Buy Nothing Day: Spend a Day without Spending
It’s that special day of the year ‘“ the day after Thanksgiving! Some call it Black Friday. Others call it Buy Nothing Day:
Though rushing to the mall or local CrapMart the day after Thanksgiving has become trad for millions of Americans, many Americans spend Black Friday boycotting shopping altogether in protest. Buy Nothing Day — promoted since the early 1990s by the zany culture jammers at Adbusters — has become a holiday for anti-consumerist folk who enjoy taking a stand against all the shopping and spending that inevitably produces lots of debt, trash and disappointment (that American Apparel hoodie didn’t really fix the interminable gnawing feeling in your soul, now did it?)
More info can be found at the Adbusters web site:
Now in its 17th year, Buy Nothing Day is celebrated every November by environmentalists, social activists and concerned citizens in over 65 countries around the world. Over the years, Buy Nothing Day (followed by Buy Nothing Christmas) has exploded into a global movement, inspiring the world’s citizens to live more simply and buy a whole lot less.
Designed to coincide with Black Friday’¦ the festival takes many shapes, from relaxed family outings, to free, non-commercial street parties, to politically charged public protests, credit-card cut-ups and pranks and shenanigans of all kinds. Anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending.
I can’t think of a better way to confront the economic meltdown head-on ‘“ buy nothing! Today. And tomorrow we’ll try to buy less than we did yesterday.
I will be buying nothing today. Will you?
Image credit: rogerwendell.com.
I’m with you, Nina. Black Friday seems like it’ll help China’s economy more than the U.S.’s and fill up houses with unnecessary things. Instead of the rush of malls and department stores, I’m having tea with a friend and celebrating my brother’s birthday with him. Of course, I’d much rather a quiet afternoon to a chaotic store.
I can’t buy nothing, I’m at work today and my job title? Buyer.
I’m all about buying nothing today. We’re decorating the tree and watching holiday classics. Oh, and eating leftovers!
I never heard of Adbusters until today but I like what they’re advocating. I stayed home on Black Friday and spent nothing!