As you may know, I have been an advocate of Buy Nothing Day, Buy Nothing Christmas and other anti-consumption campaigns over the years. However, I sinned on Black Friday this year. While my wife was with her family on Black Friday at a mall (I am not my wife's keeper), I chose to take our kids to D.C. for the day.Thinking it was a good way to spend a day having fun and rebelling against the powers that be, I had not taken into consideration the fact that I cannot take my children to the Smithsonian Museums while spending no money on useless crap.
So, in the practice of full disclosure, I will offer these confessions: We spent $30 for parking. I bought 2 small Panda stuffed animals for Aedan and Gillian after seeing the real live Pandas at the National Zoo (we also bought giraffe slipper for Rhys, so no one would think I was playing favorites). At the Air and Space Museum we spent nothing (it was also a bust for the kids- no robots).
Our last stop of the day was the Museum of Natural History. there was no way I could get out of there without spending money in the gift shop, especially with the large selection of dinosaur paraphernalia (my son is quite the Triceratops fan). We bought 2 small giraffes for Gillian and a cool dinosaur poster for Aedan to put over his bed. I also bought pizza.
So, there we have it. I bought things on Buy Nothing Day.
As penance I will see the movie What Would Jesus Buy, a documentary starring Rev. Billy and produced by Morgan Spurlock. As you may know, Rev. Billy and his church of stop shopping believes we are in the middle of the Shopocalypse and must be saved from its dreaded tentacles before it is too late.
Watch the trailer here and look around his website.
3 comments:
My wife and I decided this year that we aren't going to buy anything for Christmas because we want Christmas to be about Christ and about others. If we do give people a gift, it will be a donation to Samaritan's Purse in their name.
Watching the trailer, I can't help but agree with the statement "These products are taking over our lives." The sad thing is, I can buy into it pretty easily. Man, how awesome would it be to get a shiny new Plasma TV with an XBox for Christmas? Talk about two things that could take over my life :)
Thanks for the heads up on this film, I'm looking forward to seeing it!
I just have to comment so you know I am reading your blog. Thanks for painting such a portrait of me in the midst of your own confessions. :)
it's ok rick, our disciplines ought not be a code of ethics, but rather a relational ethics. You did good. I am sure your kids are very grateful. :)
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