A Black Friday Buy Nothing Day

It's that time of year again and the holiday season seems to be upon us. And the shop, shop until you drop season seems to also be upon us also. And it's also Occupy Wall Street Day 69 on this Thanksgiving Day of a holiday here in North America according to that Gregorian calendar on the wall. And remember the Indians and eat more tofurky, or something like that. And according to Occupy Wall Street's website tomorrow is also Buy Nothing Day. And their website reads something like as follows:

You’ve been sleeping on the streets for two months pleading peacefully for a new spirit in economics. And just as your camps are raided, your eyes pepper sprayed and your head’s knocked in, another group of people are preparing to camp-out. Only these people aren’t here to support occupy Wall Street, they’re here to secure their spot in line for a Black Friday bargain at Super Target and Macy’s.

Occupy gave the world a new way of thinking about the fat cats and financial pirates on Wall Street. Now lets give them a new way of thinking about the holidays, about our own consumption habits. Lets’ use the coming 20th annual Buy Nothing Day to launch an all-out offensive to unseat the corporate kings on the holiday throne.

This year’s Black Friday will be the first campaign of the holiday season where we set the tone for a new type of holiday culminating with #OCCUPYXMAS. As the global protests of the 99% against corporate greed and casino capitalism continues, lets take the opportunity to hit the empire where it really hurts…the wallet.

On Nov 25/26th we escape the mayhem and unease of the biggest shopping day in North America and put the breaks on rabid consumerism for 24 hours. Flash mobs, consumer fasts, mall sit-ins, community events, credit card-ups, whirly-marts and jams, jams, jams! We don’t camp on the sidewalk for a reduced price tag on a flat screen TV or psycho-killer video game. Instead, we occupy the very paradigm that is fueling our eco, social and political decline.

Historically, Buy Nothing Day has been about fasting from hyper consumerism – a break from the cash register and reflecting on how dependent we really are on conspicuous consumption. On this 20th anniversary of Buy Nothing Day, we take it to the next level, marrying it with the message of #occupy…

We #OCCUPYXMAS.

Shenanigans begin November 25!

Adbusters Buy Nothing Day / #OCCUPYXMAS Page

And that recycle this blog post for Black Friday that found itself posted on this blog some time a while ago, also reads something like as follows:

It's that time of year again, the holiday season is upon us, according to the calendar and advertisements, and it's the most joyous festival time of the year, or is it. And Thanksgiving Day in America is later this week, that nationalistic day to be thankful for something. And remember the Indians, their beads and trinkets, that twenty four dollars and the land of Manna-hatin, and eat more tofurky. No one is free when others are oppressed. And isn't the day after Thanksgiving day Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, or is that the day after Christmas. Well this year the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 23rd, is also Buy Nothing Day and isn't this day celebrated around the world. I am not exactly sure what the story behind this concept is, but I think it has something to do with buying nothing. And Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping will be out there in the streets with shopping events all over New York City all day long. And I imagine there will be a ton of other events in observation of this day. Adbusters will be hitting the streets for a 24 hour consumer fast and there will be a Buy Nothing Day Freegan Feast on this day also. Maybe one can help save the environment and planet earth on this day by consuming less. Peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind.