Is “Buy Nothing” the Wrong Idea Now?

An idea is better than no idea. In the face of run-away consumerism, perhaps the first step is slamming on the brakes.  It won’t stop the train, but it could provide a much needed jolt.

Or you can wait for it to hit a wall, which always gets people’s attention.

That’s where we are now. But during tough times, over-consumption isn’t our problem. Remaining consumers, in the most basic sense, is the challenge now.

We need a new approach to spending. Looking at the current state of American economics and politics, the key could be a realization.

Spending is the new voting.

There’s not a corporation on Earth that can survive without customers. They exist purely on our whim. Support the ones you want to see thrive. Better yet, support the ones that want to see you thrive.

It isn’t easy. Convenience is making a lot of decisions these days. Who has the time to do more? If today could be used for anything, perhaps it should be to inconvenience ourselves. Rather than buy nothing, we could go out of our way to consider our spending more thoughtfully. To think about the businesses we default to and take the time to find alternatives to those we’d rather not be supporting.

We can call it Inconvenience Day. And unlike Buy Nothing Day, everyone camping out for Black Friday sales can say they participated too.