This discussion is exploding in ten directions!

1. I do think that people can become obsessed with downsizing to the point where it may be as stressful and dysfunctional as hoarding. Fetishistic / consumed by this focus.

2. This is not necessarily elitist, it has nothing to do with elitism, it has to do with a psychological state somewhat like anorexia. If less is better, then even less is better than that, and in fact nothing at all is the ideal ... a sense of shame and unhappiness over having six pairs of socks is no healthier than a sense of shame and unhappiness over having sixty pairs of socks, or six ounces of fat on your body.

3. Promoting the Joys Of Minimalism can be smug or elitist, in one of two ways: when it's being touted as the be-all-end-all of good behavior, and when it's being touted by people who have the money to rent or replace their fancy things as the drop of a hat. It's fine to have lots of money and few possessions, it's not appropriate to say this is a reasonable reality for everyone.

4. IMO MMM is neither minimal or especially frugal Or elitist, he's made a science of how to accumulate money and use it very mindfully to obtain the life he believes in, and he makes no bones of exploring the process involved in getting where he is.