The Peril of Consumption

Look at that lady in the M&Ms sweatshirt. Another example of something someone didn't need. Photo sourced from here.

This is the third and final post in a three-part series on consumerism.  

Black Friday came and went. While I heavily considered getting my ammo ready, I ultimately couldn't drag myself out of bed at 3 in the morning to go battle over a $5 savings. I anxiously awaited the news broadcasts as I do every year, and I have to say, I was actually a little disappointed -- I only saw one person getting trampled at a Target in New York, which led me to believe that more people are opting to stay in their Batman sheets like me and do their shopping on the Internet.

And lo and behold, I found that online retailers saw their sales rise by 16 percent, while regular businesses only saw a .3 percent increase, bringing the total number of dollars spent to $10.69 billion.

Let's park here for a second. $10.69 BILLION FREAKIN DOLLARS. Keep in mind, every one of those dollars is spent on something that isn't necessary. And this is one of the milder Black Fridays. Many people are still on budgets and not spending quite as much as they were before the recession hit.

There are people in the good ole USofA who can't even afford to eat a single meal everyday, while we are in our own little worlds spending exorbitant amounts of money on crap, essentially. Before you argue with me that your gifts aren't crap and that your Uncle Buck really does need the new whitie tighties you elbowed someone in the face to get, keep in mind that your Uncle Buck has survived this long without them. And who gets their uncles underwear anyway? That's just gross. I'm buying crap just as much as the next guy, but I didn't realize I was contributing to $10.69 billion worth of it.

Outraged by the very same concept, I stumbled upon Kelly Sutton's blog aptly titled The Cult of Less. His site is designed as simple as his lifestyle; He has a list of every single thing he owns, and has sold just about all of it. You can still buy his possessions through the site. The few items he does intend to keep fit inside a single suitcase. He has kept a Mac Book (how else does he have his blog?), and a few clothing items, but he has even sold unassuming items such as gym shorts (okay that's kinda icky). But he's making a really good point that few of us want to acknowledge: WHY do we feel like we need all of this stuff? And why are we putting ourselves in debt to have it?

Do you think you could live out of a single suitcase? Most of us would say no. Most of us would say we need our TVs, our closets overflowing with clothes, books, our pet rocks etc. And you know what, I don't know if I could do that either, but it certainly makes me consider every purchase I make, and every purchase I'm thinking of making.

For example, my boyfriend and I have been seriously discussing buying a house (after he proposes to me of course). We had agreed on our price range, and one day he came home just raving about a home that was $30,000 outside of the budget we had set for ourselves. "It's a whole new kind of house if we just up our price range a bit!" He was showing me humongous homes fit for large families. We're just two people and a dog. What do we even need a place that big for? After a bit of convincing, I talked him back down to our budget and pointed out that even the homes in our price range are still more than what we really need. In fact, the only reason I want to buy a house is so that I can invest my money. Not that I feel like I need more of anything. 

We may not be able to part with our possessions to the degree that Kelly Sutton has, but we can certainly pay attention to the motives behind our purchases, and save ourselves from consumerist peril.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but our country's obsession with consumerism will not break my bank.

Move over, Martha!

The success of my first baked loaf of pumpkin bread has created a complete monster. I've been baking at every chance I get, and I've even had to restock on baking ingredients -- an event which only previously occurred due to failed attempts at cookies and boxed cupcakes (yes, I've even screwed up boxed cupcakes - that's how far I've come). It's as though the baking switch has been turned on: Now I'm restocking because I'm creating too many delish desserts!

The downside to my newfound love is that I've essentially swapped running for baking. My taste buds are rejoicing and my mid-section is crying. Not that I'd be running in sub-freezing temperatures anyway (thank you Arctic blast), but my hip flexor injury has prevented me from spending time with my dear friend, the treadmill. And while my physical therapist has given me permission to work on my relationship with the elliptical, my oven and I have really bonded and I'd rather spend time with it.

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I'm bringing a cookie platter and my old standard of green bean casserole. I've got my absolute favorite Swedish Honey cookies baking in the oven, with some Molasses cookies on tomorrow morning's line up. Who knows? Maybe I'll even make another batch of those delicious Peanut Butter cookies I wrangled together this weekend.

But in an effort to not let myself go completely, I am publicly vowing to integrate working out back into my schedule. Hold me to it. I'm supposed to look good in a bikini for my first Hawaiian vacation in one month. And my love of baking certainly isn't giving me a six-pack.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but don't deny yourself anything during Thanksgiving!

Friday, Bloody Friday

The "Credit Crucifix" by R. Lloyd Ming.

This is the second in a three (or four)-part series (I haven't made up my mind yet) on consumerism. 

I am a Black Friday virgin. But I always look forward to watching the news that day. For those 24-hours, you get to see human behavior at its worst; Surveillance camera footage documents people flooding the stores during a time of day when most people are sleeping off their Thanksgiving hangovers.

Fists are thrown over the last $5 foot massager and $4 nose-hair clippers as consumerism explodes into a pandemonium only previously reserved for political uprisings. You hear of people getting trampled and dying, and getting shot over Tickle Me Elmo.

Even store employees are getting caught in the cross fire, with one WalMart employee dying on black Friday two years ago. Well...maybe it was their fault for working at WalMart. But still. The news footage always looks like an episode of Super Market Sweep: Looting Edition.


Sure we talk about the gravity of children throwing tantrums when they don't get their way, but on Black Friday, adults throw the biggest tantrums of them all. In fact, any time there is some kind of deal, adults seem to be throwing tantrums. I can unfortunately recall a moment during my first job as a sample lady (shut up), when adults were yelling and fighting over the last sample on the table. I was 16 years-old and trying to reassure a group of grown adults that there would be more bite-sized corn dogs ready in just five minutes if they would just be patient. I quickly learned that the words "free sample" and "patience" are never to be used in the same sentence. I had to get the store manager involved. Who knew corn dogs could ignite death threats?


So why are we all so hell bent on getting free things? Do we even need that 400-calorie sample of corn dog? History reveals that no, no we don't.

It wasn’t until the mass manufacturing boom of the Industrial Revolution that regular, everyday people began to buy things simply for the enjoyment of having them. Manufacturers could produce products more cheaply if done in bulk, and a surplus resulted. The idea of owning things for pleasure came from the need to sell these surplus items (and the greed to fatten wallets).  


Sure, there have always been the privileged elite that could buy things for the pleasure of it, but this was not a mindset of the common folk. You only purchased what was needed. (If you’re a nerd, and the history and psychology of consumerism interests you (as it does me), you should listen to this podcast. I was intrigued).

In fact, history confirms that we've been duped by some greedy person's business scheme, yet again. And again. And again. I haven't felt this duped since finding out that Al Gore was not the real inventor of the Internet.

While our bad behavior tends to come out most on Black Friday, the rest of the year, many adults don’t feel they have to punch each other to get what they want. In fact, they don't feel they have to deprive themselves at all. One interesting article claims that credit card debt has more than doubled since 2000, fooling the consumer into thinking there's nothing they can't afford. Experian reported in 2008 that the average American is $16,635 in debt, excluding mortgages. While there was no mention of student or car loans, that’s still a hefty bill to foot.


Even with all of the tricks of the trade being revealed, I’ve been considering joining the Black Friday crowd this year, armed with my little can of pink mase (I never said I was above any of this consumerism stuff. Just pointing out some interesting facts). I may not even buy anything. I may just go as a martyr to my passion for journalism so I can be on the front-lines of the battle field. It will be a good resume builder as an aspiring war correspondent. Or maybe I will just give in to all of the crazy deals - I am on a budget this holiday season.


Sticks and stones may break my bones, but Black Friday may also break my bones.

He Who Dies With the Most Toys Wins

Yes that IS the Octomom with 1/8 of her litter. Picture sourced from here.

This is the first of a three (or four)-part series (I haven't made up my mind) on consumerism. Don’t worry. There’s humor in here somewhere.

The worst tantrum I have ever witnessed in my entire life occurred at the Tacoma Mall when I was 18 years old. I was working at a little girl's clothing store at the time, so I was pretty used to hearing screaming and stomping when the little brats didn't get their way. But what I saw this day was beyond any five year-old ego being crushed -- it was consumerism gone awry.

It started out as any typical situation -- little girl see’s pink, sparkly shirt. Little girl wants pink, sparkly shirt. Mother says no. Girl starts crying. Crying turns into shrieking. Shrieking turns into, “You’re a bad mother! I hate you!” Elevated? Yes. Out of the norm at my store? No. 


The mother started walking out of the store, embarrassed by her daughter’s behavior. While she had only gone around the corner when I heard the little girl crying and shrieking even louder. I peaked my head out to find that she hadn’t gotten far -- Build-a-Bear was our neighbor and she had decided she absolutely needed to stuff one of the limp teddies -- Which by the way, is not a good two-week anniversary gift, High School Boys. I received a mooing teddy from Build-a-Bear as a gift from an ex . I don’t know what made him think this was appropriate. So I reminded him of a cuddly cow? Thanks. That’s right up there with Space Jam necklace I received from a different boyfriend, 10 years after Space Jam was cool.

Back to the tantrum: this little girl wasn’t taking no for an answer, and melting into a puddle in front of Build-a-Bear. This went on longer than the pink shirt outburst. Twenty minutes later, her mother had managed to get her to walk to the next store, Hot Topic.

This little five year-old girl start freaking out about needing a dog chain necklace. Her face was red with tears and her voice was going hoarse from all of her screaming. Another twenty minutes later, she managed to get to the next store, Spencer’s. She absolutely needed a disco ball to complete the 70's theme in her bedroom. She stalled her mother for a good TWO HOURS at every single store on the way to the door. It became clear it was never about the particular items she was coveting, just that she wanted something she didn’t need. Her mother’s attempts at picking her child up and walking out of the mall resulted in the mom getting slapped and kicked.

I’m not a big fan of corporal punishment, but I would have slapped the shit out of that kid right in the middle of the mall. I’m sure the rest of the onlookers would have understood -- and maybe even said “Finally!” as they began applauding.

But who’s fault is this really? As a culture, we sure have contributed to this little girl’s mindset that she has to have something she doesn’t need.

Allow me to explain. According to the Mass Media Awareness Network, advertising dollars aimed towards children have exploded in the past few decades. In fact, it jumped from $100 million in 1990 to $2 billion in 2000. The above tantrum is ideal for the businesses that invest this kind of money.They want children to have meltdowns and parents to cave into them. This fattens wallets and allows businesses like Mattel, Hasbro and even McDonald's to prosper.


As I shop for my little nephew and godson this holiday season, I'm going to keep these things in mind as I peruse the aisles of Toys r' Us and Target. In fact, I might just get them something they need. And then I'll be deemed as the worst auntie ever. Maybe they'll understand when they're older.



Sticks and stones may break my bones, but stay tuned for more of this bumper sticker inspired series :)

Yo Spamma Spamma

I am so sick of Live Nation spamming me with emails asking if I want to go see Yo Gabba Gabba! live. Seriously? I pay how much in concert fees each year for you spam me about this? We need concert reform and stat!

I feel so bad for this guy on the boom box. I bet this role is exactly what he set out to do when he decided to become a star. But I think I feel even worse for the poor soul on the far left in the red, warted, cucumber looking costume. To be the most hideous of the Yo Gabba Gabba stars has got to have its fame set backs. Does he feel like Joan Jett when she was in the Runaways with Cherie Currie? By the way, can someone tell me what the hell this group is about? I don't even know what I'm posting here...

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but be careful when wishing for fame -- you may become a red, warted cucumber.

Sticks and Stones got a facelift!

Hey Sticks and Stoners!
I gave the blog a fresh new look with my new, yet limited web design skills. You may see some more tweaks here and there over the next few days, so don't panic. Feel free to give me feedback and tell me what you think!

Thanks!!!
Hana

Redemption!

Success! I made lasagna for the first time ever last night, AND I used a complicated recipe. Well complicated for me. It included homemade sauce, which was delicious. It felt good not to sabotage or burn a new dish on the first try. Usually I end up buying double ingredients because the first time around usually involves the fire department. But here it is, in all it's glory:

Let's not go in to the fact that I was covered in sauce and that I nearly assaulted the dog with a wine glass that fell off the counter and broke in his dish. I didn't say it wasn't eventful.

I did say to myself as I was slaving away, "Man I would hate to be a housewife in the '50s." I was sweating and the whole thing took 2.5 hours to make. Then my boyfriend comes home to dinner cooking (for the first time ever) and says, "Man it would've been awesome to be a man in the '50s! I could get used to this!"

I simply said, "Don't."

If you're interested, here is the recipe. It really is World's Best Lasagna.

I'm getting a little cocky and plan to attempt Pumpkin Bread this weekend. Now baking....that's another story.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but cooking and I are beginning to get even.