Detail of Barbara Kruger’s Untitled (I shop therefore I am), 1987.

The Little Red Tarot Shop is closed this weekend in protest of “Black Friday”.

This ‘holiday’ – aka the biggest selling days of the year – is one of capitalism’s most sacred festivals.

Capitalism is at the root of colonialism, white supremacy, patriarchy and many other systems of oppression, depending on and deliberately creating inequality to function.

Capitalism aggressively teaches us to ignore what our bodies, hearts and souls know – how to truly nourish ourselves and meet our own and our communities’ needs. Capitalism teaches us that we are broken – and that buying things will fix us.

Capitalism is defined by ever-increasing growth, which relies on ever increasing consumption, which means convincing us of ever-increasing need/scarcity/brokenness, so we buy ever-increasing amounts of stuff, which end up in ever-increasing landfills, and off we go again. There is no endgame, no enough. Only more, and more, and more. You can stuff COP26 and carbon offsetting and bamboo coffee cups… if we are not *actually ending capitalism* then this is the direction of travel.

The further we fall into the lie of consumption, the further from our selves we move. The more we buy, the more we suffer, so the more we buy again. The more we shop, the less we feel. Few of us escape this conditioning. We are drugged, herded like sheep to the checkout.

* Resist the Shopocalypse *

This weekend, as you are bombarded with emails and ads for ‘unbelievable deals’ (I mean yes, it does seem unbelievable what warehouse workers and couriers are subjected to to enable them…) – just say no.

Every purchase made from Am*zon is a vote for a culture without content and without contentment.
Ursula K. LeGuin

Enjoy the void!

Beth x