Why are You Shopping for the Holidays This Year?

Why are you shopping for the holidays this year? I had a job today installing some telecommunications equipment at a bank around Madison Avenue and 50th Street in New York City.

I decided (or my body did) to use the restrooms at Penn Station on 34th Street. To my surprise, that place was a Mad House. Then I realized the whole city was abuzz. Then the horror set in.

THE WHOLE CITY WILL BE OVERRUN WITH ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE-TYPE SHOPPERS FOR THE NEXT 23 DAYS! How does that happen? We are a nation that shops and consumes on demand. From the moment we wake to the moment we sleep. From the time we are born to the time we die.

When we wake up in the morning, we have to run to Starbucks, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, or some other place to get an overpriced coffee (we will get into the price of coffee another time). Around noon, we are told to go out and buy a meal. The evil part for me is the pre-programmed shopping days installed on the yearly calendar. Massive holiday shopping is the result of that. Any holiday. All holidays.

Somehow, the powers that be managed to morph every holiday into an opportunity to shop. Who the hell was Saint Valentine, and why in the hell do men get into trouble if they do not shop and spend money on that day?

Who gets to decide, and why is that AWESOME power to control and motivate the masses to shop, and not use to inspire the masses to do something good for humanity every day? How do they get us to celebrate DEMONS on Halloween?

How are they able to turn the resurrection of Jesus Christ into a day to buy chocolate rabbits, candy, eggs, clothing, and baskets? That one is particularly clever in my book. Do I have to mention Christmas? Shopping for the holidays is mandatory here. Do you think you see where I am going with this?

When was the last time you saw three or more Native Americans gathered together? You did not see that coming, did you? I ask because, as I stared at the hurried masses moving around like a frenzied ant hill, the day before Thanksgiving, and the fact that I was on the island of Manhattan. I was taught in school that the island was sold to the Dutch for $24 and a song (not sure about the song).

If the Native Americans knew what they know today, would the country be celebrating Thanksgiving? I bet they don’t go shopping for the holidays, back to the topic. We consume on demand and take pride in it. The powers that be go so low as to market to your children, and the country sees you as a loser if you don’t keep up with consumerism at all costs.

I have been working on projects with a co-worker lately, and he has noticed a change in me as I have been moving toward a more minimalist lifestyle. Now I bring my lunch to job sites. I also bring water everywhere I go, and if I do buy food out, I never buy a drink. Just cutting out soda has done wonders for me.

As he watched me make my lunch one day, he began telling me what he thought my yearly salary was, that I could afford to buy lunch, and that I did not need to be eating what I was eating. With pride (he now brings lunch when we work together), he unpacks it and boasts that he bought enough food the day before for today. He thinks as many do, and as I once did.

Spending is seen as a sign that you have made it, that you are doing ok. It’s seen as something to be proud of, even when you don’t have the funds readily available. Credit Cards and the Christmas holiday are perfect examples of that philosophy. The unhealthy pressure to spend and consume is always present in our society, but around the holiday season it is magnified 100 times.

Why are You Shopping for the Holidays This Year?

Some people go into debt to keep up. Hell, it is encouraged. They are pressured to buy and flaunt the symbol of success. I was shocked to learn that if you are a native of another country and you return to the United States to visit, you are expected to come back with massive amounts of gifts and treasures.

Some cannot return home to their native country without it, or they feel like a loser. Not sure if that is true, but it makes sense given the level of brainwashing we have been subjected to. We are programmed to spend and consume. For example,

I was at lunch and explained to a co-worker that the Filet Mignon and Brussels Sprouts I was eating had been recovered from a dumpster on a Freegan trash tour a few nights before. I had probably taken more than I could eat in a week and should have left more for others.

He quickly associated Freeganism with not having the money or being poor. He said I should buy my own Filet Mignon and Brussels Sprouts. His spending and consumer pride programming will not allow him to understand that it is about waste, not money.

I am sure the Filet Mignon and Brussels Sprouts were offered for sale a few days ago, and I could have purchased them, as I have many times, but they were free a few days later. The Filet Mignon cases were packaged airtight (similar to bacon) and appeared to be discarded because the sell-by date had passed the day before. It looked perfectly good to me and was going to waste. Brussels Sprouts looked good, too, and they both tasted suitable for the few days in a row I prepared them.

It took a few days for it to begin to sink in that it was about waste as he taunted me with his store-bought lunches and insults to the fact that I couldn’t afford to do the same. Ironic that people are killed every year at this time, trampled in doorways of department stores trying to catch a sale, but turning their noses up to free items. Today is Thanksgiving, and some stores are already open as I navigate the streets of NYC.

As I work for the next few weeks, I will pretend to be defending myself from the attack of THE PER-PROGRAMMED SPENDING AND CONSUMER ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE as they flood the streets, stores, and restaurants of the Tri-State area.

The waste will be abundant, and my Freegan trash tours should be bountiful. On a serious note, be safe and careful out there, and please, please respect each other and don’t trample anyone to death this year. You have over 300 days next year to purchase that same product for the cousin you hate. Avoid shopping for the holidays; instead, take advantage of that time.