by Felix Cohen
This Saturday (Friday in the USA and Canada) will be Buy Nothing Day, a day of celebration for many political activists around the world, where they express their dissatisfaction with the retail takeover of, primarily Thanksgiving, but also culture in general. It is 24 hours of retail abstinence, where the goal is simple; to buy nothing. No gifts, no clothes, no music, no food; nothing. Of course, many people feel the urge to stock up the day beforehand, and many critics point out that some people will still go on shopping binges the following day, but the point is to take a day of abstinence from the most modern of vices.
We'll be polling the staff in the office to see what, if anything, they intend to do about Buy Nothing Day, and we want to hear from you, our readers, about your plans. Are you going traffic jamming with the Reverend Billy & The Church of Stop Shopping, or putting out empty, unlabelled cans on the stores of your local supermarket? Or do you see it as a chance to spend some quality time with your friends and family away from the pressures of the high street? Perhaps you and a group of friends will take some time for Guerilla Gardening, or a quick WhirlMart party!
Whatever your plans, or lack thereof, we want to hear about it. Email us at buynothing@opendemocracy.net, and we'll put together a celebration of our readers activities on friday.
