When you think of the anti-corporate movement usually images of protest and boycott come to mind, with all the rancor, derision, and conflict that come with such things. Think the word “anti-corporate” and our conditioning often leads us into the realm of serious, heavy, and sometimes troubling thoughts.
Well, not today.
Today, think cute. Think warm and fuzzy, literally as well as figuratively. Think yarn.
I recently noticed an article entitled “The Anti-Corporate Gift Guide” on the blog Million Dollar Swim. “Anti-Corporate Gift Guide?” That’s a really cute and humorous approach to such a heavy concept. During the holiday season, how could I not read this one? I couldn’t. So I did.
This article uses as its theme for anti-corporatism the idea of making gifts to give or the idea of buying handmade articles. This post was written by a woman named Amelia, living in Montreal, and operating a “little yarn shop.” Amelia tells us that business was good two weekends ago and that she had many customers rushing into the shop for gift-making materials. I’m glad her shop was busy. I like to see any business do well.
She tells us that to “hold out against consumerism” she will be knitting all the gifts that she is giving this season. (Presumably using materials from her own shop.)
Moving on within this theme of anti-consumerism, Amelia then tells us that if she was to buy gifts this season rather than make them herself, she mentions and pictures about a half-dozen handmade gifts, made by other handcrafters, that she would purchase. You may go to her article here to see those pictures and read those descriptions if so inclined.
I suppose with regard to Amelia’s would-be purchase of handmade gifts in lieu of those found at any traditional store, or her preference to make gifts rather than submit to “consumerism,” and with regard to her customers who will be using her yarn as handmade “gift raw materials,” there will be some lost value-added to the economy, value-added that the Canadian government could have taxed. (Something they really like to do up there in the Great White North.) But, I don’t suppose that relatively infinitesimal amount of lost value-added will show up as any negative numbers in any economic report. Unless, of course, this trend continues. But it would seem, at least to my tastes, that such a trend isn’t likely to catch fire anytime soon.
Each to his own, as they say. I suppose some folks like this sort of product, but I’ll just say that gifts of this type aren’t my cup of tea. Perhaps others find them attractive, but I would bet that that segment of the market isn’t very large.
And if that segment is actually very small, then big business doesn’t have much to worry about from this kind of anti-corporate movement strategy. Yet, I must say that I find this approach to anti-corporatism refreshing, maybe even tongue-in-cheek, and certainly one possessing much more character than the approaches used by pugnacious demonstrators.
Anyway, I wish Amelia the best with her yarn store and hope that her friends and family enjoy their gifts.
I’ll be back here on Telofski.com after the first of the year. In the meantime . . .
Happy Holidays.
Hey there, thanks for picking up on this and writing about it. I definitely agree that my approach to anti-consumerism defies common conceptions – a good thing, in my opinion! I would argue, though, that with the rise of sites such as Etsy.com and the cultural resurgence of craft and doing-it-yourself, that the choice to buy handmade does now and will increasingly have an affect. But even if it didn’t I tend to believe that you are what you buy, and that’s enough for me!