Happy Thanksgiving
I flew into my parents town earlier this week. My dad told me that even though he hates Wal*Mart, he'd just finished shopping there and would probably go back there for more stuff later.
It's Thanksgiving today. I'm hiding in the spare "bedroom" which has no bed. It has 7 large tupperware tubs of yarn. There are 9 more tubs in the other spare room. My parents (entire family, actually) have a bad case of Affluenza. They shop, shop, shop and spend, spend, spend. It's somewhere between a religion and a hobby. Their household has 6 TVs, 4 DVD players, 4 VCRs, one computer that works (two that don't work) and one web TV. There are at least 5 "As seen on TV" items still in the original box, unopened and unused.
During Thanksgiving dinner, I put on WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price and started watching it with my brother. (The TV is on during dinner of course, as it is during every moment people are in the house. My brother seemed pretty into the documentary since he's a retail worker who struggles financially. When my sister was done eating, she came into the room with the newspaper flyers and began reading each and every item from each page using a supposed-to-be funny voice to announce the stores and items. I couldn't hear the movie. I'm not sure if she was doing this to retaliate against the anti-Wal*Mart movie (it's one of her favorite stores, of course) or if she was trying to be nice and read to my blind brother or both or neither. She didn't stop talking for more than 30 minutes.
Periodically, my mother would ask why I was watching an anti-Wal*Mart movie, "Do you have to write a report about this?" She must forget that I'm not in school. "Isn't there anything else on? Why are you watching this?" It's as if hearing the truth that Wal*Mart is evil is like they were are insulting her personally. She left the roomm and fell asleep at the dinner table.
Finally, my brother stopped responding to my sister's advertising recital and started listening to the movie. She caught the last 30 minutes with us, the part about how Wal*Mart destroys the environment and about how many crimes are committed in their parking lots that lack security. She tried making negative comments like "um, aren't they getting a little off topic?" to which I quickly responded, "no, they are showing you that there are real people, likeable people..." She interrupted, "that's obvious!"
... that are making Wal*Mart merchandise for only $3 a day, struggling to live," I continued. You'd think she'd shut up, but she continued to talk about all of the "cool" stuff in the Sharper Image flyer. "Sharper Image is going to be in the new mall! I can't wait!" she said, just at the point of the movie where the Chinese Wal*Mart employee was saying, "If I could talk to an American Wal*Mart shopper, I would ask them, 'why do you buy this toy that is made by someone like me who is struggling to survive because Wal*Mart underpays us?" I'm paraphrasing her quote of course, because I couldn't hear it over my sister's mouth. She repeatedly sang "Just a Good Ol' Boy" as she continued flipping through the 'day after Thanksgiving Day' sale flyers. The irony was thick.
As she does every year (holiday tradition?), my sister will be up early at 5 or 6 AM tomorrow to hit all the stores. Thank JesusFuck that I am heading back home to San Francisco tomorrow. I hope I can get out of here before she returns to show off her purchases.
I wish I could say that I'm participating in Buy Nothing Day tomorrow, but there are at least 4 beers with my name on them at the airport lounge. I think I've earned them.
It's Thanksgiving today. I'm hiding in the spare "bedroom" which has no bed. It has 7 large tupperware tubs of yarn. There are 9 more tubs in the other spare room. My parents (entire family, actually) have a bad case of Affluenza. They shop, shop, shop and spend, spend, spend. It's somewhere between a religion and a hobby. Their household has 6 TVs, 4 DVD players, 4 VCRs, one computer that works (two that don't work) and one web TV. There are at least 5 "As seen on TV" items still in the original box, unopened and unused.
During Thanksgiving dinner, I put on WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price and started watching it with my brother. (The TV is on during dinner of course, as it is during every moment people are in the house. My brother seemed pretty into the documentary since he's a retail worker who struggles financially. When my sister was done eating, she came into the room with the newspaper flyers and began reading each and every item from each page using a supposed-to-be funny voice to announce the stores and items. I couldn't hear the movie. I'm not sure if she was doing this to retaliate against the anti-Wal*Mart movie (it's one of her favorite stores, of course) or if she was trying to be nice and read to my blind brother or both or neither. She didn't stop talking for more than 30 minutes.
Periodically, my mother would ask why I was watching an anti-Wal*Mart movie, "Do you have to write a report about this?" She must forget that I'm not in school. "Isn't there anything else on? Why are you watching this?" It's as if hearing the truth that Wal*Mart is evil is like they were are insulting her personally. She left the roomm and fell asleep at the dinner table.
Finally, my brother stopped responding to my sister's advertising recital and started listening to the movie. She caught the last 30 minutes with us, the part about how Wal*Mart destroys the environment and about how many crimes are committed in their parking lots that lack security. She tried making negative comments like "um, aren't they getting a little off topic?" to which I quickly responded, "no, they are showing you that there are real people, likeable people..." She interrupted, "that's obvious!"
... that are making Wal*Mart merchandise for only $3 a day, struggling to live," I continued. You'd think she'd shut up, but she continued to talk about all of the "cool" stuff in the Sharper Image flyer. "Sharper Image is going to be in the new mall! I can't wait!" she said, just at the point of the movie where the Chinese Wal*Mart employee was saying, "If I could talk to an American Wal*Mart shopper, I would ask them, 'why do you buy this toy that is made by someone like me who is struggling to survive because Wal*Mart underpays us?" I'm paraphrasing her quote of course, because I couldn't hear it over my sister's mouth. She repeatedly sang "Just a Good Ol' Boy" as she continued flipping through the 'day after Thanksgiving Day' sale flyers. The irony was thick.
As she does every year (holiday tradition?), my sister will be up early at 5 or 6 AM tomorrow to hit all the stores. Thank JesusFuck that I am heading back home to San Francisco tomorrow. I hope I can get out of here before she returns to show off her purchases.
I wish I could say that I'm participating in Buy Nothing Day tomorrow, but there are at least 4 beers with my name on them at the airport lounge. I think I've earned them.
posted by Freewendy @ 1:37 PM
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