Exploring every means of resistance to tyranny
Q&A
This is great, but why wait? We should be supporting local businesses and
small businesses online all the time, shouldn't we, instead of the
transnationals? I imposed a personal boycott on big box stores, myself
(with the unavoidable exception of office supplies, which can no longer be
obtained in Albuquerque except through one of the chains).
Today I received a shocking e-mail from an outfit that specializes in
"luxury marketing" and says Halloween is now a $3 billion+ business
annually. Doesn't that figure have Wal-Mart and Asian trinkets written all
over it?
Besides asking people not to support the huge corporations, suggestions
about how to avoid it would be good, too.
Thanks for your great work!
Erin
~ Blogging at http://blog.myspace.com/glitzqueen and
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/category/featured-writers/glitz...
-the-other-katherine-harris/
Hi Erin:
Absolutely-but now we have to do whatever we can to convince everybody else that they can still have a high quality of life without relying on corporate America. In addition we need to make certain that the force we call upon is timed and aimed properly for maximum potential impact. I suppose all that I am proposing here is nothing more than a decentralized marketing campaign promoting the true meaning of Christmas. The beauty of it is that it does not seem to be an overtly political act, it appeals to our higher nature and it has the potential to wreak havoc with the big box stores and other major retailers and manufacturers.
As for suggestions-the website proper (www.wearenotbuyingit.org) has a number of links to help guide people in their shopping decisions-but the social network at www.wearenotbuyingit.ning.com allows individuals to share resources locally. For instance if you know of some good mom and pop shops, flea markets or other local outlets for conscious shopping then post them on the social network so that other people in your area can have the benefit of your experience.
As for Halloween-I think that you could analyze this phenomenon from any number of angles-I like to think of the surging popularity of the holiday as an expression of the distaste with which people regard their everyday lives. Corporate America doesn't work for us very well in terms of providing meaningful employment and most people have to live within a persona that doesn't truly express who they are or tap into their hidden talents. As a result we are not only frustrated by commutes, constant connectivity and the pressures of office politics and job insecurity but we are also frustrated at a very deep level by the dehumanizing aspects of work life. As a result people look for some way in which to release their inner selves, to let their hair down and party for once and Halloween has become a prime time for that kind of adult self-expression.
So locally we have been turning that drive to good ends by informally working with some of our friends and neighbors to put together a recycled haunted house (kind of like a performance art piece that will scare the living @3$& out of you) with an anti-corporate theme. For the last 4 years we have donated the proceeds to different local projects and, while exhausting ourselves with 4 weekends of shows, helped to redirect the corporate angst and meaninglessness to good ends. Of course many of the trinkets and gee-gaws we use come from China-but the vast bulk of the material we put into this 20,000 foot show comes from yard sales, thrift stores and other second or third tier retail sources.
I will work on making some general sources available to support mom and pop shopping and small businesses, such as promoting Jones Soda over Coke. In the end it is up to each individual to really start engaging their hearts and minds when they spend their money-that alone paired with good information can knock corporate America for a loop while at the same time strengthening sustainable, local economies.
Lew
small businesses online all the time, shouldn't we, instead of the
transnationals? I imposed a personal boycott on big box stores, myself
(with the unavoidable exception of office supplies, which can no longer be
obtained in Albuquerque except through one of the chains).
Today I received a shocking e-mail from an outfit that specializes in
"luxury marketing" and says Halloween is now a $3 billion+ business
annually. Doesn't that figure have Wal-Mart and Asian trinkets written all
over it?
Besides asking people not to support the huge corporations, suggestions
about how to avoid it would be good, too.
Thanks for your great work!
Erin
~ Blogging at http://blog.myspace.com/glitzqueen and
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/category/featured-writers/glitz...
-the-other-katherine-harris/
Hi Erin:
Absolutely-but now we have to do whatever we can to convince everybody else that they can still have a high quality of life without relying on corporate America. In addition we need to make certain that the force we call upon is timed and aimed properly for maximum potential impact. I suppose all that I am proposing here is nothing more than a decentralized marketing campaign promoting the true meaning of Christmas. The beauty of it is that it does not seem to be an overtly political act, it appeals to our higher nature and it has the potential to wreak havoc with the big box stores and other major retailers and manufacturers.
As for suggestions-the website proper (www.wearenotbuyingit.org) has a number of links to help guide people in their shopping decisions-but the social network at www.wearenotbuyingit.ning.com allows individuals to share resources locally. For instance if you know of some good mom and pop shops, flea markets or other local outlets for conscious shopping then post them on the social network so that other people in your area can have the benefit of your experience.
As for Halloween-I think that you could analyze this phenomenon from any number of angles-I like to think of the surging popularity of the holiday as an expression of the distaste with which people regard their everyday lives. Corporate America doesn't work for us very well in terms of providing meaningful employment and most people have to live within a persona that doesn't truly express who they are or tap into their hidden talents. As a result we are not only frustrated by commutes, constant connectivity and the pressures of office politics and job insecurity but we are also frustrated at a very deep level by the dehumanizing aspects of work life. As a result people look for some way in which to release their inner selves, to let their hair down and party for once and Halloween has become a prime time for that kind of adult self-expression.
So locally we have been turning that drive to good ends by informally working with some of our friends and neighbors to put together a recycled haunted house (kind of like a performance art piece that will scare the living @3$& out of you) with an anti-corporate theme. For the last 4 years we have donated the proceeds to different local projects and, while exhausting ourselves with 4 weekends of shows, helped to redirect the corporate angst and meaninglessness to good ends. Of course many of the trinkets and gee-gaws we use come from China-but the vast bulk of the material we put into this 20,000 foot show comes from yard sales, thrift stores and other second or third tier retail sources.
I will work on making some general sources available to support mom and pop shopping and small businesses, such as promoting Jones Soda over Coke. In the end it is up to each individual to really start engaging their hearts and minds when they spend their money-that alone paired with good information can knock corporate America for a loop while at the same time strengthening sustainable, local economies.
Lew
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