Buy Nothing Day!
Tuition, entertainment, groceries, clothing, accessories, and Christmas gifts- as this list grows on so does the bill that covers it. Fear not wallets and emptying bank accounts, for next Friday, November 27th (North America), and Saturday November 28th (internationally) is the celebration of Buy Nothing Day.
In a consumer driven society, even the thought of abstaining from spending can give one a case of culture shock. And if you’re thinking, sure, one day avoiding the shops is within my reach, think again. Buy Nothing Day includes anything and everything that requires the spending of money. Yes, this means that , “...[They] want you to not only stop buying for 24 hours, but to shut off your lights, televisions and other nonessential appliances. We want you to park your car, turn off your phones and log off of your computer for the day” (Buy Nothing Day).
In fact, the effect of us in the consumer world is not much different from media guru Marshal McLuhan’s theory of, “Narcissus narcosis, a syndrome whereby man remains as unaware of the psychic and social effects of his new technology as a fish of the water it swims in” (Playboy). We as a society have become unaware not only of the enormity of the role consuming plays in our daily lives, but of what effects our consumption has in the bigger spectrum.
The purpose of Buy Nothing Day helps us to disentangle ourselves from our environment of consumption in order to recognize it for all that it is. It shows that we really can break from our societal norms and use that opportunity to, “Take just one small step toward a more just and sustainable future” (Buy Nothing Day). Simply participating in Buy Nothing Day would help prevent your bank account from diminishing during a time of excess purchasing with the rise of Christmas hours and feeling of obligation to purchase the best products for loved ones, while also helping us by preventing us from using up irreplaceable natural resources.
So what are you waiting for? Mark your calendars and prepare to lock your credit cards away, for Buy Nothing Day is well on its way!
Work Cited
"Buy Nothing Day: Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters." Adbusters Culturejammer
Headquarters: Journal of the mental environment. Web.
Playboy. "The Playboy Interview: Marshall McLuhan." Playboy. Web.
wow this is a very interesting holiday. I've never even heard of it until now. I wonder why they don't advertise it more??? :S
ReplyDelete-DL
As the author of this article, how will you spend your day?
ReplyDeletehey, this is really amazing, i also haven't heard of this holiday.Thanks for making me aware and good job writing it :)
ReplyDeletekeep up the good work!!
-- katie
That's a very cool idea! I will definitely participate. Nice blog.
ReplyDelete-PF
i agree taht this is a really cool idea, however is it really all that practical? i mean yeah it makes sense to test our biundaries and for us to come to realizations about the effects of our consumer driven soietty, but without using anything that involves electricity, may compromise some people's lifestyles more greatly than impacted. think of the sick, do they participate? also nt spending involves no public transport. does this mean no school or work day? for those who work far away is walking even really an option?
ReplyDeletejust some thoughts....
-Browntown
What if no one buys anything? Wont this make the economy worse? Should we not just buy things that we need versus things that we want? I think that these are two different items to consider.
ReplyDelete