Sometimes the best bargain comes from buying nothing
The retail industry calls the Friday that follows Thanksgiving “Black Friday” because of all the money they make from people gorging on an orgy of spending that day. Lots of people love to go buy! buy! buy! that day, but not everyone does.
Canadian artist and activist Ted Dave founded the first “Buy Nothing Day” in Vancouver, BC, back in September of 1992, a day of activism aimed at inspiring people to think about their consumer consumption by not buying a thing. Over the years the popularity of this concept has grown; since the late 90s activists have been using “Black Friday” at their day of protest in the US. Local groups put on events in most major cities and even some smaller towns–some people pass out information about debt counseling or offer to cut up cards. Some hold signs or chant messages about not spending on this day. Some just quietly don’t spend without bringing anyone else into it.
The retail industry hates the activism of Buy Nothing Day for obvious reasons so if you’ve never heard of it before, it’s probably not your fault. Since the media relies on advertising to make its money, messages that upset the people buying the ads don’t get fair treatment in the press. When Buy Nothing Day does make it into a news article or broadcast, the idea is presented with ridicule and disdain. I clearly remember a few years back listening to a couple of newscasters on Northwest Cable News openly mocking the protestors shown in a brief clip by calling them “mean-spirited” people bent on “ruining Christmas” because somehow acquiring massive amounts of credit card debt buying price-inflated merchandise is a positive thing but taking one day to think about things like how much “stuff” you really need to own is isn’t. It’s ridiculous, really.
If you want to go out and spend massive amounts of time and money on Black Friday, it’s your call. It’s your money and you do what you want to with it. But go out and spend your money buying the things you really want because you really want them, not just because you’ve been manipulated into buying them with the idea that the only value you have as a person comes from how many things you own.
To learn more about Buy Nothing Day, visit the Adbuster’s website. [site]
Christmas always seems to make me sad, in large part because so much value and leverage is placed on the acquisition of material gifts. My parents would get so sad in leaner times because of their financial struggles around this time and the fact that it precluded their usual gift giving, and I just wish the point would come where they could just bag the idea of getting people gifts and we could just spend the holiday having nice meals and hanging out and be happy with it. It’s all I ever wanted. My favorite part of the holidays, in fact, is Xmas Eve, when we’re all together for dinner and we’re just hanging out, eating, drinking and playing cards and so on.
Ditto, Gomez.
nice post. i might head down to westlake center today and protest a bit. first i have to get un-hungover.
I hadn’t heard of this before today. I was lucky enough to see the bicycle protesters from my building at work. I always felt dirty going back to school after winter break and the first question people ask is “what did you get for christmas?” It’s just stuff people. We all really need to take a good long look at ourselves. Our real selves, not the stuff that surrounds us. own your things, dont let them own you. If it can be burned in a house and it’s not breathing, don’t put too much stock in it.