Thursday, November 26, 2009

Buy Nothing Day




Ok this one is dated--- but the message holds true.

I don't want to be preachy here. Just trying to do a little consciousness raising. I'm hearing ads on TV - each store trying to up the ante on creating a shopping stampede/frenzy.
In fact for some people, the stampede resulted in personal injury and fatalities. Brings new meaning to the term "shop till you drop". We've been brainwashed to think we must hurry down and skirmish to get the goods. That somehow, getting more stuff is the key to happiness. I'm not saying we should entirely not consume, we do have needs, even just for health, but but need to find the balance. Certainly we can boycott these merchants who are having their 2AM doorbuster blowout sales. Because if I had the day after Thanksgiving off (which I don't), I would certainly be enjoying the opportunity to sleep in, and having a restful day. I do not need to go to some consumer nightmare scene, fighting to find a parking space, and wrestling some bargain goods from some other consumer's hands. I mean seriously, who actually finds this to be an enjoyable experience?
Is there any real joy in all that hustle & bustle? Are the prices so good, that you are willing to risk your life for a bargain?

The official Buy Nothing Day movement is celebrating it's 18 year anniversary.


After a day-long consumer fast you may find that you enjoyed the simplicity and spirituality. In light of this experience, the garish materialism of the holiday season may suddenly feel offensive. So maybe this year, you extend the celebration of Buy Nothing Day throughout the holidays. You make a pact with your family to do things a little differently this year. Gather your loved ones and shift the focus.

They also participate in some creative street theater~
ZOMBIE WALK ~ You & many friends walk around in zombie costumes observing the shopping zombies.
CREDIT CARD CUT UP ~ Yep slicing & dicing those high interest rates, and nasty fine print rules & ever changing terms & conditions.
WHIRL MART ~ 10 or more people gather in a conga line of sorts each with an empty shopping cart, streaming through the stores, stockpiling ***nothing***.

"Economic meltdown, together with the ecological crisis of climate change could be the beginning of a major global cultural shift — the dawn of a new age: the age of Post-Materialism.

"A simpler, pared-down lifestyle – one in which we're not drowning in debt – may well be the answer to this crisis we're in," says Lasn. "Living within our means will also make us happier and healthier than we’ve been in years."

Do what you can to spread the the BND message this year. Blog it, up-vote it on Digg, or slap a poster on a wall. This could be the breakthrough year when the heavy consumers of the world finally get it." Ad Busters

Sleep in. Slow down. Love your planet. Take care of yourself & relax. Spend time with the people you love.


6 comments:

Kellybelle said...

I'm down with this--especially after cutting up my credit cards, LOL! Happy Thanksgiving!

Robert Rouse said...

Happy Turkey Day, Fran!

Dada said...

One of most vivid impressions of Thanksgiving came early when I opened the paper to find some merchants like JC Penney, Kohls and others who must have spent fortunes on their Black Friday kick-off catalogs. They were literally catalogs that left me wondering these retailers must really be prospering -- or desperate.

A second impression was of Best Buy who had the courage to say in small print beneath each sale item like a GPS ("speaks street names") there would be a minimum of 20 per store, leaving me to envision 480 other customers who went there for that very item will probably come home sans the bargain, some bruises from all the pushing and shoving and, lastly, a GPS that retails for around the same price they could have gotten it for on Tuesday, $149. But that's the thrill of the hunt, I suppose.

I looked up at the clock: 5:45 a.m. - I imagined all the indignities of crunched ribs and stepped on feet being acquired as I sipped my first cup of coffee, forgoing the true spirit of America and the meaning of Christmas.

Christopher said...

Fran,

Have you seen this?

H1N1 Swine Flu Deaths Jump to 1,000 a Week.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8383471.stm

Fran said...

Wow Christopher! That is a huge jump. I did notice the CDC took a holiday vacation & failed to report a weekly update for the week ending in the 27th.... oh hell it's just a pandemic??? How hard is it to update a simple spreadsheet?

I have a few theories....

Holiday travel will likely increase the spread of H1N1 flu. (crossing regions w flights, etc).

The real flu season has yet to begin. So not sure if we've not yet really seen the beginning, with the CDC saying in reality, the US death toll exceeds 4000.

Health Secretary Sebelius has no medical background...
A former president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Ms. Sebelius is an expert on insurance regulation.

I think the CDC is doing a lousy job of reporting- tweaking & changing reporting formats without explanation. the government is doing an even worse job just getting the vaccinations to the front line people in the medical profession, instead giving them to Wall Street. It was reported, but nothing was done about it.
Is this Obama's Katrina?

Fran said...

Same back at'cha KB & RR hope you had a nice day relaxing & or cutting up credit cards.... just go one of those "change of terms" notices in the mail today for a credit card.
I was not a dutiful consumer on Black Friday.... I must be punished!

Dada~ It was interesting to take the huge pile of Black friday ads & put them directly into the recycling bin.
Too bad we can't opt out & save some trees.

I'm trying to get RID of stuff & clutter from my house, and pay down debt.

We've participated in the buy nothing movement for several years now- it makes the whole thing even more surreal.
How newsworthy people consuming more more more is information we need.

Bah!
( I suspect the humbug will come later, as the consumption crescendo comes w X mas).