From the editors
F*CK BLACK FRIDAY Words Inez Margaux Spaargaren
Black Friday is known worldwide as the day when Christmas shopping can begin; this year, it was the 26th of November..
Consumers gather in big shopping malls or online to take advantage of thousands of so-called 'Black Friday' discounts. But where did this Friday get its particular name from? As the story goes, after an entire year of operating at a loss ("in the red"), stores in the US would supposedly earn a profit ("went into the black") on the day after Thanksgiving, because holiday shoppers blew so much money on discounted merchandise. Elsewhere, it has developed as the day where consumers are introduced to the buying season. In itself, there is nothing wrong with consumers having the opportunity to buy products at a discount - but we must not forget that the shocking images of mindless consumerism overwhelmingly define this day. 22
We can no longer ignore the warnings about the climate. Yet, we allow ourselves to be influenced by the short-term gratification of materialism and risk the long-term future of our planet. To blame social media and the tremendous materialistic marketing seems too short-sighted. As human beings, we don't even manage to take action. At the end of the day, it's all about consumer purchasing. Furthermore, in November, the UN climate conference COP26 took place in Glasgow. The outcome: world leaders could not successfully commit to phasing out fossil fuels. And the culture we have, the everlasting consumerism, is also responsible for emissions. It is up to our world leaders to take sufficient action to resolve the gap between the ideals set for ecological reform, among others, and shape a realistic reality of consumerist lifestyles. A stark reminder is that household purchasing habits, often driven by the desire to signal social status or keep up with trends, contribute to more than 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions.1 Try to look away from all the Black Friday emails, ads, and promotions as your first step. If we are all to reduce the impact of climate change, we must all rethink the prominence of consumerism in our lives and economies. The trend in sustainability is making us pay more attention to our consumerism, but it is not only a matter of our individual responsibility and consumer choice.
