Most people know about “Black Friday,” the biggest shopping day of the year, which takes place the day after Thanksgiving. You may have even heard about “Cyber Monday,” which takes place on the Monday following Black Friday, and has come to represent the biggest online shopping day of the year. But “Buy Nothing Day” is not nearly as well known as these other two shopping dates. Though all that may be about to change.
Producer Morgan Spurlock, who is best known for his documentary film “Super Size Me,” is producing a new documentary film titled, “What Would Jesus Buy?” The film will focus on the over-consumption that typically accompanies the holiday season in the United States, and the rising consumer debt that is used to finance this fiscally unhealthy tradition.
“What Would Jesus Buy?” Is based on the concept of “Buy Nothing Day,” an alternative “holiday from debt and spending” first conceived by Canadian artist Ted Dave in 1992. Since that time, “Buy Nothing Day” has been gaining popularity with anti-consumerism groups and many religious organizations.
The philosophy behind both the documentary and the anti-shopping holiday has also been embraced by some Christian organizations, which feel that rampant holiday spending cheapens Christianity.
Even though “Buy Nothing Day” began as something of a joke, AdBusters magazine editor in chief, Kalle Lasn notes that the movement has consistently gained ground every year since its inception. Lasn told CNN.com, “Environmentalists are really the core base of this movement — but after that there were religious people that came on board.”
The idea of “Buy Nothing Day” is to discourage consumption, and the holiday has been embraced by performance artists and activists of all types, especially environmentalists. For example, last year one group of activists wandered around several major department stores wearing T-shirts that advertised 50% off all items in the store. Of course, the department stores in question were not very pleased with this “performance art activism,” but overall the event was so successful that many groups are planning to replicate it this year.
There is no denying that the holiday season has gotten out of control in United States, and that the hordes of shoppers filling department stores after Thanksgiving have become more and more frenzied — and even violent. Police organizations around the country are now on the lookout for what they are calling “consumer violence,” which is attributed to overcrowding, and tempers flaring over a limited supply of discounted items in stores.
Spurlock’s new documentary is aimed squarely at the uneasy tradition of over consumption in America, and will hopefully draw attention to the increasing hostility produced by the “Black Friday” holiday sales.
