamann thinks it’s because the concept behind it is simple and alluring.
“The free market really is based on the idea that people are basically good and want good for themselves and others.”
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