Things like "buy nothing day"

[Lark]

What do you think of things like "buy nothing day"? Are they significant to you personally or do you think they have any cultural or social significance? Do you think they are a stunt?

Are they political and if they are political do you think they are associated with left, right or centre and why? Or do you think they are more philosophical or spiritual, as part of a personal lifestyle choice or personal discipline perhaps, than they are political?

Do you engage in this type of thing or can you say what day is "buy nothing day"?

 

[Virtual ghost]

Well here we have an active push that is trying to turn Sundays into such day by closing almost everything. The right wants to allow people to go to church and have a day for family stuff. While the left generally thinks this is fair towards workers. Therefore this is being implemented and already yesterday I bought things for today, since the shops are closed now. Some a closing already around the noon on Saturday.


Personally I think this is good for mental health of the nation.

 

[Lexicon]

I've never even heard of this.

For broke folk like me... basically every day outside of monthly grocery day is 'buy nothing day,' ha.


I'd imagine anyone who engages in this sort of thing is trying to uphold/demonstrate some sort of personal value or another, so, motivations are apt to vary.

 

[Lark]

I've never even heard of this.

For broke folk like me... basically every day outside of monthly grocery day is 'buy nothing day,' ha.


I'd imagine anyone who engages in this sort of thing is trying to uphold/demonstrate some sort of personal value or another, so, motivations are apt to vary.

Yeah, I've often thought that way about it, like it would be nice to have that choice really.

Its something that's said about minimalism too, there's entire scholarly articles written about it.

Although it is something that I've found, even among people who are experience real hardship, that there can be a terrible sort of consumerism all the same, almost like a substitute for real consumerism, like bargain hunting and just hoarding totally useless crap in the hope that one day it'll be serviceable again or useful.

 

[Lark]

Well here we have an active push that is trying to turn Sundays into such day by closing almost everything. The right wants to allow people to go to church and have a day for family stuff. While the left generally thinks this is fair towards workers. Therefore this is being implemented and already yesterday I bought things for today, since the shops are closed now. Some a closing already around the noon on Saturday.


Personally I think this is good for mental health of the nation.

I do think its a good idea too, although here in NI the capitalist/consumerist drive to open did kind of work against some other earlier authoritarian sectarian ideas about how leisure centres, play parks, childrens swings should not be in use on a Sunday. I used to hate that and barely understood it growing up. It was something that I recall thinking was very authoritarian even as pop culture tried to make me believe that my own traditions were the more authoritarian of all alternatives.

I know people who will not leave the home on a sunday or will not travel a certain distance or perform certain tasks, usually some christian churches which are big on the old testament.

When commercial deregulation started to change that I remember being intrigued by it, communism couldnt get rid of sundays but it seemed capitalism could, on the other hand I appreciated the convenience to me of being able to frequent shops or places to eat or drink coffee on one of the days when I myself wasnt working.

I think its a good idea if the mode of life can become less about having and more about being, I havent decided yet if its political or personal primarily, there's an overlap, probably.

 

[Virtual ghost]

I do think its a good idea too, although here in NI the capitalist/consumerist drive to open did kind of work against some other earlier authoritarian sectarian ideas about how leisure centres, play parks, childrens swings should not be in use on a Sunday. I used to hate that and barely understood it growing up. It was something that I recall thinking was very authoritarian even as pop culture tried to make me believe that my own traditions were the more authoritarian of all alternatives.

I know people who will not leave the home on a sunday or will not travel a certain distance or perform certain tasks, usually some christian churches which are big on the old testament.

When commercial deregulation started to change that I remember being intrigued by it, communism couldnt get rid of sundays but it seemed capitalism could, on the other hand I appreciated the convenience to me of being able to frequent shops or places to eat or drink coffee on one of the days when I myself wasnt working.

I think its a good idea if the mode of life can become less about having and more about being, I havent decided yet if its political or personal primarily, there's an overlap, probably.

Well here the culture of eating out and stuff like that isn't as developed as in some other countries. Especially outside of big cities and touristy places. However 3 hour coffee with friends is. Therefore I think that the idea is to keep restaurants and bars open on Sunday. So that you can have a meeting with friends or "family picnic" in green areas and national parks on Sunday. What can be hard to organize if a mass of people works on Sunday, while this way the money will simply be spent on some other day. While on the other hand having functional families and childhood is evidently beneficiary for the country on the long run. What can be achieved if on Sunday you have the time to go further than the local mall.