Anti-consumerism is the hot new trend on the High Street – get it now while stocks last !
Check out these links for all your anti-consumerist needs . . .
1 – CONSIDER MANUFACTURED DEMAND
Watch Annie Leonard’s The Story of Bottled Water.
2 – WATCH ANTI-CONSUMERIST COMEDY
Have fun watching comedians George Carlin and Dylan Moran, or the Consumerism Musical.
3 – CONSIDER YOUR STATUS ANXIETY
Ponder the relationship between Status Symbols, Veblen Goods and Conspicuous Consumption, before evaluating the extent of your own status anxiety: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.
4 – LISTEN TO ANTI-CONSUMERIST SONGS
Listen to Warren Zevon’s Down In the Mall, Lily Allen’s The Fear, Eddie Vedder’s Society, Pete Seeger’s Little Boxes, or Barenaked Ladies If I Had A Million Dollars.
5 – PLAN TO DOWNSIZE YOUR CHRISTMAS
Talk to your friends and family about downsizing this Christmas – try a make your own gift, buy local, buy ethical, buy second-hand, limited value, or single gift Christmas. Or if you’re really feeling hard-core a buy nothing Christmas. Perhaps take some (slightly crazy) inspiration from Reverend Billy.
6 – WATCH ANTI-CONSUMERIST FILM CLIPS
Find anticonsumer references in the movies - 12 Monkeys, Fight Club, They Live, and Into the Wild.
7 – WATCH A CONSUMERISM DOCUMENTARY
Watch Jonathan Porrit’s Consumerism TV documentary: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
8 – INOCULATE YOUR KIDS
Teach your children about advertising and how to resist it – start with what an Adver-Game is. Watch Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.
9 – USE THE SYSTEM
Consider using consumerism to make a positive difference – you could join 9 Carrots (formerly known as Carrot Mob), who persuade local companies and businesses to carry out environmental and other projects by offering a large group of crowdsourced customers. Don’t really understand ? Watch the video.
10 – HAVE A DAY OFF FROM BUYING THINGS
November 26th is Buy Nothing Day in the UK, after Thanksgiving in the US – celebrate by buying nothing at all !
‘The things you own end up owning you’ – TYLER DURDEN, FIGHT CLUB
Photo by Littleyiye, via Flickr
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Rob – quite agree. We all need to find space and time to develop our critical thinking faculties . . . important on so many levels.
Clearly I should listen to my own advice more !
Or, to put it another way, just ‘turn your back on the King,’ in this case the King being our present culture. Just don’t let the culture tell you what to do. Dump the media and spend more time in a place where you can think clearly. Other than that – it’s a great list!
No! Make your readers watch the whole of John Carpenters They Live.