No Purchase Necessary: Black Friday Transformed

by Nicole
Activist group Adbusters are urging us to detox from conspicuous consumption and take a break from our culture of consumerism by observing Buy Nothing Day on November 23rd. Running around malls in crazed crowds certainly has a way of taking the good will out of what's supposed to be a highly spiritual holiday season, so Adbusters are suggesting we shop less and live more, using the traditional Black Friday retail fest as a day for relaxed family outings or free, non-commercial street parties instead.

Now in it's 15th year, BND was the idea of Canadian artist Ted Dave. Promoted by Adbusters, a self-proclaimed "global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age," BND is now observed in 65 countries worldwide, with the international day falling on Saturday November 24th this year.

For those who are more action orientated, Adbusters are suggesting three forms of protest. The first is a "Credit Card Cut Up," with volunteers offering their debt-destroying services at malls nationwide. The second is the "Zombie Walk" where the "cheerful dead wander around malls, marveling at the blank, comatose expressions on the faces of shoppers." The last form of action is our favorite; Those participating in the "Whirl-Mart" are asked to form long, conga-like lines, with their shopping-carts in hand, "silently" and "inexplicably" pushing them around store isles "without ever actually buying anything."

But Adbusters hope the effects last long after the 24-hour moratorium on consumer spending has ceased. They're hoping to change our habits and open our eyes to all the unnecessary items we buy and consume. Ultimately the stuff of life just weights us down, and crushes our soul, filling our hearts with guilt as wallow in our unfair share of wealth and trudge the earth with too much baggage – and debt! Next time you're in a store, or about to do the "one click" online, ask yourself two simple questions: Do I really need or just want this item? And will I care about it or use it in six month's time, or will it be stuffed at the back of a cupboard or drawer and forgotten by then?

"So much emphasis has been placed on buying carbon offsets and compact fluorescent lightbulbs and hybrid cars that we are losing sight of the core cause of our environmental problems: we consume far too much," says Adbusters co-founder Kalle Lasn. "Buy Nothing Day isn't just about changing your routine for one day. It's about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment. With over six billion people on the planet, it is the responsibility of the most affluent - the upper 20% that consumes 80% of the world's resources - to set out on a new path."

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