Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 11/21/07 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: Courtesy of Adbusters

Instead of scoring deals on early Christmas presents this Black Friday, some people around the world will be saving their money - at least for 24 hours.

Concerned citizens around the globe are protesting the Friday after Thanksgiving with empty shopping carts and cut-up credit cards.

Black Friday remains one of the busiest shopping days of the year. In the United States, it unofficially marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

The day of protest is nicknamed "Buy Nothing Day." The idea may seem absurd to the average American, who, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, spends nearly $46,000 a year on an average pre-tax income of around $59,000. Federal Reserve data shows that average American household debt exceeds after-tax income by nearly 30 percent.

And don't count on Christmas shopping to help curb the average American's spending. In 2004, retail sales were a reported $31.9 billion, an estimate that has increased in recent years.

The founders of International Buy Nothing Day hope to change those statistics. They aim to create awareness about over-consumption in the United States and around the world, and even raise credit ratings in the process.

The day started in 1992 with a simple idea: anti-consumerism.

Canadian artist Ted Dave conceived the idea as a day to observe society and over-consumption. Vancouver-based alternative magazine Adbusters actualized his concept. They advertised the event on CNN (though some TV networks refused to air the commercials), created a comprehensive Web site and plugged Buy Nothing Day in Adbusters publications.

With a following in 65 nations, from the United States to New Zealand to the Netherlands, what started as an infant organization, a twinkle in Dave's eye, has grown into a network thousands strong. Dave said the movement is healthy and growing.

Even religious institutions have adopted the concept. "What Would Jesus Buy?" is a documentary produced by Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me") scheduled to premier this month. The film criticizes the commercialization of the holiday season and focuses on other aspects of American culture and materialism.

According to Kalle Lasn, co-founder of Adbusters Media Foundation, it is the upper 20 percent of people in the world who consume 80 percent of the world's resources. In the United States alone, per capita consumption has risen 45 percent in the past 20 years.

Advocates of Buy Nothing Day are concerned not only about the social consequences of consumerism but also its environmental effects.

The greatest environmental concern is not so much the problem of global warming as it is the root of the issue, that "we consume far too much," Lasn says.

Buy Nothing-ers encourage consumers to "stop shopping and go green" on Nov. 23. Unconventional protests range from credit cards cut-ups to silent marches through major superstores.

"Buy Nothing Day isn't just about changing your routine for one day. It's about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment," Lasn said.

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