As Thanksgiving nears, we prepare for family time, gluttonous feasts, and major sales. Thanksgiving, a holiday based on the principle of thankfulness, is now followed by Black Friday and Cyber Monday, sales that remind us of all the possessions we still think we need. Increasingly, thankfulness coincides with consumerism as we scour the mall and Internet for ways to expand our wardrobe, home appliances, and electronic collections.
Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks for what we have, has indeed become a precursor for two days that make us feel like our possessions are not nearly enough. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have been instituted with the notions that the economy must continue growing, that consumer wants must be satisfied, and that immediate gratification is vital. These days are capitalism in action. And while there is no problem with capitalism – it is a system proven to work – there can be trouble from the mass consumerism that accompanies it.
But it we look back on the origins of Thanksgiving, this capitalist impulse might actually be more intricately entwined with the story of our past then we are willing to believe. In elementary school, we are taught the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and barely survived their first winter, but with the help of the friendly Wampanoag they were able to establish a base at the edge of the North American wilderness. And now, the last Thursday of every November, we celebrate their first bountiful harvest with declarations of our own gratitude. But it turns out this pared-down version of the settler’s history ignores the enterprise culture that may have actually allowed the settlers success.
Popular talk radio host, Rush Limbaugh, blames the Pilgrims initial work ethic and equal sharing of their produce for the colony’s unstable first year. According to Limbaugh the colonizers found success when their governor, William Bradford, allocated private plots of land to each family, thus stimulating the power of the marketplace in Plymouth Rock. In this view, it becomes capitalism not the collective efforts of the people, which saved the day.
Thanksgiving is not, as we make like to believe, only a day of appreciation for all that we have, but a day of appreciation for all that we are able to continuously acquire. It is an American custom, rooted in our history, to express gratitude for our own prosperity, a prosperity often substantiated through the accumulation of commodities.
One movement, Buy Nothing Day, is a challenge to consumers to switch off the need to shop and tune into the life we give thanks for. This international day of protest against consumerism, held concurrent to Black Friday, is meant to encourage thoughtful spending as a personal experiment or public statement. This year, some stores, like REI, have even decided to stay closed the day after Thanksgiving.
Buy Nothing Day is not just about a one-day detox, but a lifestyle change that alters our relationship with consumption. It makes the statement that we must appreciate the life we have, not only the things we have. Buy Nothing Day follows Thanksgiving with the message to shop less and live more.