The Friday after Thanksgiving is traditionally the start of the Christmas season. After spending a night with the family, Americans go out to malls and forget what they learned the night before: The best way to show affection and appreciation for your family is by spending time with them, not by spending your money on mass-marketed products. To emphasize that point and attempt to hedge the consumerist nature that is slowly overtaking our country, the Adbusters Media Foundation created "Buy Nothing Day" - a holiday celebrated in over 50 countries around the world that is gaining support in the United States.
The campaign has hit roadblocks; the biggest is that in an effort to spread the word, Adbusters resorted to trying to purchase airtime on the major cable networks. Those networks, whose profits are made possible by the same kind of corporate advertisement Adbusters decries, opted not to allow the organization to purchase time.
The message of "money does not equal love" should not need to be promoted, but many people have forgotten this. "Buy Nothing Day" is beneficial to every family, no matter which end of the economic spectrum they fall under. Middle class families who have money to spend on lavish gifts must be reminded that their loved ones can appreciate gifts that come from the heart more than those that are mass marketed. Poorer families often see the holidays as a terrible crush where scarce funds must be used to buy presents, as well as support themselves. Since they often spend money they do not have, the unnecessary circle of debt continues.
Adbusters suggests several alternatives that are environmentally and socially conscious. Without spending money, people are encouraged to stay home and bake, or burn CDs as personalized gifts, all while spending time together. If people are inclined to throw dollars around, they should put their money back into a local, service-based economy. $15 spent on a foreign product in Wal-Mart does nothing for the local economy, while purchasing a local service from a neighbor supports the community and is much more personal.
While focusing on individual needs at home, the global environment is helped as well. Since Americans consume so much, people from other countries are forced to take less than they need to make up for us. Workers earning meager change per hour in terrible conditions make many of the mass-marketed products in Third World sweatshops. If just for one day we do not support that, it will send a message. It is rare that a single day, spent at home with those who care about you, can have such global implications. "Buy Nothing Day" has the potential to be very successful, since it does not hurt anyone but corporate America.
Unfortunately for Adbusters, there is no effective way of reaching a large-scale audience. The best way would be advertisements on television or radio, but that is inherently ironic, given the goals of the organization. Major networks cannot be blamed for rejecting anti-consumer messages. If Adbusters wants to reach people, it has to be through interpersonal communication. Their booths at malls and other shopping centers are an excellent start. Once Adbusters' argument begins to spread, and the movement gains notoriety, a larger population can participate.
This day has been very successful in the last decade throughout Europe. Families are brought back together and save their money for more meaningful spending. In America, we are so caught up in capitalist greed, we forget what is really important. By putting emphasis back on families and individuality, we can truly appreciate the holidays. Days off from work and school should be spent together, not out spending money on presents that replace precious time.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
