For the last several years, I’ve successfully avoided the insanity of Black Friday by practicing the counter cultural equivalent, Buy Nothing Day. I’ve found great pleasure in avoiding the illicited consumer orgy of obscene spending, crowd herding and pointless gift gathering.
While millions huddled around advertisements and oogled over cheap crap that nobody needs, I didn’t even bother to crack the newspaper. Waking up this morning, I sipped coffee and tooled around with my blog while Americana consumer-bots trampled each other and fought for their right to surrender their hard earned cash to corporate executives. As America heaved their day’s acquisitions into their cars and homes, I took pride that not one new possession entered my home.
I was a little worried this year – there was a chance I might’ve had to buy a thing. But, as it turns out, it’s 8:30PM and I don’t forsee needing to crack the wallet any time in the next several hours.
Some days, it feels good to not do something.