For December, F asked:

Since its launch twelve years ago, Buy Nothing Day (November 28) has become a global consumer-awareness phenomenon. And it’s not just for culture-jamming activists. We at F wanted to know what our trusty readers did not buy on that day.

Here’s some things the F staff will not buy (at least not on Buy Nothing Day):
1. spray paint
2. Olsen twin memoribilia on eBay
3. a pony
4. plutonium
5. world peace

As a trusty reader, I will not be buying into liberal lies and propaganda.

— Katie Trout

50-percent-off bakery goods at Au Bon Pain from 4 to 6, which I eat almost every day.

— Arthur Lam, MFA

On “Buy Nothing Day” I will not be buying:
1. Angelina’s love
2. Crap
3. Lies
4. Excuses
5. Bullshit
6. Smoothie from Jamba Juice
7. Cheesecake
8. Life-shorteners

— Jae-Won Shim

No burgers, fries or apple pies,
No shoes, shirts or mini-skirts,
No THINGS No WAY,
Will I buy on this day,
When Capitalism takes a nap,
We end up with a lot less crap!

— Melody Aleene, multi-departmental goddess now serving the realms of Arts Administration, Art Education, and Art Therapy

I will not buy into this anti-capitalistic crap. I will, however, purchase a fine and robust modern coffee from Starbucks and carry it with me whilst I shop for a new (used -looking) denim button-up shirt, maybe from the Gap or H&M. I will also go to Wal-Mart and purchase (guilt-free) one case of Coca-Cola to drink while I simultaneously consume minutes of “talk-time” on my “celly” and kick it watching reruns of Dharma & Greg.

“Band together and rage anarchy on these leftist tactics of oppression. Peace can only be reached through a mass unity of free spending, a compulsion to convert multi-speed bikes to single-speed and cool, coffee-to-go-cup logos.”
Peace & anarchy,
“Straight-edge forever” (or until i turn twenty-one, whichever comes first)

— X

I will not buy World Series championship t-shirts for my family in Florida.

—Michael Frederick Langhoff, Paintinga and drawing

Thanks to my tuition bill, every day is spend nothing day.

— Caroline Keem, 1st year grad, Design for Emerging Technologies

I will not be buying Christmas presents on buy nothing day. Strange that we show our love not through hugs and smiles and letters, but through pre-manufactured things we bought at the mall. Buy Nothing Day is great, but a Buy Nothing Christmas would be better!

— Chico, Sophomore, Painting and Drawing

1. 1 year of credit protection
2. Kelly Clarkson’s Christmas CD
3. Any propaganda about Middle East
nations which begins with the letter “I”
4. A lube (Jiffy or otherwise)

— Bill Voltz, Admissions

I am not buying the “Spend Nothing Day” concept that you are trying to promote. November 28th is supposed to be the official start of the Christmas season.

While I am sure that the concept of this day is an attempt to stop commercialism, it does not stop the fact that our economy is in the toilet. This does not mean that I want everyone to go out and shop to their hearts delight and go into debt. It means that it doesn’t make sense if you think that shopping on this day is not a good thing. For a person on a budget it is quite the opposite, it is the best day to shop.

What I would like to point out is that traditionally November 28, the day after Thanksgiving, is the day when a lot of retailers offer low prices and discounts on merchandise and it is a best way to stretch a buck before Christmas. I hate shopping, but this is the one day that I try to make it out because I am always looking to save a buck on that special item that I know that my friends and family would love.

The concept of Buy Nothing does only one thing: It hurts the economy. If you do not spend, people do not get hired for the Christmas season. If people do not have jobs, they have less money to spend. If they have less money they cannot purchase products. If they cannot purchase products, less items are produced. If less items are produced, people get laid off, factories close and less items are shipped. Because the supply is now reduced, we end up paying more. It really is that simple.

If the concern of the movement is to stop the commercialism of Christmas, I would have to agree that retailers have gone too far in promoting this holiday as a buying bonanza. Holiday decorations were up before Halloween. I would think a better way to promote this anti-commercialism movement is to not holiday shop before November 28. To single out a day of deep discounts to avoid shopping is insane. The only other great holiday shopping days are the day before and the day after Christmas, but by then most of the cool stuff is gone and all you’re left with is a $4.99 dancing Santa. So November 28 you know where I’ll be...

Merry Christmas,

— Chet Ildefonso, Staff

Things I won’t spend $$ on Nov. 28th:
1. Another T-Rex album Import
2. X-Ray glasses
3. Candy
4. Nunchuks
5. Lunch
6. Bicycle
7. Pet
8. Saw

— Carl Baratta, MFA, Painting

Sadly, Spend Nothing Day will go by unnoticed for me, because given my choice of study, every day is Spend Nothing Day.

— Autumn Blue Ramsey, Painting and Drawing

I will not be buying:
1. H&M clothing
2. Marshmallows to make S’mores
3. Songs from the iTunes music store
4. Army of Darkness on DVD

— Rachel Adams, 3rd year, Photography

I personally guarantee that on Buy Nothing Day, the only thing that I will be purchasing will be my self-respect.

— Angee Lennard, Senior, Print Media

I will not be buying nothing on that day.
— C.Taylor, Fourth year, Photography
Things I will not be buying on November 28:
1. Thomas Kinkade’s Nazi propaganda
2. An aging midget hustler moonlighting as a Christmas elf
3. A Russian mail order husband
4. A frosted pink Xmas tree
5. A vibrating dreidel plug
6. Any sort of film about a greased, hung, muscular Santa from the Czech Republic.

No, I absolutely refuse to indulge myself in these necessities. It will be a great struggle, but I will remain strong.

— Professional student and mess: Michael Koby, Fiber and Material Studies

Keep posted to the next F News Question via your artic.edu account or our website www.fnewsmagazine.com.

llustration by Feras Khagani