What the hell is Buy Nothing Day? Apparently it's supposed to be some sort of statement against American consumerism. This is a participatory project (which strangely enough started in the Pacific Northwest, who woulda thunk it) for people who think that capitalism will be the doom of America.

Ummm...

Right. Their site has some telling characteristics like:

Bush is an evil dictator -

Bush's thinly-veiled quest for domination over Middle Eastern oil reserves...

Liberal (pun intended) use of scare quotes: -

The ongoing "war on terrorism"

Support of freaky clueless people -

A group of over 300 residents and merchants in California’s Bay Area has established a local currency called BREAD (a rough acronym for Bay Area Regional Exchange and Development), based on hours of work valued at $12 an hour. Through the BREAD network, which now has over $20,000 worth of currency in circulation, members can pay for dinner, carpentry, childcare, tutoring, clerical assistance or organic produce. Tired of traditional activism, founder Miyoko Sakashita wanted to create a positive local economy and “stop our resources from supporting global corporations that are not accountable to people and the environment.”

In case you don't immediately see why Miyoko is a clueless freak I'll point it out to you. She (he?) is promoting a parasitic economic entity. Their little group is designed to pay nothing into the system so their monetary burden for things like schools, road upkeep, emergency services, police, etc are being borne by others in their community. Meaning they are a specific economic drain on their neighbors and their only real effect is fostering economic recession in their local market. You go girl!

Here's the thing, the big clue, the magic solution: The only way to make a change in the effect is to make a change in what causes it.

Not buying something for a day doesn't matter in the least when you go buy it the next day. You only have an effect when you don't buy it at all. If you want to make a change in fuel usage you don't boycott gas stations for a day. You promote the purchase of fuel efficient vehicles.

Not only are these people fools in their goal (abolishment of capitalism?) they are idiots in their method.

(Discovered at Rambling Rhodes and A Small Victory)

Posted by: Jim at 05:12 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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