By
Jen Ludington
November 27, 2007
Friday, Nov. 23 marked the annual day which rings in the holiday shopping season. A day of two major shopping landmarks, Friday stood for polar opposite causes of buying and boycotting.
The day is known as Black Friday, a day of detrimentally chaotic shopping where stores open their doors at ungodly hours, luring shoppers with ridiculous sales. As of 1997, that fateful day after Thanksgiving has also been known as Buy Nothing Day, a movement promoted by Adbusters magazine against frivolous spending and over-consumption.
When I heard about Buy Nothing Day, I was thrilled. The concept of holiday consumerism is something that has burdened me for years.
When the day came, though, I found myself torn when I wanted to go out and buy a pair of socks. My desire to observe Buy Nothing Day was ruined by a simple need. I wasn’t going out to be a sale-driven consumerist, my feet were just cold.
My distress got me thinking. While the idea of boycotting over-consumption for a day is a start, this attitude should be a seasonal movement, not just for one day.
The holidays have really lost their meaning of late with the increased focus on materialism and “buying things” for friends and loved ones. Where have the values gone?
Besides the unnecessary consumption surrounding the holidays, the stress caused by the pressure to buy gifts ruins the joy of the holidays, which is supposed to make people remember what they are thankful for and what is meaningful in their lives.
Buying things has gone from a personal or special way of celebrating certain beliefs to a burdensome ideal society has created as the meaning for the holidays.
Every year I feel so dirty and materialistic when my mom asks me “what I want” or if I’ve bought things for my dad, brother and sister. It comes to the point where giving gifts is not thoughtful, but more of a requirement needed to be filled for Christmas to be complete.
The holidays are incredibly focused around consumerism, and it’s time for society to take a step back and realize what the season really means to them. It’s not a time to cash in and “get things,” but for finding meaning and honoring your values.
This holiday season, don’t feel bad if you slipped up on Buy Nothing Day. It’s a good year to adopt a Buy Nothing mentality.
1 Comments
#1 Bryan
on November 27, 2007 at 5:43 a.m.(San Mateo, CA | Unverified Name)
I can't take the suspense... did you buy the socks or not?
That has got to be one of the most distressing situations in the history of mankind. Cold feet... or principle?
Or maybe you are just overthinking this whole thing. If buying things on Black Friday makes people happy, why should you care? It's not your money, it's not your time spent out in the stores, and you just might be on the recieving end of one of these gifts. The fact is that many people willingly plan their days around shopping, and if that's what they want to do, get over it. People are going to celebrate the season however they see fit, and it's a shame you have such a holier than thou attitude that you won't even leave the house to grab a pair of socks because you might be percieved as part of "that group."
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