This year marks the 20th anniversary of Buy Nothing Day. A day to protest the hyper-commercialism that has led to people being trampled in stampedes at Wal-Mart for deals on video games that glorify mass murder or any of the tons of plastic crap imported from China. This year the protest against the insanity that is Black Friday has new meaning. Occupy Wall Street encampments have highlighted a growing wealth disparity in our nation, and growing corporate profits against the backdrop of declining worker's wages. Tent cities of protesters were cleaned out just in time to welcome the hoards of expected shoppers - no coincidence this. How many shoppers will set up tents outside of Wall-mart across the nation in expectation of being the first in the door? Shall we send the jack-booted thugs to pepper-spray them before they gleefully hand over their hard earned American dollars over to China?

I intend to buy nothing on Friday or Saturday as I have(nt) done for many years now, but this year the (in)action will have added significance.

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