Charlie Brown would definitely have hated this.
In modern times, there's nothing that symbolizes the start of the holiday season like packages piling up on porches. It's supposed to be the best time of the year; why is it also the most wasteful? "In the U.S. alone, it's estimated that during the holiday season an extra 1 million tons of waste is produced each week," waste experts report.
This Redditor hinted as to why on the subreddit r/Anticonsumption with a post highlighting the glorification of excessive consumption during the holiday season.
Ornaments may be souvenirs from a fun family trip or a child's craft project at school; sometimes couples get a special ornament to honor an anniversary, marriage, or the birth of a child. Instead of any of those valid reasons, this ornament — showcasing a stack of Amazon parcels — honors the inundation of consumerism in our culture. "This makes me sad," the OP said.
Amazon alone created 709 million pounds of plastic packaging waste in 2021, according to an Oceana report. "People are literally mental with Amazon. My neighbor gets 20-40 packages each week," one commenter added.
Excessive consumption is also damaging to your wallet. Cultural trends that venerate spending make it challenging to stick to a budget. For any income bracket, a culture of excessive consumption makes everyone feel like they need to spend to be satisfied. "Influencers have made us believe it's normal to get a 'haul' in the mail all the time," one user wrote.
Shopping at Amazon for everyday basics might seem like it saves you money, but it also damages your community (as Civic Economics explained) and floods the ocean and landfills yearly with 208 million pounds of plastic, per Oceana. The company also operates a monopoly, preventing free market competition from keeping prices low, as the American Economic Liberties Project explained.
Instead, check out some of these ways to find new and used items for less money, and use your purchasing power for good. Thrifting is a fun way to find used items that have stood the test of time. Whether you're looking for a unique gift or just a great upgrade, secondhand stores will deliver. It's also a great idea to stay up to date with your community's Buy Nothing group, especially for birthday and holiday gifts.
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