Buy Nothing today and avoid getting crushed to death

Is getting the best bargain of the year worth a man's life? Avoid the dangers and the idiocy -- buy nothing, and here's why:

BUY NOTHING DAY ORGANIZERS
CONFRONT THE ECONOMIC MELTDOWN HEAD ON

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 (which this year falls on Friday, November 28) in the United States, and the unofficial start of the international holiday shopping season (Saturday, November 29), 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.

Featured by such media giants as CNN, USA Today, MSNBC, Wired, the BBC, The Age and the CBC, Buy Nothing Day has gained momentum in recent years as the climate crisis has driven people to seek out greener alternatives to unrestrained consumption.

This year, Buy Nothing Day organizers are confronting the economic meltdown head-on – asking citizens, policy makers and pundits to examine our economic crisis.

"If you dig a little past the surface you'll see that this financial meltdown is not about liquidity, toxic derivatives or unregulated markets, it's really about culture," says the co-founder of Adbusters Media Foundation, Kalle Lasn. "It's our culture of excess and meaningless consumption — the glorified spending and borrowing of the past decade that's at the root of the crisis we now find ourselves in."

Economic meltdown, together with the ecological crisis of climate change could be the beginning of a major global cultural shift — the dawn of a new age: the age of Post-Materialism.

"A simpler, pared-down lifestyle – one in which we're not drowning in debt – may well be the answer to this crisis we're in," says Lasn. "Living within our means will also make us happier and healthier than we’ve been in years."

Had enough economic stimulation? Buy Nothing!

News reports indicate consumers are beginning to pay in cash rather than use credit cards. A good idea, but why not simply opt out of buying a lot of useless junk? Black Friday fast approaches, and I urge you to stay at home and Buy Nothing! Yes, it is the 17th annual day dedicated to throwing a wrench in the capitalistic machine.

Ever wonder what it takes to make all that stuff in China that ends up in your Walmart cart? Check out the opening scene to the documentary Manufactured Landscapes:

Long fascinated with the impact of industrial development on natural landscapes, photographer Edward Burtynsky travels to China to witness the effects of the country's explosive urbanization. This thought-provoking documentary accompanies Burtynsky on his journey, elaborating on his intriguing still images while probing issues surrounding short-term progress versus long-term environmental health.

It's the perfect antidote for the urge to consume mindlessly:

Do the Right Thing

As you know, this is International Buy Nothing Day, a great idea that needs to happen more than once a year. Could we have a weekly Buy Nothing Day and still survive? How about a weekly Drive Nowhere Day? Or a Use No Plastic Day?

But, but...there will always be exceptions, won't there? What if you have to buy medications for a sick cat or you have to buy a part to make your toilet work? Or in my case today, what if you find out one of your students got hit by a van and is in the hospital?

I packed up some kid books and headed over to Children's Hospital today. I didn't know whether my student would be in any condition to read or to be read to, so I stopped in the gift shop -- even though I knew full well it was Buy Nothing Day. I found a stuffed lion to represent an African play my student had appeared in recently.

Up in the room, the patient was pretty miserable with a broken leg bone at the hip, and other damage. He's going to be all right eventually, but right now there's some major pain to get through and a whole lot of healing ahead. The books will come in handy in a few more days, but right now all the patient wanted to do was to hug the toy lion and smile out a thanks to me for being there. We had a good visit, and that lion stayed nestled in the crook of his good shoulder all the while I was there.

I don't know if there is a moral to this story. The stuffed lion was probably not a fare trade item made in a factory where workers are fairly paid and have medical coverage. I should have stopped at The Market Path to look for a gift. That would have meant a slight detour in my trip to the hospital. But like most people, I didn't think ahead and just went with the impulse. Good intentions are so easily lead astray by what is convenient and what is not.

To make up for my transgression, I will Buy Nothing tomorrow. Here's why:

Do something useful -- Buy Nothing on Nov 23rd

As the holiday season approaches, ask yourself what do we, as a species, really need? More stuff? More calorie laden foods? More automobile exhaust on the freeways and in the parking lots of America's malls?

Or maybe we really need to stay home and clear out our junk. Donate the things that are usable to people who could really use them. Recycle items that otherwise clog our landfills.

On Friday, November 23rd, as the mindless masses head off before dawn to wait in line at Walmart and other big box stores, I'll be sleeping in. I won't be driving my vehicle that day, instead I'll be using the day off from work to put on some music and dance around the house. I may read a book or write a few emails, and maybe go for a walk with Oberon if the weather allows it.

What I won't be doing is spending money on stuff I don't need or stuff that others don't need. I hope you will consider joining in this coming Friday. Buy Nothing and blog about what you didn't buy!

For more information, visit the incredibly creative group known as Adbusters.