Black Friday vs. Buy Nothing Day
In previous years I have been inclined to observe Buy Nothing Day over joining the frenzied hordes of bargain-hunters looking for Black Friday doorbusting deals. I like shiny new stuff as well as anyone, but, at the same time, I am kind of freaked out by the constant drumbeat of, "Consume! Consume! Consume!" that underlies so much of American society, especially when combined with the determination of so many people to overspend their means and the concomitant encouragement of creditors to do just that. Because of that, I try to limit my use of credit, buy new things at a discount, go to clothing swaps, and make do with old and used big-ticket items as much as possible.
Perhaps because I am not a Christian and didn't grow up celebrating Christmas, I've always been bemused by the stories of people going into massive debt every Christmas and fighting over coveted merchandise at stores (and I am shocked and saddened by the fact that a Wal-Mart doorman was killed this morning by stampeding shoppers who literally did bust the doors down...good god, people! it's just fucking stuff!). I was appalled by Dubya's call to shop as a response to 9/11. The idea of shopping as one's patriotic duty strikes me as seriously fucked up.
And yet...this year I do find myself conflicted by the whole question of whether to shop or not to shop. I like a good bargain as well as anyone, too, and I have people for whom to shop for the holidays. Also, as everything from housing to credit to banking to the auto industry to retail starts to topple like a row of dominoes, I actually do have a sense this season that decreasing consumer spending is going to cost many more people their jobs. (Whether so many people's jobs should be this dependent upon consumer spending is a good, but separate, question.) And while I do think that our society ought to be less enamored of and dependent upon shopping, it is also clear that many people are going to suffer, have already suffered, because consumers are cutting back on spending.
How do we fix things? Personally, I am leaning in the direction of continuing to save money, cutting back on unnecessary spending and patronizing local businesses more often when possible -- farmers markets, locally-owned shops and restaurants, small banks and credit unions, and the like -- to support my neighbors and community and keep money circulating locally, and helping friends and donating to charity when I can. I don't know what else to do, but it seems reasonable to me. It's about as much as I can do, seeing as how I have no influence on public policy, the financial practices of corporations, or the spending habits of the average American.
Perhaps because I am not a Christian and didn't grow up celebrating Christmas, I've always been bemused by the stories of people going into massive debt every Christmas and fighting over coveted merchandise at stores (and I am shocked and saddened by the fact that a Wal-Mart doorman was killed this morning by stampeding shoppers who literally did bust the doors down...good god, people! it's just fucking stuff!). I was appalled by Dubya's call to shop as a response to 9/11. The idea of shopping as one's patriotic duty strikes me as seriously fucked up.
And yet...this year I do find myself conflicted by the whole question of whether to shop or not to shop. I like a good bargain as well as anyone, too, and I have people for whom to shop for the holidays. Also, as everything from housing to credit to banking to the auto industry to retail starts to topple like a row of dominoes, I actually do have a sense this season that decreasing consumer spending is going to cost many more people their jobs. (Whether so many people's jobs should be this dependent upon consumer spending is a good, but separate, question.) And while I do think that our society ought to be less enamored of and dependent upon shopping, it is also clear that many people are going to suffer, have already suffered, because consumers are cutting back on spending.
How do we fix things? Personally, I am leaning in the direction of continuing to save money, cutting back on unnecessary spending and patronizing local businesses more often when possible -- farmers markets, locally-owned shops and restaurants, small banks and credit unions, and the like -- to support my neighbors and community and keep money circulating locally, and helping friends and donating to charity when I can. I don't know what else to do, but it seems reasonable to me. It's about as much as I can do, seeing as how I have no influence on public policy, the financial practices of corporations, or the spending habits of the average American.