This, of all days, is a bastardization of the very notion of a holiday. Consumerism and Commercialism should not be celebrated; they are societal ills. Capitalism gone mad: trampling, assaults, pepper spray, arrests, extreme debt, zombie shopping.

If it's a day you must or decide to shop. Try a local, independent store. Avoid national chains and companies that engage in political activities that you disagree with.

We choose what businesses thrive with our every dollar, vote your conscience.



Independent We Stand is a movement of locally-owned businesses and people across the country dedicated to educating their communities about the importance - and strong economic benefits - of 'buying local.' http://www.independentwestand.org/

When you shop with local merchants, more of your money stays close to home; supporting the parks, recreation centers, libraries and other things that make this community a great place to live. http://www.shoplocally.com/...

Small Business Saturday is an American shopping holiday held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. First celebrated on November 27, 2010, it is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores respectively. By contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local. http://en.wikipedia.org/... #SmallBusinessSaturday

Buy Nothing Day is your special day to unshop, unspend and unwind. Relax and do nothing for the economy and for yourself - at least for a single day. It's a reminder to stop and think about why you're spending. It seems like a simple enough challenge to try to go one day without spending, but in many parts of the world it would be virtually impossible if you consider your monthly bills that accrue on a daily basis as part of "buying". http://www.buynothingday.org/ Buy Nothing Day (BND) is an international day of protest against consumerism observed by social activists and many concerned citizens. Buy Nothing Day is held the Friday after American Thanksgiving in North America and the last Saturday in November internationally,[1] which in 2012 correspond to November 23 in North America and November 24 internationally.[2] Buy Nothing Day was founded in Vancouver by artist Ted Dave[3] and subsequently promoted by Adbusters magazine, [4] based in Canada.

http://www.ask.com/... Until we challenge the entrenched values of capitalism – that the economy must always keep growing, that consumer wants must always be satisfied, that immediate gratification is imperative – we’re not going able to fix the gigantic psycho-financial-eco crisis of our times. The journey towards a sane sustainable future begins with a single step. It could all start with a personal challenge, such as this: make a vow to yourself to participate in Buy Nothing Day this year. This November 23rd, go cold turkey on consumption for 24 hours … see what happens … you just might have an unexpected, emancipatory epiphany! http://www.adbusters.org/... How to celebrate buy nothing day? Cut up a credit card. Cutting up one credit card is a great way to celebrate Buy Nothing Day. It will dramatically decrease your spending and help protect valuable resources

http://www.planforholidays.com/...



Cowen Thorne