OCCUPYXMAS - Shop Local

My grandmother told me about how when she was first married she was given a basic gold ring and it wasn't that costly. She didn't get diamonds or any of that so it kind of shocked me when she told me so I say this because you reminded me of it and to help confirm what you say. (Although not saying it really needed confirming). She also made her own wedding dress, lol.

What really bugs me is when I watch tv and I see a car commercial and in the commercial you see the husband putting a ribbon on the car and gives it to his wife as a "present". I dunno, maybe I'm wrong for feeling that way but they've always been a pet peeve of mine.

Nice post.

 

instead of giving gifts last Christmas my family donated money to the heifer project. If i remember correctly we bought a goat

 

Ya, I'm really turned off by those ads too... happens every christmas. I don't have TV in my home but get exposed to all that crap at work.
"if you really loved her you'd buy her a lexis". sigh.

Reminds me of a story, an actual example of comparative values.
Years ago my job sent me to factory training on an aircraft engine we worked on. I met 2 guys from Zaire (now Dem Republic of Congo) that worked for a diamond mining company. They had 2 of these aircraft for flying geologists into remote locations. These guys were sent to the states with decent money to pay for food and expenses. While talking to them they told me how much they were paid at home. I was pretty stunned. Not enough for them to feed their whole families, every day. At the time it was about $100/month. Who knows how much money their company was making and these guys barely scraped by.
Rather than spend their money at the hotel dining room, I took them across the street and showed them how to get a small breakfast for a couple of bucks rather than what the hotel charges, and said save your money and take it home. You should have seen them in a circle K market, they could hardly believe it.
I'll never forget those guys or what I learned from them.

 

Kill television and that indoctrination goes away.

 

How about, instead of an idealist (and not EVEN really ideal) idea that doesn't help anyone, we make this "buy responsibly and sensibly" and help the right guys while hurting the bad guys?

 

Think, spend, invest locally. Do it every day.

 

I'd like to assume that most people taking part in buy nothing day already do that. This day is more of a statement/protest than a lifestyle choice.

 

This just makes good sense. :2thumbsup: I think voting with your hard earned money sends a loud message.

 

I stopped feeding the beast years ago. Try to buy things off craigsx list or used shops.

I like this. It's like the worlds divided into two different types of people. The buyers and sellers. Either making money or spending it. And the laws are mostly geared toward the business or seller. Always believe, 'buyer beware'. Consumer protection is non existent.

 

OCCUPYXMAS Kicks Off with Buy Nothing Day, Nov 25/26

http://occupywallst.org/article/occupyxmas-kicks-buy-nothing-day-nov-2526/

 

They'll just bombard us with more advertising and 'price cuts'. It's like being at war against an unseen force. Against commercialism and global market exploitation.

 

ugh, retailers in Canada are doing 'black friday' sales this year, to try and keep people from crossing the border for cheap stuff.

 

someone needs to put this on DVD and hand them out for free to all the Walmart customers.. merry xmas ..
Slavery: A 21st Century Evil
Investigating a very modern evil
China is the world's factory, but does a dark secret lurk behind this apparent success story?


http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/slaverya21stcenturyevil/2011/10/2011101091153782814.html

 

I've wanted to get in touch with "Occupy" for some months. Went to their sites, but didn't see a way to leave a message.

I can go along with the "Don't buy" or "buy locally". But, I would go a bit further. Look at the label. "Made in the USA", "Made in Canada", I would consider buying. Made somewhere beyond our boarders, DON'T BUY.

But, take it still further. Executive salaries have gone up six-fold over twenty years. An exec that's making $360,000 today was only making $60,000 twenty years ago. I have a list for a number of occupations that show (in the range) income of $8,000 in 1960 and $48,000 in 2010. I can also show you where income and expenses so far out of proportion that it goes beyond alarming.

In 1964, I was paying just 17 cents a gallon for gasoline. Looking at today's prices, They've gone up to my original cost times 21. Back in 1964, I was making $8,000 a year. 21 X $8,000 says middle-class America should be making $168,000 in order to keep it in proportion.

Want to try it with car insurance? In 1973, I was making $14,000 a year. Supporting 2 kids, buying a house, and paying $8.50 a month for car insurance. ($102.00 a year) Look at your premiums today, divide them by the $9.50 a month and multiply that by my $14,000 a year. Somewhere in the range of $240,000 a year today? And, what are you making? $40,000? $50,000?

Do the same for grocery prices. Do it for all expenses across the board. In every case, today's income should be over $150,000 to keep things in proportion. Want to see just how much your medical costs have gone up over the last fifty years?

Executive salaries have gone up six times over in the last twenty years, but for middle-class America, it's taken fifty years to get the same ratio of raise in income. And, it has not kept up with expenses. So, how much of what you pay for your goods and services goes to support the exec's salaries, and how much more goes to support the "GOLDEN PARACHUTES" that can go as high as $300 million? (AIG CEO, after 17 days in office, just before the "bailout", golden parachute that he did not take, $300 million) That is the inequity that has to be corrected to get America back on it's feet again.

3,000 years ago, it was said:

Destroy the cities, and they will be rebuilt.
But, destroy the farms, and grass will grow in the streets of the cities.

Today:

Destroy the economy for the middle-class,
And grass will grow in the executive offices.

Until the government bails them out.

On a final note. In pushing his "jobs bill", Obama said that the American Worker can not wait 14 months. When he took office, the American Worker could not wait 14 months. Where has he been for the last 3 years?

 

Iv been boycotting Black Friday for a few years now. For the few gifts I do buy I get them a gift card so they can go buy what they want/need.

 

For a lot of people. me included, black friday will be the opportunity to buy that expensive appliance or tool or toy for cheap. They cant afford the normal price. It's a double edge sword. I hate contributing to corporate exploitation but need what we need at the lowest price. IT's a trade off of values.

 

If you need something, you need it. It's the hype about all the stuff "they" try to make you think you have to have that we want to avoid.

 

http://blog.midmopeaceworks.org/2011/11/buy-nothing-buy-some-things-buy.html