City
Graffitists Resist Xmas Advertising
There's something about the marketing deluge of the xmas shopping season that I find strangely hypnotic. The ads and the sharpie-wielders' response to them fascinate me, especially when I find myself succumbing.
I don't watch a lot of TV, I try to ignore billboards as much as possible, and have learned to overlook the hundreds of ads in print media (unless they mention something specific that I've been considering anyway, like the yoga studio ads in eye and Now).
But over the past couple of weeks - I find myself craving things whose actual value escapes me. I blame my metro pass and the wallpaper of giant ads on the TTC - there's nothing else to read.
Suddenly I find myself considering things I don't need (and usually can't afford), like an iPod (I have a cheap mp3 player that works just fine, but doesn't have the memory capacity - although really nothing's stopping me from getting a memory card for it), a new phone (those pretty Samsungs from Bell look a lot nicer right now than my Kyocera - whose antenna has snapped off), and possibly a new phone service (though realistically I can't part with my phone number, nor do I want to sign on for three more years of mediocre Bell service to get a pretty phone for half it's usual price).
Shouldn't I at least be wanting to get this stuff for other people?
Lucky for me, there are some anti-capitalist sticker-wielding graffitists out to remind everyone that you don't need to buy stuff you want. And, since this is Toronto and everything's up for discussion, some equally defiant capitalists responded with succinct yet pointed arguments about the validity of shopping.
In case you can't read the pen marks, it says:
(on the first sticker)
Fuck U, I (heart) retail therapy
What People?
(on the second)
What if it really would?
Do you have an alternative?
Discussion
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The only thing more awesome than advertising is wannabe guerrilla ad-busting vandalism.
one of the wannabe anarchists didn't seem to mind wearing nike shoes, though.
Number two, this time of year was about famiy, good will and religious faith. When did it become about making some rich fat white men at the top of the corporate later even more rich?
If you think Christmas has become to commerciaized, here is your chance to do nothing about it.
www.buynothingchirstmas.org
Ad-busting in these situations are so hypocritical and, I find, condescending when it's coming from middle-class teenagers. It's impossible to buy nothing nowadays, just be reasonable, set a good example and have more faith in your urban neighbour that we don't all go out, blow our paycheques on Reitman's winter line and abuse the children in 3rd world countries that manufacture them.
I saw a guy on tv last week complaining that Best Buy is witholding nintendo wii's from the public. wtf?
That's who needs to be snapped out of their frickin' daze, the guy who won't stand up for anything but goes to the media because he doesn't a f'in Wii. Pathetic.
it <i>is</i> possible to live without buying anything, but the idea is more symbolic that literal. what i can't understand is why everyone is so willing to work the vast majority of their lives away so they can afford to buy meaningless trite. is a phone/car/computer/tv/whatever really worth the time you wasted slaving for the money to buy it?
there's a reason why our happiness hasn't improved with the economy, and there's a reason why the increase in mental health problems has. we live in a culture where money is more imporant than people. if you disagree then tell me why there are so many homeless people out on the street?
stickers on subway windows are definately not cool either..
*sigh* ..sorry ;]
surely we don't need all those things to be 'happy'(what is that anyways) but they do help in the comfort of living, which leads to happiness... to some...