In 2004, Judith Levine and her partner decided to spend one year without shopping, limiting their purchases to bare necessities only. While she is eco minded, her main motivation wasn't the environment, and it wasn't saving money. She wanted to understand why we buy, and explore whether or not it is possible to separate ourselves from the marketplace. She does this in a personal way:
On the principle that you don't give a second thought to your water until your well runs dry, Paul and I will drain the well and see how thirsty we get. Will we want more than the clear liquid that comes from the tap, or will we want Evian? And why?
Levine writes often about political psychology and the public uses of emotion for Seven Days. She has also written three other books.
Not Buying It is a diary peppered with insights about consumerism and the pitfalls of willfully not shopping in a market based society. Levine does a fair amount of research on Voluntary Simplicity and Deep Ecology, interviewing people who take both movements seriously. And while she is no grand consumer by American standards, she isn't from the simplicity mold herself -- this is not a book about how to live a "no-impact" life. It's a personally revealing experiment in non-consumption by a woman who really loves her Smart Wool socks and French Roast coffee. It's warm and incredibly funny.
Levine explores many social and political implications of living in a market based economy. And she doesn't lose the irony that we've created this market machine with the assumption that it's based on rational ideas -- what she calls "the epitome of intelligent design" -- and then we drive it almost entirely with emotion. She points out that people don't buy things out of basic need. They often buy out of envy, vanity, or dissatisfaction.
Do we need to emulate and identify with others in order to survive emotionally? Is our consumerism triggered by a genuine need to be a social creature? If the answer is yes, how much independence can we expect to have from the marketplace? And why does it drive us to do crazy things?
We are very happy, and when we are happy, as when we are sad or angry or bored or confused or feeling nothing in particular, we shop. [Former President George W Bush] has personally mailed us each an envelope of mad money, and we are returning the favor. Those who received the richest reward from his tax cuts are responding most enthusiastically. During the 2003 holiday season luxury watches priced from $1,000 to $200,000 are flying from the shops as fast as time. In the more earthbound districts, although sales are less brisk, the hoi poloi are enlisting in their own campaigns of retail shock and awe. At a Wal-Mart in Orange City, Florida, a woman is trampled by a crowd surging toward a pile of $29 DVD players.
And what is a necessity, anyway?
Levine and her partner do not always agree. He is Italian, and insists that wine is as essential as milk. She wants her coffee. Are olives essential? How about mesclun? Q-Tips? They make a decision to use up the stuff they already own, and defer the judgement about items they disagree -- they can choose when they run out. But they do a pretty good job of keeping the purchases to only ones that support sustenance, health, and business.
And while Levine does not offer a 'how to' book on living lightly, she explores the subtleties of how the head gets involved in consumerism, and she uses her personal insights to describe how we are led by our basic emotional needs sometimes more than our rational ones. These are the things of marketing products and selling political brands.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain insight about why gut-level campaigns are so effective. This includes those who scratch their heads in frustration and wonder why people politically follow their guts to their own disadvantage. The overwhelming majority of us do a similar thing when we're shopping...
E.C.S.T.A.S.Y. — End Consumption, Save The Air & Sea, Y'all!
A support group and discussion forum for those who want to kick the habits of consumption that are damaging the world we live in.
Here are a few important links:
- Annie Leonard's crucial movie, The Story of Stuff.
- An invaluable tool for calculating the ecological footprint of your lifestyle, from the good folks at Redefining Progress. What's your score?
- The Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
- SCRAP - a creative reuse center, store and workshop space.
Donations of high quality, low cost, re-usable materials such as textiles, paper, jewelry findings, wood, buttons and plastics are collected from businesses, institutions and individuals then sorted, displayed and distributed by SCRAP for artists, educational and community groups.
For more creative reuse centers around the country, click here.
If you have a resource that should be included in ECSTASY diaries, please include the link and a few words about it in the comments.
ECSTASY diaries will appear most often on weekends and Wednesday evenings. All diaries dealing with the problems of living in a Consumerist society are potential candidates. If you think you've got something to contribute, please contact WarrenS and he'll schedule you in.
The next diary planned is expected on Wednesday, April 21, when we will hear from from G2geek on the Psychology of Sustainability.
The ECSTASY series thus far:
February 28: Introducing ECSTASY.
March 7: The Work of Julian Lee and Juliet Schor: Two Voices of Sanity.
March 10: G2Geek's Measure The Power.
March 14: Earthfire promoted Annie Leonard's appearance in Washington, DC
March 21: RL Miller tells us about Chickens
March 24: G2Geek prompts an unbelievable discussion about the
difference between Consumerist Time and Hunter-Gatherer Time.
March 28: citisven shares a thought-provoking and aesthetically satisfying look at the ways that one person's trash is another person's art materials.
April 4: WarrenS gives us the good word on Making Homemade Musical Instruments.
April 7: G2geek talks about what makes for robust and sustainable technology.
April 11: B Amer tells us how to find ECSTASY on our bicycles.