Have you heard of "Buy Nothing Day"? Do you think you can't spend a coin on that day?
This holiday encourages people to stop buying things. It began in the 1990s in Vancouver, Canada. It was the idea of a man named Kalle Lasn. After working for many years in advertising (广告业), Lasn began to question the ways advertisers influenced people to buy things.
Lasn knows that people need to buy things. They have to buy things to eat, live and even enjoy life. But Lasn believes that many companies encourage people to buy far more than is necessary. He thinksithurts people and culture.
Lasn tries to help people understand some of the wrong values and ideas behind advertising. The main value he fights is the idea, "You must buy more to be happy." Encouraging people to celebrate "Buy Nothing Day" is one idea he came up with.
"Buy Nothing Day" is celebrated on the fourth Friday of every November. Lasn chose this day for a very important reason. It is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Advertisers call this day Black Friday. The first "Buy Nothing Day" was celebrated in Canada in 1992. Many other countries also have growing problems with too much consumption (消费). Now, over sixty different countries, including the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, are celebrating "Buy Nothing Day".
Some people doubt if "Buy Nothing Day" can really change culture. It is only one day, they say. Other people say that consumers should not just buy less, but they should buy better. These people encourage consumers to buy things made in environment-friendly ways. But "Buy Nothing Day" does get people thinking about the negative ( 负面的) influences of buying too much.
