(MintPress) – There’s an interesting meme circulating around the cyber world right now which describes what more and more Americans are finding problematic with the mass consumerism that has come to dominate the holiday season.
In the cartoon, a smiling woman pushes a shopping cart chock full of items. The text reads, “Black Friday: Because only in America people trample others for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have.”
While big-box retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Sears and others are clamouring to open earlier and earlier in advance of Black Friday, hoping to capture shoppers attention and coinage, laborers and their supporters are taking to the streets to speak out against being forced to work holidays.
And in protest of the kick off to the holiday shopping season, an alternative to Black Friday, or Buy Nothing Day, is also being proposed.
Protesters bullseye Target over forced holiday work
It seems that with this year’s trend of many big retailers opening their doors Thanksgiving night, Black Friday is becoming “Black Thursday.” Some say that if there wasn’t consumer demand for this, it wouldn’t occur. But many aren’t buying that argument, and say the blame lies squarely with greedy corporations who’ll stop at nothing to rake in an extra buck.
In one example of the move to end corporate greed recently, a Target employee has been pushing managers to reconsider the decision to open its stores early, and thousands are joining her cause.
Casey St. Clair, a 24-year-old Californian, collected more than 350,000 signatures in her online petition.
Earlier this week, she delivered those signatures to Target headquarters in Minnesota.
St. Clair told the media she hoped to defend Thanksgiving from being just another day for business, stating, “I think they’re setting themselves up to maybe next year even open all day on Thanksgiving. That’s why I thought something needed to be done sooner rather than later to combat this.”
Tim Curoe, Target’s vice president of human resources, received the petitions from St. Clair. But Curoe countered the petition, saying that some workers are happy to work on the holiday.
“We’ve also heard from a lot of other team members that they’re supportive of our plans and that they appreciate and understand that they can pick up additional hours,” he said. “They’re excited about the additional holiday and incentive pay.”
Wal-Mart moves to block Black Friday protests
On Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said it is unlikely to make any decision before Thursday’s Thanksgiving Holiday on Wal-Mart’s push to stop protests and rallies outside its stores.
The OUR Walmart organization, which has been staging the protests against the retailer, rallied its own charge with the NLRB this week, saying Wal-Mart was illegally attempting to deter workers from participating in strikes against the world’s largest retailer on Friday. The major issue is whether workers will be able to stage protests at Wal-Mart discount stores on Black Friday.
OUR Walmart is a coalition of thousands of current and former Wal-Mart workers who want better wages, benefits and working conditions.
A visit to the organization’s website revealed that the site was down, and a message in English and Spanish was posted, reading, “OURWalmart.org is no longer in service. The union-backed organization which sponsored this domain is not affiliated with Walmart or Sam’s Club and does not represent the company nor its associates.”
The page also directed visitors to Wal-Mart’s official website “for factual information about Walmart, including its outstanding career opportunities.”
Workers have been rallying for months outside the stores. But just last week, Wal-Mart filed an unfair labor practice complaint last week against the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) asking the National Labor Relations Board to halt what the retailer says are unlawful attempts to disrupt its business. Wal-Mart argued the job actions are backed by the UFCW.
In a statement on Tuesday, the NLRB said it was continuing to investigate Wal-Mart’s complaint.
“The legal issues – including questions about what constitutes picketing and whether the activity was aimed at gaining recognition for the union – are complex,” the statement said.
Buy Nothing Day counters consumer mentality
The Friday after Thanksgiving is also officially Buy Nothing Day. Buy Nothing Day has been around for the past 20 years by those in the U.S. and around the world who are protesting the mass consumerism which is increasingly going hand and hand with the holidays, many of whom want to put the focus back on the true meaning of the holiday season and lessen importance of the materialistic aspects of it.
Last year was the first year Buy Nothing Day was connected to the Occupy movement; both are brought to you by Adbusters, a passionately anti-capitalist organization out of Canada.
The group describes the day as “a 24 hour moratorium on consumer spending,” and tells consumers, “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!”
The Adbusters homepage, with information about Buy Nothing Day/#Occupy Xmas, is dominated by a Guy Fawkes mask, emblematic of the Occupy movement and by this quote:
“Today, humanity faces a stark choice: save the planet and ditch capitalism, or save capitalism and ditch the planet.”
I think the American consumer would do well to take that piece of advice to heart.