- Buy Nothing Day
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Buy Nothing Day demonstration in San Francisco, November 2000
Buy Nothing Day (BND) is an international day of protest against consumerism observed by social activists. Typically celebrated the Friday after American Thanksgiving in North America and the following day internationally, in 2011 the dates are November 25 and 26 respectively.[1] It was founded in Vancouver by artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by magazine, based in Canada.
The first Buy Nothing Day was organized in Mexico in September 1992 "as a day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption."[2] In 1997, it was moved to the Friday after American Thanksgiving, also called "Black Friday", which is one of the 10 busiest shopping days in the United States. Outside North America and Israel, Buy Nothing Day is the following Saturday. Adbusters was denied advertising time by almost all major television networks except for CNN, which was the only one to air their ads.[3] Soon, campaigns started appearing in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, France, and Norway. Participation now includes more than 65 nations.[2]
Contents
Activities
Various gatherings, shenanigans, and forms of protest have been used on Buy Nothing Day to draw attention to the problem of over-consumption:
- Credit card cut up: Participants stand in a shopping mall, shopping center, or store with a pair of scissors and a poster that advertises help for people who want to put an end to mounting debt and extortionate interest rates with one simple cut.
- Free, non-commercial street parties
- Sit-ins
- Zombie Walk: Participant ‘zombies’ wander around shopping malls or other consumer havens with a blank stare. When asked what they are doing participants describe Buy Nothing Day.
- Whirl-mart: Participants silently steer their shopping carts around a shopping mall or store in a long, baffling conga line without putting anything in the carts or actually making any purchases.
- Public protests
- Wildcat General Strike: A strategy used for the 2009 Buy Nothing Day where participants not only do not buy anything for twenty-four hours but also keep their lights, televisions, computers and other non-essential appliances turned off, their cars parked, and their phones turned off or unplugged from sunrise to sunset.[1]
- Buy Nothing Day hike: Rather than celebrating consumerism by shopping, participants celebrate the earth and nature.[4]
- Buy Nothing Critical Mass: As the monthly Critical Mass bike ride often falls on this day or near, rides in some cities acknowledge and celebrate Buy Nothing Day.
- Buy Nothing Day paddle along the San Francisco waterfront. This event is promoted by the Bay Area Sea Kayakers to kayak along the notoriously consumptive San Francisco waterfront.
- The Winter Coat Exchanges that started in Rhode Island and now have locations in Rhode Island, Kentucky, Utah and Oregon in which coats are collected from anyone who wants to donate, and anyone who needs a winter coat is welcome to take one.
Criticism
While critics of the day charge that Buy Nothing Day simply causes participants to buy the next day,[5] Adbusters states that it "isn't just about changing your habits for one day" but "about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment to consuming less and producing less waste."[2]
A group in Montreal promoted "Steal Something Day" as an alternative.[6] In their words, "The geniuses at Adbusters have managed to create the perfect feel-good, liberal, middle-class activist non-happening. A day when the more money you make, the more influence you have (like every other day). A day which, by definition, is insulting to the millions of people worldwide who are too poor or marginalized to be considered 'consumers'."
See also
- Advent conspiracy
- Black Friday
- Buy Nothing Christmas
- Culture jamming
- Cyber Monday
- Homo consumericus
- Kashless.org
- Car-Free Days
- The Story of Stuff (2007 film)
References
- ^ a b "Buy Nothing Day"Adbusters.org
- ^ a b c Buy Nothing Day 2006 press release
- ^ "Buy Nothing Day"The Guardian.co.uk
- ^ Buy Nothing Day hike announcement http://www.backtonatives.org/events.htm
- ^ Why I Shop on Buy Nothing Day, TheTyee.ca, 24 November 2006
- ^ Steal Something Day http://www.urban75.org/archive/news088.html
External links
- BND creator Ted Dave's official website
- The Buy Nothing Day site through the Adbusters Media Foundation
- BND UK information and support for UK campaigners
- Festive Shopping
- Steal Something Day press release from 1999
Thanksgiving History and
traditionsCanada United States Cuisine Songs - "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"
- "For the Beauty of the Earth"
- "Over the River and through the Woods"
- "The Thanksgiving Song"
- "We Gather Together"
- "We Plough the Fields and Scatter"
- "Alice's Restaurant"
Associated
eventsCultural - Christmas and holiday season
- Harvest festivals
- Thanksgiving in film
- Thanksgiving television specials
- Winter festivals
- Lighting of the Macy's Great Tree
- World's Largest Disco
Parades Protests National Day of Mourning (United States protest)
- Unthanksgiving Day
Sports Football - NFL Thanksgiving Classic
- CFL Thanksgiving Classic
- State Farm Lone Star Showdown
- Turkey Day Classic
Basketball - 76 Classic
- Battle 4 Atlantis
- Maui Invitational Tournament
- Old Spice Classic
Turkey Trots - Atlanta Marathon
- Berwick Run for the Diamonds
- Dallas Turkey Trot
- Feaster Five Road Race
- Manchester Road Race
Others - National Dog Show
- Pumpkin chunking
- Turkey bowling
- Turkey Night Grand Prix
Categories:- Consumer boycotts
- November observances
- Recurring events established in 1992
- Unofficial observances
- Christmas economics
- Waste reduction
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