Jon, his mom and I watched a documentary tonight. If anybody needs any push to not impulse shop and consume more responsibly, may I recommend “Buy now! The Shopping Conspiracy”, a Netflix documentary that just debuted on November, 20. It pulls back the curtain on some of the world’s largest cooperations, exposing their hidden tactics and covert strategies to keep people locked in an endless cycle of buying, no matter the cost.
I will say that you have to be willing to ignore some gimmicky AI images and audio and get over the fact that the people interviewed are ex “big corporation employees” who made a lot of money before they ‘grew a pair of balls’ and stepped down from their positions to educate the public. I still think it was worthwhile.
Even if you don’t constantly shop, and I definitely count myself in that category, the film is an important wake-up call to our consumerism and how we choose to spend our money. It also really hammered home the message that human beings are creatures of convenience who are easily manipulated. Even worse, how hard corporations make it for consumers to shop responsibly, even if they want to. Instead of making it easier, you really have to go out of your way to find more sustainable goods.
The film is a good reminder that things can be made to last or at least that they can be fixed to last longer (corporations just choose to not make that a priority for the sake of a faster buying cycle) and that ultimately, we need a lot less stuff than we realize.
I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2024Links to the Participants List and NaBloPoMo2024 Blog Post Ideas! Happy writing!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
November 23, 2024 at 11:54 pmI bet it is very interesting to watch.
I think in France there is a new law – and I am not sure if it is actually a European law that has just not yet be enforced in Germany – that producers of electronics are required to fix broken appliances. So there is a switch but it is just. beginning.
While I personally am not so keen on shopping I earn my money with marketing so it is a bit of a topic I can’t really solve.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:52 pmI think shopping per se is not that bad, but it should be done mindfully and I hadn’t heard about this French/European(?) law but I think it’s a great step in the right direction.
Birchie
November 24, 2024 at 6:09 amThanks for the rec! I’ve got a list of things that I want to see on Netflix, and I do believe that the list is long enough to justify getting NF for a month or two. I will report back.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:52 pmWould love to hear what you think, Birchie!
Grateful Kae
November 24, 2024 at 6:09 amThat definitely sounds really interesting!! Thanks for the rec!
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:52 pmYou’re welcome!
Nicole MacPherson
November 24, 2024 at 7:25 amI probably won’t watch this because I am lazy about watching things, but I think about over consumerism all the time. Especially this week because I have had to clear out so many clothes from my closet due to, um, non-fitting issues. I’m donating them, yes, but eventually they are going to end up as garbage somewhere. It’s so sad.
Selin
November 26, 2024 at 8:32 pmYou can upcycle with Thrashie : https://www.trashie.io/ Nobody wants textile, there is just too much, and Goodwill ships them to other countries after a week if they don’t sell. Upcycling is the way to go.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:53 pmGirl, I AM lazy about watching things… this is the first documentary I have watched in months (years?)! LOL
Kyria @ Travel Spot
November 24, 2024 at 8:16 amThat seems like an interesting show. It really pains me to see how much people have and how much they buy and how much we/they do not need. Really, how many of the things in our closets do we actually wear regularly? We all have things that make us happy, but it seems to have gotten a little bit out of control over the years. What happened to the Laura Ingalls Wilder days where they were so happy to get an orange in their stocking!?
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:53 pmYes, it has gotten a little out of hand. I try to be very mindful about what I purchase and also what I give as gifts.
iHanna
November 24, 2024 at 9:31 amGood rec, great documentary.
I am very conscious about the issues, but I am often by how saddened by how others choose to spend their money and ultimately, their energy, because everything we buy we should also take care of for a long time. I don’t believe in shaming anyone, but educating ourselves is a good thing and to also push back towards big corp and consumerism.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:54 pmYes, I think pushing back against big corporations and consumerism is important. We won’t stop consuming overnight, but we all can be a little more mindful.
Noemi
November 24, 2024 at 11:23 amOh, I should watch this. I will probably feel VERY bad about my practices, both in ways I’m disappointed in myself and in ways I’m hurting the world. Berg. Probably an especially important watch right before holiday shopping.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:54 pmWell, it definitely makes you think twice before you hit the next “buy now” button ;)
Alexandra
November 24, 2024 at 11:59 amIt’s frightening how much pressure is put on people to consume just about everything. So I can imagine how easily it is to get stuck in the cycle of endless buying. Back when I was a kid, we got exactly one Christmas present plus whatever we found in our stocking. Now? It’s all become an addiction.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:55 pmAbsolutely. I mean how often is buying something an emotional act and not because we actually NEED it.
coco
November 24, 2024 at 4:47 pmI’m intrigued by this now, will have to watch it. We don’t buy things that we don’t need, as general rule, and don’t buy brand things unless the quality is superior than non-brands.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:55 pmYou never buy things that you don’t need? Teach me your ways! I mean how do you determine what you need and what you don’t need?
Ernie
November 24, 2024 at 4:57 pmI love a good documentary. Since I am in a long, deep-dive project of cleaning out my closet (also a dumping ground for all things), this will probably hit home with me.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:56 pmYeah, decluttering our home before our move was eye-opening!
J
November 24, 2024 at 5:00 pmThis show sounds interesting. I am trying to buy less, to fix things instead of replacing them. But sometimes it just doesn’t work, which can be frustrating.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:56 pmYes, the hardest part is that often you can’t even fix things anymore…
Elisabeth
November 25, 2024 at 2:20 amMy John and I watched this over the weekend (I’ll admit I HATED the AI part – I think the doc would have been more effective and punchy without it). That said I have SO MANY THOUGHTS.
It is sobering. Especially the part about all the new merchandise that is ruined/destroyed purposefully. I think what bothers me the most is that there is so much waste that could actually be used – especially food waste. The part about Bath and Body works not wanting to “be the brand that homeless people” use made me both angry and sad. Ditto the lightbulb lifespan. Argh.
I don’t understand the way forward. It feels like so much damage has been done and the high-speed car of consumerism is racing forward ever faster. Also, we like cheap stuff. We like convenience. We like to do the things we want to do. I know some people who – for example – pontificate about mitigating climate change…and then fly halfway across the world to see Taylor Swift in concert – which produces insane levels of greenhouse gasses – not to mention buying all sorts of Taylor Swift merch (which took fossil fuels to make). I’m not anti Taylor Swift or anti-concert, but what I’m saying is we speak with our wallets and our decisions and I think when the rubber meets the road, most people will still choose what they want to do (i.e. going to see Taylor Swift) over what is going to be best for the environment?
Another thing that frustrates me to no end is how little time expensive and large appliances don’t last. I consider myself SO fortunate to have moved into a home with older appliances. Our stove, washer and dryer, and fridge are probably all about 15 years old and work like. a. charm. We’ve put about $200 into one simple repair each for our stove and washing machine and that’s it. I’d guess our dishwasher is at least 30 years old. I know when they finally break, when we have to replace them the new product won’t last nearly as long. I have friends who went through TWO dishwashers in 6 months. They were under warranty, so they weren’t out of pocket, but I suspect those two “dud” dishwashers weren’t fixed and ended up in a landfill :(
I feel like I could talk all day about this topic!!!
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:58 pmI knew you would have tons to say, Elisabeth. I actually thought of you during the movie and so funny that you also watched it over the weekend. I also wasn’t a fan of the AI part, although I have to say that “visualising” the piles of trash was a helpful image to actually understand the “problem” even better.
The part of all the “wasted items” that were thrown out because of overproduction bothered me the most, too. Why can they not make these things available to people in need at least?
Jenny
November 25, 2024 at 10:45 amThis sounds good! I’m sure it was eye-opening.
San
November 28, 2024 at 11:58 pmVery!
Good Things Friday – The Brighton Jotter
November 28, 2024 at 1:12 pm[…] watched the Netflix documentary Buy Now recommended by San. I am not a big buyer of things. I also try to buy food, etc, without packaging and select more […]
Stephany
November 29, 2024 at 7:06 amI should probably watch this, even though I’m sure I’ll feel very convicted. I do enjoy shopping and I use Amazon WAY TOO MUCH. We’ve gotten so locked into the convenience factor of so many things that we don’t take the time to understand how that’s affecting everything else.