Buy Nothing Day

Since its birth, the social force of consumerism has griped many in a stranglehold of unnatural normalcy and complacency.  People have come to assume that this is what life is all about; a constant state of buying goods and services that may not necessarily be good for them (or the environment), or worse: purchasing products that they don’t even need.  Mindless consumption is the result of capitalism’s manufacturing of useless, inferior and sometimes dangerous products which are then peddled to the masses through misleading advertising.  Society, in every aspect, has grotesquely ballooned due to this over-consumption lifestyle.  Mankind is directly impacted by the vast amount of consumption that takes place every single minute of every single day.  One person in particular decided that he had had enough of the madness and initiated a grassroots social movement protesting the role of consumerism in today’s society.

Canadian Ted Dave considers himself many things; three of those things begin with the letter “A”: an Actor, an Artist, and most importantly as Activist.  Back in 1992 while working as a graphic artist, Dave decided that he could no longer sit idly as the ever rising prices of everything soared out of control.  His day-to-day living expenses rapidly became unaffordable; it was time for Dave the Artist to transform into Dave the Activist (McKay, 2000).  He knew from the beginning that his idea was simple, a day in which everyone buys nothing.  From this his idea for an over-consumption awareness movement was born: “Buy Nothing Day”.

The premise behind “Buy Nothing Day”, according to Dave, is “a campaign to send a signal to the economy and the corporate sector that consumers do have power” (McKay, 2000).  It seems so simple, but the hold that consumption has on the consumer is far worse than any horrific drug addiction imaginable.  Some may argue that the consumer’s active consumption is the power being exercised, not a lack of consumption.  What the consumer buys is an indication of what sells in the market, poor sales of any given product relays a message back to the manufacturer to stop producing that one item, hence the power of the consumer.

From Dave’s viewpoint, this is abnormal and backwards.  The power of the consumers lies in their action to inform the manufacturer as to the items and products that they would like to have and further be willing to buy.  Far too often, the manufacturer forces upon society those items that they wish the consumer would buy through devious advertising tactics.  Manipulating the consumer into buying something that they do not need is the number one goal of the capitalist.  Dave makes the claim that “absolutely everything around us in the urban environment is set up to be coercive, to get you to buy things spontaneously” (McKay, 2000).

The “Buy Nothing Day” ideology is straight-forward.  Dave, in his original manifesto proposing a twenty-four hour moratorium on spending, suggests a returning of “…the purchasing power of the marketplace to the consumer. The idea of voting with your dollar seems to be an apolitical solution to what was once a political problem” (McKay, 2000).  Dave is encouraging all consumers to send a message to the capitalist, the manufacturer, and to the government that the general public has the ultimate say when it comes to purchasing power and the economy.

Since its inauguration, “Buy Nothing Day” slowly spread with dozens of grassroots organizations taking Dave’s original idea and applying their own approach to the day.  Billed as the anti-consumption holiday, “Buy Nothing Day” began to take hold and its recognition grew and continues to grow.  In North America, Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas shopping season) was selected as the day which would mark the holiday. Outside of North America, the holiday is celebrated the following day, Saturday.  The grassroots efforts include (but not limited to): 1) groups dressing up in sheep costumes to portray the “blind consumer sheep”, 2) groups setting up credit card cut-up booths that encourage consumers to break free from the plastic ties that bind them so dangerously to consumption, 3) Zenta Claus, a gift-less Santa that mediates in the malls (Azpiri, 2008).  Those that participate in these organizations have wide ranging demographics, from young to old; both female and male.  The only requirement to be involved in the movement is a belief in the cause for a consumption free day and the commitment to make such a day a reality.

One of the larger grassroots organizations is called Adbusters Media Foundation [AMF].  Beyond the individual labor of Ted Dave and the supporting cast of other grassroots efforts, “Buy Nothing Day” would not be what it is today nor could it continue to exist without the organizational abilities and advocacy of AMF.  AMF joined forces with “Buy Nothing Day” and propelled the movement from small scale posters and local newspaper ads to one that is known worldwide.  Thanks to guerrilla marketing and the power of the internet to spread the word, “Buy Nothing Day” has become even more visible to the general population.  AMF’s website, Adbusters.org has no statistics on how many people worldwide actually participate on any given “Buy Nothing Day”.  While it remains unclear as to how wide the holiday is celebrated, there is evidence that the movement itself has grown since its infancy.

AMF is a “global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age.”  Their aim “is to topple existing power structures and forge a major shift in the way (people) will live in the 21^st century” (AMF, unknown date).  AMF works with many different movements/campaigns (“Buy Nothing Day”, “Kick It Over”, “Blackspot Shoes”, and “Digital Detox Week”) as well as organizations such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.  AMF has been featured in hundreds of mainstream and alternative media avenues and provides commentary ranging from genetically modified foods to media concentration.  With the steady rise of “Buy Nothing Day” and “Digital Detox Week”, Adbusters.org has become an important tool for any activist working with these types if issues to network with other groups and organizations.  According to their website, AMF is ultimately an “ecological magazine, dedicated to examining the relationship between human beings and their physical and mental environment. We want a world in which the economy and ecology resonate in balance” (AMF, unknown date).

Being founded by an artist, attention grabbing framing is of particular importance for the “Buy Nothing Day” movement.  The focus of the movement’s identity, philosophy, ideology, and general goal is primarily depicted through thought provoking images.  This form of framing has several advantages.  First, the images themselves are not that overly complicated to interrupt.  They are designed to be quick hitting and to make an individual think “outside of the box”, even if for a moment.  When something is seen that breaks free from the “norm”, it gives pause and elicits a response of one form or another ranging from negative anger (not being able to comprehend why anyone would be against capitalism/consumerism) to positive outrage (realizing that over consumption is killing off humanity).  A second advantage to this process of framing is in its simplicity.  Much of the time technology (via the internet) is used to transmit these images to the world, but since it is first and foremost a grassroots effort the images need to be taken to the streets.  Fliers and small scale posters are easy to reproduce and then place in strategic locations of high visibility to attract the attention of as many pedestrians as possible.  Again, the general goal of this type of framing is to create a thinking process that pushes the envelope of both the individual and society as a whole.  Ultimately, the “Buy Nothing Day” movement encourages participants to question the reality that has been constructed by the machine of capitalism. The following images are but a sample of all that are involved in the movement:


 

As can be seen, each one of the images frames the ideology of the movement precisely in a nice, consicse and simplistic package.  One poster provides a list of alternatives to buying and consuming and another suggests using a credit card for something besides purchasing, like buttering a piece of toast.  The capitalist model is mocked by displaying altered cooperate logos in a “Work, Buy, Consume, Die” format and yet another image illustrating a recipt has calculated the total price of the hottest selling item (freedom from consumption): $0.00.  The bars of the barcode have imprisoned society and this images states that individuals should participate by not participating which would facilitate an escape from capitalism.  One of the most impactful posters contains only four words: “What would Jesus buy?”; one wonders what the meaning of Christmas truly is.

The two largest obstacles that “Buy Nothing Day” faces are: 1) the goliath of capitalism and 2) the way in which the American society tries to socialize everyone into being a good consumer.  There are far too many individuals that believe the concepts of Freedom, Democracy, and Capitalism are one-in-the same, arguing that if a person is anti-capitalist then they are anti-American and therefore hate Freedom and Democracy.  This misunderstanding is part of the socialization process which has led to the over-abundance of consumption.  Mark Wickens makes the claim that “Buy Nothing Day” is becoming that which it originally set out to protest.  The movement, he claims, has been “branded” throughout the years since its inception and therefore is now a “consumable” thing.  He further makes his case for an alternative day: “Appreciate What You’ve Got Day” as this would be more of a wholesome type of celebration (Wickens, 2007).  The only issue with Wickens new holiday is that an individual can appreciate a lot of stuff if they are so inclined, and this of course, does not decrease the amount of overt consumption.

One of the key successes of the “Buy Nothing Day” movement is the ever increasing knowledge that the movement actually exists.  With its major focal point being marked by the same day as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, one cannot help but notice the non-violent tactics of the movements activists: the honest advertising done by AMF and those individuals that put up posters and walk the shopping centers with signs that read, “What Would Jesus Buy?” and “Debt: It’s what Christmas is all about!”  This increasing knowledge has solidified “Buy Nothing Day” as a yearly event that continues to grow in stature.  Currently, larger cities tend to harbor the most activists committed to this cause, but evidence of the movement is slowly spreading to smaller towns and even rural areas.  Education, argues Wendell Berry, is one of the major key factors in the effectiveness of consumption reduction, stating that “we must begin to teach our children (and learn ourselves) that we cannot spend and consume endlessly.  We have got to learn to save and conserve.  We do need a ‘new economy’, but one that is founded on thrift and care, on saving and conserving, not on excess and waste” (Berry, 2001).

An interesting success story happened several years ago in the United Kingdom.  A group of community volunteers and activists elected to spend “Buy Nothing Day” picking up trash around their community.  “Litter Pick”, as it was titled, was successful in not only bagging some 35 large bags of rubbish, but also provided time for self-reflection and a learning experience of the resulting effect of over-consumption.  According to Kieran McCann, the event organizer, a day “without spending allowed us to consider the environmental and aesthetic impacts that over-consumption and the waste produced has on our communities. Buy Nothing Day helped us to make a commitment to consuming less, recycling more and making more ethical and environmentally aware consumer choices” (McCann, 2009).

In conclusion, “Buy Nothing Day” has been a very active and relevant cause since Ted Dave breathed life into it all those years ago.  With mindfulness tactics, the movement’s philosophy of non-violent protesting of consumerism, corporatism, and capitalism is bringing awareness to society that the Earth’s resources are in short supply.  Humans are reliant on other humans as well as the environment in which they live and over-consumption is slowly butchering both.  Knowledge of the mistakes made in the past and continual education programs to improve living conditions for all are key to the survival of society and the environment.  “Buy Nothing Day” is only a small step towards a better future, but at least it is a step in the right direction.  Many other factors have to begin forging alliances and working together in order for Ted Dave’s dream to become a full blown reality.  With the efforts that have already taken place and the continued growth of the movement, “Buy Nothing Day” has become a guide to a brighter future.

References:

AMF. (unkown date). About adbusters. Retrieved from

     http://www.adbusters.org/about/adbusters

Azpiri, J. (2008, Novemeber 26). The father of buy nothing day -- ted dave. NowPublic,
     Retrieved from http://www.nowpublic.com/strange/father-buy-nothing-day-ted-dave

Berry, W. (2001, Autumn). Thoughts in the presence of fear. Orion Magazine, 1(48),          
     Retrieved from http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/214/

McCann, K. (2009, December 1). Buy nothing day litter pick is a success [Web log message].        
     Retrieved from http://cardiffdigs.blogspot.com/2009/12/buy-nothing-day-litter-pick-is-success.html

McKay, J. (2000, September 15). Vancouver acto ted dave better known as an activist.  
     Canadian Press

Wickens, M. (2007, Novemeber 22). To buy, or not to buy. Marketing Weekly, 30(47),

      Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer
      /pdfviewer?sid=e466a876-d11b-476d-9224-39928aac6fe5%40sessionmgr4&vid=3&hid=14