Are we human? Or are we shopper?

Hello and happy almost spring (?). I’m back from a much needed weeklong trip to London and Bath, England. It was lovely. I did the Abbey Road walk and watched tourist after tourist try to get the same shot. What I didn’t realize is that the Abbey Road crosswalk is just a random street, so you have to run back and forth when there are no cars (or hold up traffic) to get a photo. Chaos!

After visiting Bath, I think I finally understand what British people mean when they say something is ✨ charming ✨ — I keep joking that I need a novelty t-shirt that says “I ❤️ BATH” in the “I ❤️ NY” style. A lot happened in the week I was gone, so let’s get into it.

Regarding that “economic blackout”

Last month I wrote about how many people (especially Americans) seem eager to find ways to curb their spending habits. Part of this is that things feel very expensive right now — eggs at my grocery store were up to $10.29 this weekend — and part of it, I think, is that folks are beginning to tire of the endless marketing gimmicks that inundate them online. They are sick of bait and switch product launches; fatigued by the pressure to buy, buy, and buy even more. The quality of common goods is rapidly declining as retailers look for ways to cut corners and maximize profit margins. What’s been interesting to me is that the result of this desire for penny-pinching has become performative. I don’t mean this in a negative way: people are literally performing their shopping bans or limitations in the form of viral trends and video essays. And the biggest, most mainstream example of this came last Friday.

Dubbed an “economic blackout,” the daylong boycott called on consumers to refrain from shopping or buying food, especially at big businesses like Amazon, Walmart, or Target. The idea is to withhold spending for day — no Starbucks runs, no filling up your gas tank, etc. The People’s Union USA, the group who appears to have organized it, says on its website the boycott is a “symbolic start to economic resistance, a day where we show corporations and politicians that we control the economy.” The founder of the group, John Schwarz, is a meditation teacher, and until a few weeks ago was posting on Instagram to a seemingly small audience, getting a few dozen likes and a couple comments per post. A few viral videos later, he’s sitting at over 350,000 followers.

We really don’t know what impact the economic blackout last week had — not how many people participated, whether corporations felt the pain, and what specific policy goals or demands The People’s Union USA is calling for. Schwartz has raised more than $100,000 for the organization, which seems to only be him.

At this point I will reserve judgement about what’s going on here, exactly — maybe it is the beginning of a mass boycott movement led by the organization — but I will say that it isn’t surprising to me that a bunch of people latched on to a loosely organized, vague call to stop consuming for a short span of time pushed primarily by a stranger who seems to have no organizing experience. When you are taught to associate your personhood and identity with what you buy, a boycott that seems aligned with your politics makes logical sense. And while a No Buy or an Economic Blackout or simply going to Starbucks less can feel empowering, I wonder whether we are missing the forest for the trees: our main function on earth cannot be simply to consume things (or withhold our consumption). “Vote with your wallet” is only sage advice if you are also doing other things that put pressure on the people in power. (There is also a separate 40-day Target boycott happening right now, led by an pastor in Atlanta.)

Here is a counter to the economic blackout: the recent wave of agitation directed at Telsa, as well as the people who drive the cars. In recent weeks, a grassroots mobilization campaign has brought out thousands of people to protests outside Tesla dealers across the country, in response to Elon Musk’s indiscriminate and self-serving gutting of the federal workforce and his enthusiastic embrace of far right ideologies. Protests and public shamings are making owning a Tesla such a liability that people are selling their vehicles because it’s embarrassing to be seen in one. You don’t have to be a shopper to participate in this action. You just show up to the nearest Tesla showroom with a sign and a loud voice.

This is all to say that our power as people goes far beyond what we do or don’t buy. It’s great that Costco is standing by its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts while other companies fold immediately — but getting a Costco membership shouldn’t be the endgame. Where will you take those 10 jumbo jars of peanut butter, or the enormous (and actually really good) frozen pizzas? I’m sure a picket line or food pantry near you could take them off your hands.

Regardless of what you decide to do, expect to hear more about protests and other calls to change consumer behavior in some way — for many people, it’s the most accessible way to try to send a message.

What I used this month

I have a loose goal this year to knit one item a month for charity, so by the time cold months come back around I’ll have a bunch of hats, scarves, and mittens to give away. It’s been a great way to use up extra yarn I have, and the projects are very easy and quick! Here are two hats I’ve finished already:

Making things for others has brought me immense joy. It’s fun to play around with yarn and designs that are outside my own style — I hope someone will like these.

I’ve also been working to repair my own clothing (I have a bad habit of letting these projects languish, even when it’s something simple like fixing a button). One project has been haunting me a bit: a beautiful velvet dress from the late 1920s or early 1930s that I picked up a few years ago. It’s in phenomenal condition for its age, but it needed some TLC and love. I finally got around to some repairs in February.

The fabric is delicate, which meant that I had to do everything by hand — if you know, you know, it’s a huge pain. First I repaired some of the beautiful pin tucks on the sleeve and bodice….

The neckline so unique: very high with a sheer fabric overlay, almost like a cowl. This sheer fabric is also part of the sleeve, giving it a really cool effect from the side.

I still have some work to do on it. I was hoping to finish quickly so I could wear it for my birthday (because I also feel 100 years old, like this dress), but it will have to wait till next year 🖤

Reading list

• Millions of American women take their husbands’ last name when they get married. The New Republic explains how a Republican-backed bill would prohibit them (and many others) from voting because their documents don’t match their legal name.

• We can’t escape JD Vance’s face — not because he’s the vice president, but because people across the political spectrum keep making him look like a chubby-cheeked baby.

• I am supposed to be reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, but it’s been difficult to stay motivated. What’s everyone else reading?