Just to follow on from yesterday’s post, the BBC have an excellent article online today asking if shopping should be a patriotic duty.
Some great quotes from the participating voices:
“There are millions of choices available to us consumers. But the one choice we seem to have lost is the choice not to shop.” – Neil Boorman (more from him shortly)
“Every time you shop, ask yourself, ‘Does this purchase support or negate the type of change I want to see in the world? Is this purchase life-affirming or soul-draining.’ Then take a deep breath, centre yourself and listen. I think you will know your answer.”- Amanda Ford
Speaking for the other side:
“The way of austerity and only buying things we strictly need leads to Cambodia under Pol Pot, Afghanistan under the Taliban or China under Mao.” – Lucia Van Der Post
“It’s about boosting your self-esteem and giving yourself a reward. We want to lift our mood.” – Michael Gutteridge.
The Earthbound Report 
Lucia van der Post also says “And for some, shopping can also be viewed as an assertion of freedom in a capitalist liberal democracy.”
In a capitalist society, shopping is an example of complying with expectations, not freedom.
Agreed, that’s ‘choice’, and choice is a poor substitute for freedom.