Buy Nothing Day 2004 - 11/26/04 - Plans?

[theCryptofishist]

And to the Cryptofishist:
I voted for them as well. I know that a lot of fucked up things have happened in relation to Native American casinos. I don't understand why resist it. Reservations are sovereign territory. They are not governed under state or national law; or so my understanding goes. I don't quite understand how the state has a right to legislate reservation rights...

But perhaps that's my misunderstanding.

My understanding was that because we had a state lottery that we didn't have the right to ask that they don't have casinos. I don't know if that's correct and tonytohono probably has better information. I regret voting for it, but part of it was "Ya know, how much damn paternalism are we gonna send these people? Do we really have the right? After all, we systemically took away their ability to make any reasonable sort of living." I thought that the tribes had the right to make their own mistakes. (I'm somewhat anti-gambling) I think if I had known htat it would mean casinos in big towns i'd have voted against it. Plus, I think that there was a degree of misrepresentation about where the money went--ie to other tribes and not to Nevada sharpies.

[RebA!]

I have to work most of the day.. (ice cream shop) then i plan on BUYING fabric at joanns for a cloak/cape that will keep me warm on the playa. Cause this 50% off coupon comes but once a year and I aint missing out on 50% off velvet.. ya know.

ooh. i think i got the theme of this thread wrong.

[theCryptofishist]

Well, that's better than manic impulse buying of crap just to give to people who dont' need it on Xmas. I seldom if ever get away without buying (and as predicted, I'm already down a latte) but Well, I hear you. If you work at an ice cream shop, you may not have a lot of money for velvet.

[tisha2]

* hanging head in shame *

i am starting my holiday-season-second-job at a new-agey herb/candle/book store selling stuff to people. at least it's a small local business.

and tomorrow is the annual Free Market Day where people bring all kids of stuff they are giving away for free to the plaza and everyone trades stuff. people bake, bring flats of garden starts, seconhand clothes/furntiure/music. it's awesome!

[theCryptofishist]

I'm so glad I don't have to work retail anymore. It sucked sharp, pointy rocks. I'm a bad-tempered fishy and hate the public. And I love free swap meets. (or even swap meats) I'm not a stickler on this stuff, I just think it's a really important thing and a possible pre-cursor to greater action. Plus, going into a store today must be entereing a circle of hell.

[gigglesnort]

......Best thing was Gigglesnort called me and we had a wonderful conversation-thank God for that! ......

Thanks for the tip cowboyaddict.....took the girls to see Polar Express today......I highly recommend it.......with a larger-than-life tub of popcorn, tiny tarts and mnms tossed into it, a ginormous soft drink to pass around, and small humans to serve as your "believe" meters....i hear bells ringing!

Does this count against me since it's buy nothing day?? (I saved up on my buy nothing account so I could spend against it today).

[aforceforgood]

I expected the circle of hell thing, but actually, people were pretty patient with the long lines, chatting with each other, pointing out where they got good stuff, helping each other determine whether the items they had were the right ones to get the rebates, like that.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get $250+ bucks worth of wireless router and 2 wireless laptop cards and one ethernet for the desktop for a grand total (after rebates) of about $25, though I do agree with the sentiment.

I usually only buy things I need or that will add significant value to my life.

Am currently resisting wife and family's sometimes subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) hints that a more presentable van would add significant value to their lives if not mine... I like my old van, there's nothing wrong with it other than some oxidized paint, and I kinda dig the way people DIVE outta the way when I put my blinker on... which is a handy thing if you have to drive in L.A. (God I hate that fuckin city.)

That being said, I didn't brave the even longer line to get a new vacuum for less than half off. Not a sexy enough product for me I guess.

So I feel like I've got a pretty balanced approach to the whole thing goin, but I'm open to input.

[samtzu]

Made it... didn't go out... didn't buy.... stayed home and read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes all day, smoking my pipe, sipping coffee, listening to classical music.... Ahhhhhh.... Heaven!

[calicowboy925]

Alright, I admit, I did buy a $129 pair of Doc's for $34...and a couple gun cases at less than 1/2 price....but then I do not think the "don't buy" has any effect on companies...there are +/- 300 million people in the USA, and they ARE going to buy, every single day, no matter what some desire...of course these are probably the same folks that saved the pop-tops to turn in for kidney dialasis...which also was a hoax. The only buyer's boycott (or style) I think is effective is the "don't buy gas from Company X for a month", which slaps Company X, but allows people an alternative to fill their need for fuel. However, this too never caught on in sufficient numbers to have any effect. Face it, when the economy of California is 5th or 6th largest in the world, nothing is going to stop, nor even slow it down by any measurable amount. I do NOT feel guilty for consumption of goods and services....it is beneficial to our economy.

[samtzu]

I feel like I'm bracketted by reactionaries.... *sigh*

[theCryptofishist]

Join the Fishy! eplayan evolutionaries of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your brackets!

[sparkletarte]

I aint missing out on 50% off velvet

Thanks for the heads up, I had no idea I was on sale! Guess I'll be busy, busy, busy for the next while.

[samtzu]

Join the Fishy! eplayan evolutionaries of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your brackets!

Man! Am I ever with you!!

[Buttsex Avocado]

Well, the Nutmegster bought something on Buy Nothing Day in the end. Was taking a road trip from Portland to Port Townsend, and didn't gas up the day before and so, bought $20 of the gasoline stuff. That was it, but I was very cognizent of the fact that I was buying something that day.

Buy Less all Year!

Hopefully made up for it by starting 3 new Freecycle groups lately. FreecyclePSU, FreecycleLewis&Clark, and FreecycleReed - all local colleges - which, when they grow to decent size are going to freecycle like crazy, you just watch em!

And, wrote a lte today to the Oregonian about how the whole thing in America seems to be about shopping and the retail bottom line these days. Don't we have better, and other things to focus on? Is the Dow Jones it?

This has made me really upset and I can see I'll be writing about it more in days, weeks and months to come. The thing that got me was a comment that Wal-Mart was the loser on BND because they didn't give deep enough discounts like the other retailers. And the other stores were winners. Winning and losing retail chains? Who the fuck cares whether Penny's makes more than Sears? Can't imagine that the average person cares a whit.

Anyway, this all to say that it's time to get my Adbusters subscription back up and running even if I am in debt.

Adios Amigos, time to continue learning MS Project for an interview tomorrow at 8am with guys half-way across the country.

:lol:

[Buttsex Avocado]

Hello Buy Nothing Day Organizers,

First off I would like to congratulate you on one of the biggest BND's internationally. This year there were over 160 individual cities from around the world that participated by not participating. There was some creative and innovative ways in which people celebrated BND that got the message out to the greater public and provoked thoughts of a new culture steering away from the path in which capitalism is taking us down. To grasp the scope of the Holiday away from Consumption, the only way is to share stories. We as an international network of activists can learn from each other and gain wisdom by sharing the successes, failures, lessons learned, approaches, new positive alternatives, community collaboration, and innovative culture jams! The actual success will come from all of us sharing information as a collective in a way that encourages an international community feeling- this is a positive aspect of globalization. We can reclaim and use technology to communicate and collaborate on an international scale, and that is exactly what has been happening for Buy Nothing Day over the past years. This year with the creation of JammerGroups we created a forum for activists to build a local network for support of community endeavors, and collaboration on BND events. This is important, but just as important as the International BND web sites, and organizers who have taken things to a larger scale. The main goal after BND 2004 is to put profiles up on the Adbusters website with links, photos, videos, and most importantly stories from the front lines, in order to create unity and a large scale impression of what actions went down. Communication is key for our progression within the anti-consumerism movement, so any stories that you can send us this week we will put up on the web.

Please feel free to email me ([email protected]) with links to web sites, photos, and stories. I would love to hear about positive alternatives in your communities such as fair trade, environmentally friendly products, community currencies, arts collectives, or activist networks. Also any stories of how the public reacted to your Culture Jamming events, comments, and lessons. I hope that people are thinking about Buy Nothing Christmas Campaigns - gift making workshops, reclaiming cultural celebrations, and diverting corporate control of christmas festivities. Check out the web site http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/bnd_xmas/ and put your opinions on the forum, or else log onto JammerGroups to help organize Christmas events in your community.

Let's wrap up the BND 2004 with continued communication so we can learn from each other on a global scale. Thanks to the people who have already sent in profiles and picture, it looks like BND 2004 was a success. I hope to hear from each of you,

Hilary
BND Coordinator
Adbusters Media Foundation

[theCryptofishist]

Since I don't remember it being said here, it is worth noting that Rev. Billy did get a real push in the direction of participating on the playa in '03.

[Buttsex Avocado]

Jammers,

"What a release," one Florida jammer wrote. "After Bush's win, Buy Nothing Day was like therapy or something - only way more fun. I'm officially re-inspired." Say goodbye to the post-election funk.

In Okinawa and Kyoto, Japan, jammers dressed as Zenta Claus held mass meditations.

In New York, Greene Dragon and Reverend Billy's Church of Stop Shopping hit Times Square with their Nine Theses against Corporate Rule.

In Melbourne, Australia, a credit card cut-up booth took $38,000 out of circulation (based on credit limits).

Send your stories, pics and posters to: <[email protected]>
Highlights are up on the BND wrap-up page: <http://adbusters.org>

JammerGroups -- our new system for connecting local activists -- helped more than 6000 jammers organize events in 233 cities around the world. There's plenty of local fun to come. So, if you haven't joined your city's JammerGroup yet and want in on the action, simply visit:
<http://adbusters.org/jammergroups/>.

To all who opted out, jammed and helped spread the BND message: congrats on a great celebration.

Next up, check out the Buy Nothing Christmas campaign. We're spreading the BND spirit into the whole holiday season.
<http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/bnd_xmas/>

Cheers,

Staff and Volunteers
Adbusters media Foundation
604.736.9401

PS. If you haven't seen the BND interview on CNN with Adbusters' Founder Kalle Lasn, it's available for download. The host, Carol Costello, is a real trip. <http://adbusters.org>

[theCryptofishist]

Somewhere between hokey and interesting.

Lessons in human buy-ology
Rampant shopaholism is rooted in a host of sociological triggers that lead us to spend well beyond our needs

Vicki Haddock, Insight Staff Writer

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Biology tells us that virtually all creatures are hunters and gatherers. A survival instinct leads wild carnivores to track, stalk and slay their prey, and herbivores to graze or forage for theirs. A nesting instinct prompts birds and rodents to rummage for scraps that will enhance the comfort of their homes.

We humans operate under a variation of these potent primal drives, one more attributable to the science of "buy-ology:" the chronic urge to go shopping.

Scientists can even pinpoint clear physiological responses when we shop. An enticing array of merchandise can kick our neurotransmitters into overdrive. Adrenaline courses through our arteries. Our hearts palpitate at the site of a great bargain. And we experience a sense of well-being, even elation, at the point of purchase. The thrill of the hunt, the ecstasy of capture.

Our drive to shop -- fueled less by instinct than by our Pavlovian response to advertising -- reaches its apex during the holidays.

Even in this, expected to be a less-than-stellar shopping year, the National Retail Federation forecasts that the typical consumer will spend more than $700 on gifts. That's an increase of 4.5 percent over last year, helping propel Americans' $2 trillion in consumer debt. The cultural imperative to spend pre-dates President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to move up Thanksgiving -- done at the behest of a department store magnate to prolong the Christmas shopping season.

How are we so easily manipulated?

"Millions of Americans use consuming as a way to fight the blues, to savor a happy moment, to reward themselves, to enhance self-esteem or to escape from boredom," observed Juliet Schor, director of women's studies at Harvard and an astute chronicler of consumer conduct. " 'Retail therapy' is a response to just about any mood, state or psychological problem."

Nor is holiday shopping for others purely altruistic. Psychologists say we often buy gifts as a way of demonstrating our own affluence, signaling how much we care for someone, or flaunting our own taste and creativity in gift selection. Plus it's yet another excuse to go shopping.

A study released this month by the National Institutes of Health found that on the list of enjoyable activities, American women rated watching TV and shopping high on the list, far ahead of other activities, including taking care of children. The Roper Organization found 3 out of 5 women owning up to shopping to relieve stress.

But the ad agency Publicis found 55 percent of men and women acknowledge buying while depressed, only to regret it later.

Social scientists refer to this as the "Madame Bovary" syndrome, evoking the heroine of Flaubert's novel who fought the tedium of her housewifely French life with lavish consumption, until debt and disillusionment led to suicide. Researchers at the University of Newcastle in Australia found that the more materialistic people are, the more likely they are to be depressed.

We defuse any serious critique of our shopping fixation with ironic quips: "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping." And we tell ourselves that it is an innocuous proclivity. Perhaps so. As comedienne Elayne Boosler noted, "When women are depressed, they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking."

WSL Strategic Retail, however, found that American men ages 18 to 34 now shop nearly as much as unmarried women in the same age group. The effect on future foreign policy remains unclear.

But the signposts unmistakably demonstrate what a nation of shopaholics we have become. In the aftermath of the most consequential moment in contemporary American history -- the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- President Bush, then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and then-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown all exhorted shell-shocked citizens to do their patriotic duty by, yes, making the country's cash registers go ka-ching. Our motto was not "United We Stand" but "United We Shop."

U.S. shopping centers now outnumber high schools, and they attract 200 million shoppers a month. In as many as a dozen states, the biggest tourist draw is not a historical, cultural or natural attraction: It's a mall. And although California escapes that indignity, nonetheless it was in the Golden State that the Orange County Register newspaper assigned a reporter to cover a pioneering new "mall beat."

In recent years, even churches have begun setting up operations in malls. In North Carolina, the mega-church First Assembly of Concord Baptist purchased an entire shopping center so consumers could quench their spiritual and retail desires in a baptism of "Christian capitalism."

Malls remain an exercise spot of choice for seniors, the maze of stores echoing with the squeaks of their sneakers on linoleum. And the nation's largest temple to malldom, the 4.2 million-square-foot Mall of America in Minnesota, includes not just hundreds of stores but also a Snoopy theme park, a four-story Lego playland, a 14-screen movie theater, an aquarium and even a wedding chapel.

"Malls are a place where we answer important questions: What does it mean to be human? What are people for? What is the meaning of things? Why do we work? What do we work for? And what, in fact, are we shopping for?" observed Jim Farrell, professor at Minnesota's St. Olaf College and author of the book "One Nation Under Goods: Malls and the Seduction of American Shopping."

As malls begin to wane, shoppers are seeking more retail therapy elsewhere, from big box stores like Costco and Wal-Mart to boutiques. These venues, too, are fashioning themselves as lifestyle destinations rather than mere stockers of stuff. Toys 'R' Us, for example, began outfitting its stores to host children's birthday parties and offer haircuts and family portraits. And upscale stores increasingly are hosting swank soirees, charity balls and even film premieres, as Barneys in New York did with "The Last Samurai."

In short, there isn't much Americans do anymore that can't be done in a retail establishment -- which explains why we are spending more of our free time in stores.

Not that we don't sense the danger: a Merck Family Fund poll found that 72 percent of Americans say people buy things as a substitute for something missing in their lives. What's more, 80 percent believe too many people are "addicted" to shopping.

Addiction, however, may be in the eyes of the beholder. For truly obsessive-compulsive shoppers -- estimated to be less than 10 percent of the adult population -- psychiatric researchers are testing a variety of drugs and behavior modifications to curb retail binging and retail bulimia (binges preceded by trips to the returns desk). Among these researchers is Stanford psychiatry professor Lorrin Koran, an advocate of classifying compulsive shopping as a mental disorder in the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual.

The poster child may be Illinois native Karyn Bosnak, who got a six- figure-salary job as a TV producer in New York and decided that required all the accoutrements of success -- Fifth Avenue fashion expeditions, a personal trainer, the works -- bought on credit. As she put it, "I pulled out my Amex, and swipe, sign, it was mine..."

Then she lost her job. And in light of her charge brigade, her life came crashing down. She desperately began shrinking her life from excess to frugality, selling her pricier purchases on EBay and even panhandling on the Internet from strangers via her Web site, SaveKaryn.com.

Today, her life story has morphed into a book and movie-to-be, and her Web site evolved into a haven for other compulsive shoppers to share tips, such as carrying only a Discover card because the tonier shops don't accept it.

Then there was Antoinette Millard, who hailed from a blue-collar family in Buffalo but passed herself off as a Saudi princess. She went on shopping sprees to rack up almost $1 million in posh purchases. Sued for unpaid debts by American Express, she then countersued for $2 million, blaming Amex for soliciting her to carry the virtually no-limit Centurion Card.

As her lawyer Peter Brill told reporters, "She's someone who got caught up in the money culture that dominates New York, and the need to fit in with that culture." Asked if his client had a psychological problem, he replied, "I think everybody in New York has a long-standing psychological problem."

As for the rest of us, not to worry too much. The time and energy we spend shopping doesn't portend mental illness -- just a disturbing reflection of our shallow values. Marketing guru Paco Underhill is correct when he contends that none of us in the 21st century really needs much of anything we don't already have.

But if we realized that and just quit shopping, the theory goes, our entire economy might collapse like a house of credit cards.

And if we shop til we drop, fear not -- for behold, Costco has just begun to offer its customers value-priced caskets.

So let the holiday lights shine, let the Prada signs twinkle, the Macy's windows glimmer, the Kmart blue-light specials flash. They will beckon us and we will come, as always, moths to the flame.

E-mail Vicki Haddock at [email protected].

[Buttsex Avocado]

somehow that took me to

http://www.revbilly.com/
and this http://www.adbusters.org/

and then this: http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/bnd_xmas/

Merry Everything,

Ho Ho Ho!

Santa