on the ethics of shopping and swapping…
August 19, 2008
(sorry folks, spellcheck is malfunctioning so please don’t judge me to harshly…)
the swap was a HUGE success. thank you so much to everyone who came out, dropping off enormous mountians of clothes (and shoes, backpacks, etc…) and who carefully combed the piles for the few precious gems to take back home. everybody seemed to have a great time and feel equal parts of super connectedness to their community and super happiness to have scored some great new stuff. and i had a great time hemming, altering, helping design… and scoring the perfect pair of jeans for the fall. oh, and FLUVOGS!!! HELLO!!!! FLUVOGS!!!!
one thing i did want to add on the subject of shopping and swapping, now that the event has come and gone this time around, is that while bernadette and i did name the event “don’t shop; swap”, we really don’t believe that there is never a time for shopping- to everything, turn, turn, turn…. there is a time to shop. i myself, and i think i speak for bern as well, can have a really good time shopping. there are a lot of amazing THINGS in the world- beautiful, creative, useful things. things that might actually improve the quality of our lives, and that are….. FOR SALE IN STORES!! so we don’t mean to deamonize the whole act of shopping, nor those who like to shop. all we were aiming for was to help shift the paradigm for folks, maybe even just a little. the biggest message here? THINK before you buy, and use your precious and hard earned dollars to vote your conscious. will you give your votes to the big box? okay, then you’re casting your vote to risk the extinction of autonomy. dramatic? yes. true? also yes. however, if you choose to give your votes to your mindful, local, non-homogonized economy, even though it may cost you several votes more, you’re casting your vote to support diversity, and the sustainable holistic well being that we achieve thanks to avoiding the lure of monoculture.
so there. that’s all. when you shop, think. it makes each purchase so much more precious! and getting creative with your definition of “shopping” can only enhance your experience as well. try a new thrift store! score something from a far away neighbor on craigs list! and with the money you may save using those techniques, you can wander over to your favorite local boutique and drop a few dollars extra on some fabulous something or other that was lovingly made by local hands. and feel so good doing it.
win win! right??
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