Friday, Nov. 29, is my third favorite holiday of the year, after Halloween and World Car Free Day. It's Buy Nothing Day, an annual revolt against consumer culture. Buy Nothing Day falls every year on the day after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year and the start of the annual Christmas shopping frenzy. The Buy Nothing Day TV ads tell us:
"…The average North American consumes five times more than a Mexican, 10 times more than a Chinese person, and 30 times more than a person from India."
"We are the most voracious consumers in the world …"
"… a world which could die because of the way we North Americans live …"
"Give it a rest. Nov. 29 is Buy Nothing Day."
It's a pretty good bet, however, you haven't seen the ads. Last year, ABC, CBS and NBC all refused to sell time to air Buy Nothing Day ads. A spokesperson for General Electric's NBC network brazenly told The Wall Street Journal that the ads were "inimical to our legitimate business interests." Their business interests include banking, weapons and nuclear power. The range of other potentially "inimical" messages is limitless. Westinghouse's CBS network explained that they censored the ads because they were "in opposition to the current economic policy in the United States."
There's a clear ecological component to Buy Nothing Day. We're consuming the planet to death, depleting resources while throwing the ecosystem into chaos with global warming, ozone holes and toxic waste dumps. And it's us. We're the pigs crowding the rest of the world out of the feeding trough. And ironically, we're selfishly at our worst at Christmas time when we vacuum up the bounty from the world's sweatshops.
Working Them to Death Along with cheap consumer goods, we also soak up much of the world's animosity. Exploited laborers working in "export zones" 12-hour days, seven days a week for less than 20 cents an hour resent having their lives stolen. Their struggle for survival is desperate. Their health care is nonexistent. Their work places are toxic. Their stories are well documented but we don't seem to care. We are literally working them to death. Any argument you may care to believe about creating jobs for desperate people is nothing more than a self-serving stab at rationalization. The consumption gap between the rich nations and the poor nations continues to widen at alarming rates. Our consumption isn't helping workers in poor countries any more than it's fighting terrorism. In fact, it's fueling the global inequalities that breed hate and terrorism.
Consumer culture is also poisoning our own society as the wealth gap between rich and poor Americans has been widening as well since the 1970s. At the top, conspicuous consumption among the wealthiest 20 percent of Americans has been rising for 20 years. The rest of us watch them on TV and engage in a grueling rat race to try to keep up with this virtual reference group. The results for working Americans have been catastrophic. The average family's savings rate, according to Harvard economist Juliet Schor, has decreased from 8 percent in 1980, to 4 percent in the early 1990s, to 0 percent today.
High interest credit card debt, by comparison, has risen to an average of $7,000 per household. Bankruptcies have increased sevenfold in the past 20 years. The current call for more consumption in the face of massive layoffs will serve to increase these problems.
The increased spending has also meant increased work hours. American workers surpassed the Japanese in the mid 1990s to take the title for working the longest hours of any industrialized country — with American workers putting in a full six weeks more of annual work than their German counterparts. Our endless needs have forced many families to put two adults into the workforce and to divert spending from charitable pursuits to personal consumption. We've repeatedly diverted money from social programs to personal spending through various tax cuts, poisoning the very fabric of society as tax-poor cities are forced to lay off teachers and firefighters by the score.
French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu argues that our consumption defines our class status, either allowing us entry into, or barring us from, circles of power. Juliet Schor takes Bourdieu's theory one step further by arguing that consumerism maintains "the basic structures of power and inequality that characterize our world." The global problems we face today are the results of a world out of balance with haves and have-nots. Our orgy of consumption firmly places us among the haves. Shopping isn't solving the world's problems — it's exacerbating them.
Shop Responsibly I've laid the evils of conspicuous consumption out on the table. But let's be real. We might take the 28th off, but come the 29th most of you are gonna shop. We don't have to choose, however, between no consumption and conspicuous consumption. It's too easy to dismiss the "no-consumption" option as unviable and retreat back into selfish consumerism. So let's not force the issue. Instead, let's embark on a third path — responsible consumption.
Going out and buying a new gas guzzling SUV, as the White House and the automakers are admonishing us to do, is not patriotic. Such purchases lock us into an oil, and hence, war-dependent future. Not smart. Ditto on the sweatshop crap. Your purchases fuel global inequality and undermine global stability. Be careful what brands you buy. Corporations often lobby in Washington against your interests. Be careful where you shop. Those big boxes often drive small community-owned businesses out of business, then hire your neighbors at less than a living wage.
If you're one of the lucky ones who can afford to shop, and you want to stimulate the economy, be sure to shop smart. Purchasing that Indonesian-made shirt from Wal-Mart isn't going to help the U.S. economy. Wal-Mart gets a fat cut, as does the branded corporation who contracted out to have the shirt made. The Wal-Mart employees, however, will continue to get among America's lowest wages. There's no surging economic engine running here. I'm not, however, going to be elitist and tell you not to shop the big boxes for sweatshop goods. For many of us, our own exploited positions mandate we exploit others. What I am asking, is that you honestly evaluate whether or not you really need whatever piece of crap you are about to buy.
Get a Massage If you don't really need the big box's trinkets, find some better more productive use for your shopping dollar. Buy locally produced goods and services that employ your neighbors at living wages while having a minimal impact on the environment. Spend your money this holiday season supporting musicians and artists. Go to clubs. Buy art. Patronize struggling inner-city businesses. Spend money at local restaurants and leave generous tips.
Don't buy an SUV — instead spend the money to insulate your house. Buy a fuel-efficient hybrid car. Install a solar collector. Buy organic produce at a farmer's market. Visit an independent bookstore and buy a book. Buy used clothes. Have your house painted. Plant a tree. Donate to a Peace Center. Treat yourself to a professional massage or have an acupuncturist tune you up for the winter. You get the idea. Spend your money in a way that it will stimulate the local economy, not aggravate the global economy.
BEQUEST LINE Animal donations provide another type of creature comfort this holiday.
Since half the gifts you give this season will be returned on Dec. 26 anyway, consider instead a gift that keeps on giving. No, not some stupid food-of-the-month club (though we do enjoy the jelly … thanks, boss!). Make a donation in the name of a friend, family member, coworker, hell … everyone on your list. Thousands of worthy causes deserve your holiday cash, so we've concentrated on a group not able to speak for themselves: animals. That's right, our furry friends need love too. The following nonprofits have animals waiting to be "adopted" in the names of those you love. And you'll get pictures of your new "pet" to go along with that good feeling in the pit of your stomach. Of course, don't forget about organizations like, say, the Salvation Army and Metropolitan Ministries just because they won't send you an 8-by-10-inch glossy of the homeless man your money will be feeding. For a look at other local, national and international charities, visit www.charitygift.com and www.charitablechoices.com. (And feel free to donate your Jelly-of-the-Month Club enrollment to the nearest food bank.)ANIMAL SHELTERS Some of the best pets we know have come from the Humane Society and other local stray sanctuaries. Choosing the right pet for your introverted, allergy-prone, slightly neurotic brother might be tricky, but stopping by your local shelter for a gift certificate is a breeze. Besides, you know how people procrastinate when it comes to this stuff. Gift certificates for dogs and cats average between $45 and $70 at most shelters. Call 800-227-4645 or visit www.americanhumane.org for the nearest Humane Society.
CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM CMA specializes in rehabilitation, but they house plenty of permanent residents in need of some special lovin', including dolphins, river otters and sea turtles. Adoptions range from $25 to $35, and come with an adoption certificate, photo and a personal history of each animal. Call 727-441-1790, 888-239-9414 or go to www.cmaquarium.org. LOWRY PARK ZOO For as little as $35 or as much as $1,000, you can adopt anything from monkeys to manatees for a year. And just like a carnival game, the more you spend, the more you get. All donations come with a personalized certificate of adoption, photograph of the animal, fact sheet about the species, "Zooparent" sticker and your name on the Zooparent Honor Roll. Call 813-935-8552 or visit www.lowryparkzoo.com.
PELICAN MAN'S BIRD SANCTUARY Pelicans and other residents of this Sarasota sanctuary can be adopted on a monthly, yearly or lifetime basis. Donations start at $25 (the average cost to feed and care for each bird) and come with a photo of the adoptee and a history of its injury and treatment. Call 941-388-4444, e-mail pelicanmans@aol.com or drop by www.pelicanman.org.
SUNCOAST SEABIRD SANCTUARY At this Indian Shores organization, $7- through $13-per month donations cover the food, care and shelter of your favorite feathered friend for periods of three, six or 12 months. Choose from birds of prey, large or small water birds, pelicans, and land birds. The recipient of your gift will get an adoption certificate, photo, fact sheet and other assorted goodies. Call 727-391-6211 or visit www.seabird sanctuary.org.
WILDLIFE ON EASY STREET WildLife rescues cats. Big cats of all species. Currently, more than 170 cats call the Tampa sanctuary home. For $25 each, you can adopt a golden leopard for you girlfriend, a bobcat for your boss or a Siberian lynx for your landlord. Donations garner a certificate of adoption, photo, personal biography of your chosen cat and a newsletter about the species. Call 813-920-4130 or go to www.wildlifeeasyst.com.
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL OK, so they aren't local and you don't get any glossy photos, but this organization is too cool not to include. If your benevolent bone is working overtime, for as little as $20 or as much as $500, you can supply a third-world family with chicks, pigs, geese, sheep, bees, goats, heifers and more. Animals give the recipients much-needed milk, eggs, food. Even a steady income in the form of honey and beeswax, wool, cheese and any other items the family can produce with your gift. If you need to knock out some karmic debt, donate an "ark" in someone's name, which fills a village with two (and, in some cases, two trios and two flocks) of every animal available for five grand. It won't make you Noah, but you will become someone's saint. Call 800-422-0474 or visit www.heifer.org. —Kelli K
Presents of Mind It’s the thought that counts, so be thoughtful. OK, you're broke. We've all been there. Before you re-gift that Hickory Farms cheese wheel your aunt gave you, take some time to come up with some thoughtful presents that won't gain generations of dust and bacteria from changing hands. Come up with personalized presents and gift certificates — items that say you really know your loved ones. Here are some suggestions on where to start:
1.) Museum Visit and Picnic Lunch: Unbeknownst to many, several museums have a free-admission day. They do accept donations but do not frown on those who can't afford to pay it. For instance, you could take someone to the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg on a Sunday and bring a picnic lunch and relax in on the verdant field of Vinoy Park, by the bay. The pleasure and sense of well being gained from such an outing should overshadow the pittance you paid for the food and drink.
2.) A Gift Certificate for your Services: Instead of increments of cash, give your time, a month's or year's worth of babysitting, car-washing, housecleaning, yard work, taking kids to school, tutoring, coaching, preparing meals — and for those extra-special loved ones, a full-body massage (rrowr!). Use a graphics program, such as Quark or Pagemaker, to come up with a snazzy voucher with official-looking words like "Payable To," etc. Draw cute illustrations of you doing the action prescribed, in the corners.
3.) Make a Mix Video, Tape or CD: With copying technology so prevalent and state-of-the-art, it's easy even for the Luddites among us to compile music, TV shows, music videos, video games and computer programs onto discs and tapes. Come up with a theme and go with it. For instance, make a CD of "Songs That Remind Me of the Day We Met," with explanations of the significance of each song.
4.) Get Martha-Stewart-on-Their-Ass: Between the controversial maven's TV show and magazine Living and all the other crafty programs on The Learning Channel, you should already be chockfull of ideas on how to create nifty storage containers, shelves and other useful items completely from scratch. Pick twigs, berries, branches and cones from various shrubs and trees to make holiday wreaths. Better yet, take a heavy piece of bark and whittle a fancy pipe or use one of your parents' reject vinyl 33-inches, knickknacks, buttons, souvenirs, fliers and stickers to make a rock 'n' roll wreath. Hell yeah.
5.) Give From the Right Side of Your Brain: Whether you choose to ignore it or revel in it, we all have an artistic side. Though some of us are already blessed with the ability to paint, write, sing, play a musical instrument and take pictures, the rest of us hacks can take a stab at creatin' too. Write a song or poem, or take a picture of a place that recalls a good time or clever act of public humiliation. Hint: Many an interesting experience has been viewed through the prismatic glass of an empty tequila bottle.
—Julie Garisto
This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2002.