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50 Insightful And Funny Takes On Anti-Consumption, As Shared On This Online Community
When U.S. soldiers returned home after World War II, they found a country quite different from the one they had left. Wartime production had helped pull America's economy out of the depression, and during the late '40s, young adults saw a remarkable rise in their spending power. Jobs were plentiful, wages were higher, and people were eager to spend. Between 1945 and 1949, Americans bought 20 million refrigerators, 21.4 million cars, and 5.5 million stoves, a trend that continued well into the 1950s. The massive growth of suburban populations meant an even bigger demand for automobiles. Families of all income brackets were buying televisions.
Historian Elaine Tyler May thinks that the federal government and the American people saw the new consumerism as a way to de-emphasize class differences while stressing traditional gender roles. Things that defined "the good life" were within their economic reach, so working-class people could achieve the upward mobility they craved.
And we haven't stopped filling our inner void with sparkling things ever since. As Kerryn Higgs, the author of Collision Course: Endless Growth on a Finite Planet said, the capitalist system depends on never-ending growth and it would simply fail if people were content with what they have. Over the course of the 20th century, capitalism preserved its momentum by molding the ordinary person into a consumer with an unquenchable thirst for its "wonderful stuff."
And the subreddit r/AntiConsumption illustrates this notion beautifully. Its 294K members criticize, question, and discuss everything consumerism-related, and provide clear-cut examples of how the system degenerated. What I like about this online community is that it isn't ringing alarm bells, declaring the end of times. Instead, it invites us to take a step back and look at the reality we have created for ourselves.
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Thought This Belonged Here… It Drives Me Nuts How There Is Such A Purchase-Culture Around Fitness And Health
Useless Stuff Indeed
To learn more about r/AntiConsumption, we contacted its moderator, u/NihiloZerowe. "There is a broad range of subject matter that gets discussed in the subreddit," they told Bored Panda. "You often see posts from people who are sick of litter, who are discontent with the dominant economic order, and who dislike excess packaging. There are a fair number of vegans in the sub and many subscribers are concerned about global warming and ecological degradation. Occasionally, someone will promote some sort of boycott or protest. I'd say the sub definitely leans left, but I don't ban people who want to argue about some sort of idealistic capitalist ecotopia. One thing that makes the sub stand out from other similar subs is that we don't have much tolerance for green consumerism. Trying to market your 'eco-groovy' new product in r/AntiConsumption will probably not help your sales very much."
u/NihiloZerowe also tries to avoid moderating the subreddit with a heavy hand. They believe that "even seemingly inane posts can spur discussion, bring in new subscribers, and lead people to other posts discussing more substantial topics." To be honest, I can't remember a Reddit community this big and active with just one person looking after it. But it looks like u/NihiloZerowe is doing one hell of a job.
"Some people don't like memes but if those memes drive traffic... Then I see that as a positive. To the extent that the content gets a bit monotonous (e.g., MY USB STICK CAME IN A BOX THAT COULD HOLD A BUICK!). I encourage people to post the content that they'd prefer to see discussed. If you don't like something in the sub then downvote it, mark it as read, and move on. Or maybe explain why you don't like something. I really like to see debate and discussion in the sub and try not to stand in the way of that. As long as the posted content isn't overtly bigoted or an advertisement in disguise, I'll usually let it stay up so that subscribers can vote and respond to it as they see fit."
Great To See Out Society As A Whole, Progressing
In other countries you can get arrested when getting stuff out of Supermarkt dumbsters.
There Are So Few Spaces Like This Left
So sad but true, I remember community centers that has activities for free, now you gotta pay for certain things
Put The Small Biz Before Big Biz
I absolutely agree but I have one huge concern: If I buy five things on line from five different web sites it means I’ve given my credit card info to five different people I have probably never dealt with before.
In a way, economic anthropologist, author, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Dr. Jason Hickel, agrees with the subreddit. According to him, the great challenge of the 21st century is learning to consume less. "In recent years, scientists have published estimates of the world's total consumption of material stuff, including everything from fish to livestock, minerals to metals, forests to fossil fuels. It comes to more than 80 billion tons of stuff per year. A sustainable level of consumption is about 50 billion tons per year, scientists believe. We are overshooting the mark by 60%," Hickel explained.
"This means we are eating away at the web of life on which we all depend for our survival. This might sound impossibly abstract, but we can see the consequences around us. Fish stocks are collapsing. Pollinators are dying off. Agricultural topsoils are turning to dust. Huge swathes of coastal ocean have become dead zones."
Remember Kids, “Vegan Wool” Is Plastic. And When It Breaks, It’s Decomposition Will Not Be Friendly
They are not wrong. I largely buy second hand, and almost only leather, these things have had a whole life before me, and will have a whole other one after.
yay for buying second hand! I run estate sales and wish the whole world would get in on the second hand market. we could stop bringing shitty made in china pressboard furniture to the US.
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It's already the case. We use the meat for food, the skin for leather and the bones for glue. Because industries don't like to waste money or resources
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A few years ago I used to buy synthetic "leather" shoes because I didn't want animals to die for my clothes. Well yes... While my real leather shoes usually last for 10+ years the synthetic ones always were worn out after just one season. I tried that for about two years but it was always the same. Finally I was tired of creating so much plastic waste, returned to real leather shoes and wear them year after year after year...
An old carpenter once told me that a house needs to stand longer than it took the trees it is made from to grow. The raw materials plastic clothes are made from CO2 sunk during the Cambrian era. The raw materials for leather goods were CO2 in the atmosphere photosynthesized into plant matter, metabolized into proteins, and tanned into leather. Leather will last far longer, and eventually biodegrade into soil organic matter which is a good thing, as opposed to microplastic fragments that will remain mobile in the environment for an eternity.
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makes sense if we're eating them to use the whole animal , but we do need to eat less red meat , two blokes from Mexico made a leather type material out of cactus plants , thats the way to go
Exactly. Also ... this is so paternalizing, as if people who avoid animal products because they're not ok with it for ethical reasons would mindlessly and ignorantly pollute by any other method. Totally.
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I have a black wool coat, my grandfahter bought it in 1965. My father wore it at his wedding in 1969. I did the same in 1997 and so will my son, at leat I hope so
It is not leather vs plastic, it's leather vs trying to invent and mass-produce another suitable material that has comparable properties but does not require killing an animal and is sustainable. If nobody questions using leather, there is no incentive to try to improve on it. Tanning leather causes lots of pollution too. Bad quality, "cheap", leather is not really that durable either. Use of leather just for fashion, where another natural material would serve just as well, or better (i.e. dresses and skirts) cannot be excused.
leather is sustainable as a by product. Not only is it very durable and great protection...steak is awesome.
Load More Replies... As Temple Grandin said (whose movie is about how she deals with Autism & how she revolutionized the beef industry)... "Of course we eat them. If we didn't eat them, they wouldn't even exist". Can you imagine keeping a cow for a pet? 🙀The pooper-scooping alone🙀 (Same w/our horses & stinky goats.) But her point is that it's really about how we treat them before we eat them. And not to waste them.
I’m not vegan, but I do love animals. We no longer need to wear fur to stay warm, and wool collection doesn’t involve killing the animal. I see the value of leather, and feel that as long as the animal is raised and treated humanely (no f*****g factory go farms), then killed quickly and as humanely as possible, and there is little of them that is wasted (meat for food, hide for leather, entrails for animal food, bones for bone meal, etc) I have no problem with wearing, eating, and feeding my pets from them. The key points are treating them well while they’re alive, letting them die quickly and as painlessly as possible, and making efficient use of them. Same goes for sheep who are sheared yearly; the shearing should be as stress-free for them as possible, so no more contests to see who can shear as many sheep as possible. Any animal we consume or who produce anything we use (milk from cows and eggs from chickens come to mind) should be treated humanely. Period.
My bags are all made of leather, you know how wine gets better when aged? That's how leather is, it gets better when frequently use
Something is not cruelty free if it is made out of plastic. If a product is not built to last then it is built to be disposable and end up in landfills and also contribute to the destruction of eco systems. Pick my shoes and purses based on durability so 100% agree with this.
Thankfully there are more natural non-plastic alternatives being worked on now
Honestly after all these years that I'm buying synthetic jackets that last mostly 2 years, this year for the first time I'm thinking to buy leather! Honestly I'm wearing those jackets maximum 10 times and they are for the garbage when my jacket as a kid lasted more than a decade!
Also, if (assuming not already) proved that plants feel pain, will there be a group of people who refuse to use/ eat plant and animal based product and only use lab synthesized products/ food?
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You can always go to a thrift store and get a leather jacket so that way it's cheaper and you're not directly giving money to the company ;)
I buy all my shoes there, only leather ones. Leather breathes and also molds to your feet better than plastic. You can get expensive name brand leather shoes, hardly used, for a small fraction of the new cost.
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I have no problem with leather, but fur is simply barbaric. At least we eat the cows (some of us) but making a hat out of a fox just to have a hat is sick.
you should also have a problem with leather, read a bit about the tanning process and how it contaminates and causes desease around it
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THANK YOU I DONT UDERSTAND WHY VEGANS WILL BUY PLASTIC THAT US MORE DANGEROUS THAN USING AN ANIMAL. like what did you thing the native americans did lol. They used buffalo
This is why I will never stop wearing wool. It will keep you warm even when soaking wet, you can mend it endlessly and if, in the unlikely situation it was so far gone no mending would bring it back, it's not going to pollute anything. Even the scraps will be used my animals to insulate their nests.
The way I see it, I'm eating steak and burgers anyway so *not* wearing leather is a horrible waste!
Which is still plastic, so therefore not good for the environment.
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Wrong: https://www.katia.com/uk/ekos-recycled-cotton-recycled-polyester-from-plastic-bottles-other-fibres-pale-green-yarn-109?gclid=CjwKCAiAxJSPBhAoEiwAeO_fP7IqyPGFUzhpWqVw36j-JaanK02JBX99ScG_jhN2x1nYzAMVb9HC9RoCz_cQAvD_BwE
Cows are still being destroyed for meat. Is it right to just get rid of those carcasses rather than use as much of it as you can? I don't wear fur (just can't get over that), but I wear leather shoes, handbags and jackets if I can afford them. I feel better about that than buying something that will last maybe 6 months, then I'll have to replace.
You're correct, because you've taken the trip through the whole process. Leather vs pleather? No contest. As long as the animal isn't wasted, used for meat (human or animal consumption), then putting the leather to use is honoring that animal entirely. As a former hunter, this was imperative.
What you have - or has already been made, sold, and is available second hand is always more eco friendly for the planet. One problem with virgin leather is that the people who tam it and so on are often paid a pittance and suffer bad effects from the chemicals - because we outsource everything to where it can be made the cheapest and without health and safety rules.
My son is wearing my old leather metalhead jacket from high school. If he takes care of it, he could let his kid wear it when it comes back into fashion in her school years. Leather jackets last for decades
I agree! I recently bought a leather jacket from a thrift store for $8. By the tag I can tell it was made in the 90's. That's a jacket that is 30 years old and now I am wearing it, it's in great condition and will probably last for my daughters to wear it too.
Some of the oldest clothes in antique stores are fur coats. Considering you have to kill a bunch of small animals for a fur coat versus one cow for a leather jacket, I’m in favor of not having fur fashion other than for people in super cold areas of the world, but I support the idea of more biodegradable materials for coats.
There are many examples of this in environmental issues. For example, buying a metal straw will prevent lots of plastic straws from going into the ocean/landfills, but the emissions necessary to produce a metal straw are many many times higher than they are when making plastic straws. So you reduce plastic waste, but increase warming greenhouse gasses. There's room for compromise in many areas of climate and ecological crises
"Faux" or "vegan" leather (pleather) is made from PETROLEUM. Making it pollutes far more than processing the hide that is coming off a beef anyway.
Kill one animal directly instead of killing many indirectly including humans
I can understand people wanting to eat healthy and do there bit for the environment. veganism is just stupidity. Yes animal eat animals that's how life works, get over it. As if a lettuce isn't alive. The thing is the way the food we eat is raised and slaughtered, it should be done in the most humane way possible.
Damn a lot of questions. So, chronologically: 1- Yes leather is a good resource / 2- That'd be 32 years / 3- Maybe / 4- Yeah, the math checks in
I got the leather jacket my dad used to wear in his 20s. I'm now in my twenties. 40 years old, got cared for well and looks good (not untouched but moderately "old"). Love that thing, I wear it when I'm on my motorcycle.
There is leather made from mangoes and cactuses I hope it happens to get more attention and people come to use it
I have my great-grandmother's fur coat. Three generations wore it. I can no longer wear it and had to buy a winter coat. Absolute waste of money and resources. I have a perfectly good 90 year old fur coat, but nope, because people hate fur I now have to add to waste.
Cows are born every day and it takes a lot less time for their parts to decompose after death. Plastic has its place, but it's friggin everywhere!
I have no choice - I don't want a bit of dead cow on my feet. I do wish though that the vegan leather was more environmentally friendly
You do have a choice. And your choice is to use pollutants over animal skin.
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some people just immediatly scream when they know an animal died for a human purpose
I worry about biodegradable plastic bags etc, what happens when they degrade?
we end up with micro plastic smaller than grains of sand that will end up in our water works and food stuffs , already finding them in fish and shellfish
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Ladies, I might just have the answer? How about CLOTH coats? Huh? Sustainable cotton, or Wool? Worth a try?
Cotton is terrible for the environment because it requires a lot of water to produce.
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You think this because you only see the final product, when you investigate how leather is tanned, the chemicals used in it, the pollution around tanning places, the health problems it leaves on those communities you'd think differently. We can do better than Leather or Plastic.
... as if plastic is the only alternative ... as if leather is environment-friendly. Neither of it is true. Growing out of mocking people for decision that you might not share, or might not be able to execute in consequence is a gift that not everyone gets to enjoy, huh...?
You did a horrible job of actually reading the post, and jumped to all sorts of conclusions. This was a genuine question asked without any malice or contempt, and you could have contributed to the conversation by informing and educating... but instead you decided to get all triggered and snarky.
Load More Replies... Hurting and killing animals does more harm to the environment but you bloodthirsty bottom feeders won’t look at yourselves. Ever. It’s not like there are WARM AF coats made from literal tires and plastic bottles bound for the ocean, and that by buying those you’re double saving the environment. Nope. Only wool, leather and pleather exist. /S
Humans are not the only animals who hunt and kill other animals (and sometimes for fun, not just sustenance - e.g., cats and orcas). I’m anti-hunting for personal ethical reasons but recognize that killing is part of nature. No, it’s not a Darwinian “survival of the fittest” bloodbath — animals cooperate and have empathy too — but many, many creatures eat other creatures, and humans are part of that natural food cycle. Removing humans from nature by making the species into some kind of enlightened savior figure is far more harmful to the Earth in the long run.
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This grossly overlooks the environmental impact of tanning leather (seriously, look it up), and ignores the fact that there are many, MANY fabric options other than just leather or plastic.
Thank you, you are absolutely right, they just don't want to hear about it sadly.
Load More Replies...My Work Is Required To Have Paper Charts And Maps, But They Expire Every Couple Months. I Take The Expired Charts And Use Them As Wrapping Paper
Old Bag New Life So My Mom Spent The Day Removing The Old Straps From Her Swimming Bag And Replaced Them With What She Had At Home: Some Old Cargo Straps. I Think The Colors Work Really Great With Each Other! Please Give Her A Thumbs Up!
From everything they've seen on the sub, u/NihiloZero expects that society will consume less in the not-so-distant future. But with that being said, the moderator doesn't think it'll be caused by some sort of positive cultural shift.
"Rather, I believe that resource scarcity, environmental degradation, and political instability around the world will break down the modern system of consumerism as we know it. I believe the hiccups in the supply chain that we're seeing right now as a result of the pandemic are small potatoes compared to what's coming. It would be nice if we could make a smooth transition to smaller self-sufficient and sustainable communities, and I won't try to stop you if that's what you're trying for, but I really don't expect such a transition to be smooth, if it ever happens at all," they explained their thoughts.
What Up Water Homies
But sadly a lot of people don't have access to healthy tapwater for various reasons, ranging from incompetent authorities not able to set up a functioning water supply system to incompetent authorities wilfully poisoning their citizens with lead.
Our Economy Thrives Off Insecurities
Just Came Across This And I Just Wanted To Share It
u/NihiloZero said the community of the subreddit "can be a bit holier-than-thou sometimes."
"You see a fair bit of gatekeeping and fingers pointed at those who are deemed to be conspicuous consumers. The anti-capitalists don't like the capitalists. The vegans don't like animal eaters. The pedestrians don't like the filthy motorists. We probably get a relatively high number of luddites commenting in the sub. Related to all the "anti-" positions... we also get a fair number of trolls who like to push the buttons of the true believers. But, really, I think the sub is mostly comprised of people who are sick of the violence, destruction, and waste in the modern world. Sometimes we can laugh about it, sometimes we can't. Sometimes we're serious and sometimes we're not," the moderator explained.
🙄
Me Everytime There Is A Discussion About Straws
Living In The 20's
Since /r/AntiConsumption is about to hit 300,000 subscribers, u/NihiloZero wanted to use the opportunity and encourage everyone who enjoys its content to become a member.
"Please don't let me dissuade you from working on sustainable projects or promoting them in the sub," they added. "We've got a lot of subscribers who are into that sort of thing and would likely give you feedback. Some of it might be positive, and some of it might be negative, but you're likely to get feedback either way!"
Found On Fb
My Sister’s Gender Reveal “Party”. Her Doctor Wrote The Baby’s Gender On A Piece Of Paper. At The End Of The Day The Whole Family Joined A Video Call Where She Unfolded The Paper! That Was It!
This
To Keep Prices High
Consumption Is Most Ravenous At The Top Of Society, Consuming Small-Businesses Too
This "Low Plastic" Pen Is A Perfect Metaphor For Environmentalism Under Capitalism
Not Perfect Anti Consumption, But I Used Black Takeout Containers And Old Greeting Cards To Give Out Homemade Cookies This Year
We Need A Different Economy
Restaurant Ask Customers To Stop Wasting Buffet Food
Not Sure What They're Expecting
the space between no ads and paying your artists well while keeping the app free is very small... i dunno how i feel about this because the reason why spotify and youtube are basically free is ads, and the reason why premium paid versions exist is so the artists are still paid
Did You Know That You Can Rewear Clothes? This Changes Everything
The True Cost Of Stuff
I hate Black Friday, and how religious holidays has become commercialized , yes the day after thanksgiving is Black Friday, the start of the holiday season ( Xmas for me) I know that Black Friday isn’t a religious holiday, didn’t mention that
Makes Sense
What A Beautiful Billboard
It's a joy you can experience yourself, without any cost! You can buy my e-book here!!!
You Are Enough
Problem Solved
I don’t mind trucks because I take the bus and don’t own a car. Does that count?
Croatian Company Made Their Toilet Paper Package With A Cool Dual Purpose
knowing Croatian plumbing the bag is for putting used toilet paper into
Some Decent Tips I Think
My Sister Asked Me To Buy These 2 Products For Her Birthday. This Is The Packaging For 10 Ml Of Product
This Really Hit Home For Me To See Today!
Permanent Permaculture
Gardens are a lot of upkeep. A lot of people don’t have time for them. Plus there’s the issue of finding something that will grow where you live.
Great Idea Stolen From Facebook
Bernie Showing Us All The Way
Just Ewww
Less Ads More Content Follow
Brands Aren't Your Friends
It Do Be Like That
You Know When You Can't Figure Out If Something Is Satire?
Sometimes That's Hard To Forget With All The Advertisements For Sustainable Clothing Brands
Women's clothing is less quality than man's. In my experience, my shirts get ripped and overstretched in less than a year. Boyfriend has the same damn s**t without any tiny holes in since like 2015 (the cost was the same)
This Would Be Very Depressing
“Hello? Yes, I’ve changed my mind, and I’d like to take the blue pill please.”
Bruh
I See This Every Year. Over 60,000 New iPhone & Samsung Cases Are Dumped Because They Won’t Fit The New Models
Right
And that leotard will be up her butt crack and wedged in her hooha fast than you can say downward dog, how uncomfortable and impractical. I hate the consumerism that sits behind climate change, and how so few see that this is adding to the problem.
Plastic Straws And Sandwich Cutters Aren’t The Devil
Absolutely Disgusting
Note: this post originally had 78 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I've come to the conclusion that I must be some weird subspecies of human. I'm (hopefully) about to get a better paying job and I was thinking just yesterday that I should buy myself something nice out of my first paycheck. But for the life of me, I can't think of a single 'thing' I want or need.
Well you bought this self-congratulatory post, and that's something.
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Consumerism depends on peer pressure. Fighting it isn’t about congratulating yourself for not buying stuff you don’t need: it’s about accepting others who show up with stuff that could be nicer.
There is also those who tear down perfectly fine houses to build their "dream" house or because they have nothing better to do with their time and money
One sad thing about COVID lockdowns are that people are buying more stuff online… and that this stuff mainly comes from multinational giants (like Amazon) whereas charity/second hand shops can’t operate until restrictions are lifted :-(
People need to teach their children about spending, manipulation consumerism, fads which are really wasteful.
One thing I learned about this article is people care way to much was a person does with there OWN money
the point of the article has gone way over your head hasn't it
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I feel guilty of buying useless items.. Although I don't throw it away but it just lies unused in my wardrobes.
Honestly I have no idea where this obsession to spend come from. I'm still very much the same as I was decades ago when I was a poor kid growing up. Hell I don't even have a spare business suit.
Generation X are the only ones who see through most of this BS.
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Currently spending money on garden stuff, mostly 2nd hand, and saving for a hand made musical instrument
I've come to the conclusion that I must be some weird subspecies of human. I'm (hopefully) about to get a better paying job and I was thinking just yesterday that I should buy myself something nice out of my first paycheck. But for the life of me, I can't think of a single 'thing' I want or need.
Well you bought this self-congratulatory post, and that's something.
Load More Replies... Consumerism depends on peer pressure. Fighting it isn’t about congratulating yourself for not buying stuff you don’t need: it’s about accepting others who show up with stuff that could be nicer.
There is also those who tear down perfectly fine houses to build their "dream" house or because they have nothing better to do with their time and money
One sad thing about COVID lockdowns are that people are buying more stuff online… and that this stuff mainly comes from multinational giants (like Amazon) whereas charity/second hand shops can’t operate until restrictions are lifted :-(
People need to teach their children about spending, manipulation consumerism, fads which are really wasteful.
One thing I learned about this article is people care way to much was a person does with there OWN money
the point of the article has gone way over your head hasn't it
Load More Replies... I feel guilty of buying useless items.. Although I don't throw it away but it just lies unused in my wardrobes.
Honestly I have no idea where this obsession to spend come from. I'm still very much the same as I was decades ago when I was a poor kid growing up. Hell I don't even have a spare business suit.
Generation X are the only ones who see through most of this BS.
Load More Replies... Currently spending money on garden stuff, mostly 2nd hand, and saving for a hand made musical instrument
