Holiday Wrappings

I have just finished reading This Changes Everything –Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein. There is nothing particularly new in the book for those of us that have been practicing restoration or involved in urban development issues and have kept up with environmental degradation reports. The book however does offer a well-written summary of all that ails us and does offer some plausible solutions and way forward. While reading I was inundated by memories of this Holiday’s family events, in particular the outright consumerism. Giving of gifts should be an act of love and caring and it is in the minds of all that participate in it. What astounded me was the type of gifts given to children. In fact we contributed to the act by consenting to buy a request from our grandson. He had asked for a Bionicle toy. This request startled us – after all he is of an age where he has outgrown such toys but as it turns out he did not wish to play with it, only possess it because it has become a collector’s item. As he discussed the toy with his brother it sounded like a real financial decision and thought out process – they knew of all the varieties of Bionicles and their worth and where disappointed that one they wished to have in their collection sold out after only four hours, distributed by Walmart who had first dibs from LEGO, the company that produces the toy, before any other distributor is allowed to sell it. These toys are made of plastic and LEGO had to sever its direct ties with SHELL, at least in the public eye due to Shell’s terrible human rights abuses and ecological disregard in the Niger Delta that have been making the headlines. Then there is the issue of the plastic patches that are undermining the health of our oceans and all the other health issues associated with their production. As I said gift giving is an expression of love and no parent will refute a child’s wish especially if they are wealthy enough to provide it. But in this love they are playing the very game of consumerism for its own sake, aided by the vast advertising industry and economic growth myth that sees spending as the only practice worthy of the human race. The toy industry is a master at this, from the Cabbage Patch Dolls to Bean Babies to American Girl even to Swatch Watches – the concept of collector’s items has spurred sales that otherwise would not have come to fruition. So what happened to those other desirable collectibles? Does anyone follow the Cabbage Patch Doll market? What happens to these short-lived desires once on the shelf? How many are cherished forever and how many eventually end up in the various dumps around the globe? As parents and grandparents we are accommodating a present folly only to undermine a healthy future for the people we cherish the most. In part due to the production process that use petroleum derived material and many noxious chemicals that produce many current ailments especially harmful to young bodies and in part to the destruction of life-supporting processes that our fossil-fuel derived lifestyle deprives future generations. All this under the mistaken assumption that equates freedom with rapacious, predatory capitalism that serves a tiny minority of people on this planet. What we are imparting on our children is a suicidal lifestyle that is more akin to the philosophy of Ayn Rand and her self-absorbed individualistic view of commerce and society. Forgetting that the technology and freedoms we say we cherish have derived from a history of communal efforts. The lone wolf attitude would vanish if there were not the social networks and infrastructure for any trade to occur, not to mention intellectual communal sharing that builds on the work of predecessors and colleagues. My mind is racing to come up with alternatives for the next celebration of gift giving.