Erica asks and I deliver: Consumerism Rant 2008
Click to viewOh, hello. I didn't see you come in.
*Finishes pouring his drink and raises it to the camera, flashing a winning smile*
You must be here to listen to my Christmas rant about consumerism. Well, this year the above video and associated organizations have been a big inspiration. In my own struggle for simple living I have recognized that Christmas gifts are a direct hindrance on that life goal. For one, I never know where to put them. I remember years when my stash remained unwrapped under the tree for a few days, or in a stack in my room, because I had no use or place for them before, and receiving them at Christmas seemed to somehow justify them anyway. Just another stack of stuff that even if I needed, I didn't deserve or work for.
But of course it's not just about my cluttered life. It's not even about secularization. Well, maybe it is, a bit. I get the feeling that Christmas is often understood through the lens of the American civil religion. We're Americans... Don't we kind of deserve a holiday based around shopping? You know, to cap off all the shopping we were doing in the rest of the year. Plus, we're Americans, so God gives us more stuff because we love him more than those other starving countries. Plus, we're Westerners, we're the only ones doing Christianity the right way. Except those crazy Catholics and liberals, who according to Alan from Graystone aren't Christians anyway.
But back to consumerism (sort of). It really does come back to my faith either way, because I believe God has always called his followers to practice economic and social justice, which I'll go into if anyone asks. Those who maintain that salvation is a "free gift" are correct in that there's nothing humans can do to redeem themselves or anything around them by their own power. But I disagree that this salvation is event-based, occurring in one binary moment of conversion from unsaved to saved. A conversion experience and baptism, while powerful and sacramental, are the welcoming events into a community, a new citizenship in the Kingdom of God, step one of the journey rather than the arrival at something. This new life means you're renouncing the values of the society in which you live. You're part of a revolution- not a militia to overthrow the government, but a counterculture. A culture within a culture, transforming society from the inside out. God works in those transformations, even when it's not noticeable, when it seems like everything will go down the tubes anyway. We're doing Jesus' work for this generation as "The Body of Christ" in Paul's words. And if Jesus' redemptive work on Earth was to redeem not just individual humans but all of Creation, including human-created systems, than part of this new citizenship, this new culture, this transforming society within society will not only live differently by going to corporate worship meetings and refraining from murder, rape and adultery, but by buying differently, and sometimes not buying anything at all.
This is not a rant about fair trade, because everyone can buy fair trade. Being a hipster doesn't mean your heart is changed. I do think followers of Jesus would do well to engage actively with what they buy, eat, and give at Christmas. Is this company known for human rights violations? How many thousands of gallons of fossil fuels are burned to ship these bananas to Pennsylvania in the middle of winter from fields worked by indentured servants? I think these questions are relevant to faith and salvation and redemption just as much as making decisions about right belief and doctrine. And let's face it: corporations don't need any more of our money, and Christmas isn't going to "save the economy."
But for those who aren't sure where God fits into their lives (as if any of us really do) there's also the simple issue of money. Most college students and recent graduates with loans coming due don't have a lot of liquid assets. There's a lot of pressure to buy gifts for people, often that they don't need or didn't know they wanted before. Last year I got my Mom a crockpot, because she said she needed a new crockpot. This is fine with me. It meant something to her and I filled a need of sorts. I won't argue whether or not she really needed a crockpot. This year, she doesn't need anything and doesn't really want anything. In years past, this would mean I would get her something I thought was nice, but probably superfluous.
What if I, and we, didn't do that this year? What if we decided that a homemade gift, or a home-cooked meal, or a promise to do chores or spend a day together wasn't a cop-out? This would obviously save quite a bit of money. About $450 billion ($450,000,000,000), if the numbers are right. And maybe then, because Christians aren't the only ones who care about people, what if we all put some of that money set aside for useless gifts to good use? Solving the world water crisis is a good example, but maybe there's something closer to home we can do. Be creative.
I guess that's what I'm thinking about this year. Disclaimer, I'm not doing any better at this than anyone else, I'm just asking questions and hoping other people will ask good questions too. I hope no one feels attacked because they enjoy buying and getting presents, who doesn't like getting presents? Aaaaaaaand
Done.