Reasonable Debate Over Passionate Shopping

"It's been an empty, soulless kind of ritual that very, very few people enjoy. this is a chance for us, the occupiers to take Christmas back and have a bit of fun and remind people that Christmas can be a helluva lot more than just shopping and Black Fridays, and maxing out on your credit card." Kalle Lasn, Adbusters

Not, actually a totally bad idea. Although it is abundantly clear it would never become wildly popular. So, to Adbusters, the brains behind Occupy Wall Street, good luck on that one. Those who are smugly righteous will be quick to queue up for inclusion, without doubt.

And it is beyond true that advertisers have long gone amok in the interests of helping themselves to well-paid contractual agreements with the purveyors of junky toys, tasteless jewellery, expensive tech toys and other such paraphernalia of Christmas cheer-and-gift-giving.

Adbusters is keen to launch a month-long "Buy Nothing Day". Starting with Black Friday. They'll have to be a little more alert than that, since commercial interests in the United States and their public relations and advertising armies have decided to jump the gun on this one. Which is to say, not recognize even one day separating Thanksgiving and the Christmas shopping spree that enlivens the beginning of winter.

Perhaps they can suggest to their followers that they boycott Bleak Thursday...? Which will doubtless overtake Black Friday as the busiest shopping day of the calendar year in the United States, arguably the world's largest market for Christmas shopping expeditions.

In Canada this will also go over like the proverbial lead balloon. Canadian shoppers, already well launched into the Christmas shopping season, won't tolerate any political/ideological movement snowing on their bandwagon parade of acquisition excess. Mind, there might be a way to do this up right.

Convince people that they would benefit by recycling, re-using, reducing waste.

Like the jovial gentleman seen at my local Salvation Army Thrift Shop this past Tuesday as I was myself browsing about, filling up his shopping cart with an unbelievable array of clothing, toys, videos and DVDs, happily shopping, carefully considering each item he added to his cart. He wracked up $252 in thrift shopping. As gifts for family and friends.

He will doubtless wrap them tastefully in recycled wrapping paper left over from last year and the year preceding. Thoroughly conscionable.

In so doing he benefits the Salvation Army. Which uses the profits gained from their shops to help give comfort and warm, well-fed stomachs to those who need their helping hand.