Annual Buy Nothing Day

I am in the middle of writing a paper for my Theological Ethics course about conscience as it relates to social sin.  The social sin on which I have chosen to focus is Capitalism.  While the paper will probably not be published here in its entirety, I believe that it is vital for those of us in ministry to draw a connection between one's spending habits and one's Catholic identity.  There are moral implications when we shop.  We need to acknowledge these implications which include, but are not limited to, the following:

1) "Sweat Shops" and other abuses that relate to globalization
2) An ever-widening gap between rich and poor, both in our own country and world wide
3) The environmental impacts of consumerism

Each year, Adbusters.com sponsors a Buy Nothing Day.  AdBusters is not a faith-based organization, but its message speaks to the spirit of Christianity and to Catholic teaching.  First, AdBusters adamantly decries the environmental effects of consumerism and promotes efforts towards sustainability.  (See Care of God's Creation in Catholic Social Teaching; Genesis 1 reminds us that human beings are merely stewards of the Earth.)  Second, AdBusters observes that, "You may find that it’s harder than you think, that the impulse to buy is more ingrained in you than you ever realized" - and encourages us to fight back!  Why is buying such a large part of our culture?  Jesus reminds us that we cannot "serve two masters... You cannot serve God and wealth (Lk 16:13)."  We need this reminder more often than not.

Buy Nothing Day is also known as Black Friday.  This year, it takes place just two days before the beginning of Advent.  How poignant!  Will you take a stand and say NO! to consumerism?  Will you truly help to "Keep Christ in Christmas" by avoiding this social sin?

The Website: AdBusters
The Event: facebook
The Poster: Advertise

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue!  Please comment!

Making Statistics Meaningful

The course entitled Catholic Social Thought began with an exercise about the Village of 100 People. (Please view the data below.) We were asked to reflect on this question: Given the make-up of the "Village," which principles of Catholic Social Teaching are the most important? Why? What do you think??

(You can view the source of this data here.)
The following is a detailed version of our 100 People statistics. Source information for each of the categories is available at the bottom of the page.

If the World were 100 PEOPLE:

Gender	50 would be female 50 would be male
Age	20 would be 0-14 67 would be 15-64 14 would be 65 and older
Geography	5 would be from North America 9 would be from Latin America & the Caribbean 12 would be from Europe 61 would be from Asia 13 would be from Africa
Religion	31 would be Christian 21 would be Muslim 14 would be Hindu 6 would be Buddhist 12 would believe in other religions 16 would not be religious or identify themselves as being aligned with a particular faith
First Language	17 would speak Chinese 8 would speak Hindustani 8 would speak English 7 would speak Spanish 4 would speak Arabic 4 would speak Russian 3 would speak Bengali 2 would speak Malay-Indonesian 2 would speak French 45 would speak other languages
Overall Literacy	82 would be able to read and write 18 would not
Literacy by Gender	87 males would be able to read and write 13 males would not be able to read and write 77 females would be able to read and write 23 females would not be able to read and write
Education	76 males would have a primary school education 72 females would have a primary school education 66 males would have a secondary school education 63 females would have a secondary school education 1 would have a college education
Urban/Rural	47 would be urban dwellers 53 would be rural dwellers
Drinking Water	83 would have access to safe drinking water 17 would use unimproved water
Food	17 would be undernourished
Infectious Disease	<1% would have HIV/AIDS <1%would have tuberculosis
Poverty	53 would live on less than 2USD per day 50 would live in poverty
Electricity	76 would have electricity 24 would not
Technology	34 would be cell phone subscribers 17 would be active internet users 1 would own a computer

Opting Out of Social Concerns

Gaudium et Spes tells us that Christians may not opt out of social concerns. I have tried to live up to that standard for several years, albeit with varying degrees of success. As this is the first time I have read Gaudium et Spes, I was not aware that the Church laid the command out in this way – certainly it is not an aspect of Church teaching that I have heard in homilies on a regular basis. As such, my initial reaction was quite positive. I have long believed that all people, and especially Christians, have a duty or responsibility to one another. I am glad that my Church also teaches this.

But by no means do I harbor illusions of grandeur! This teaching is incredibly challenging, especially as a citizen and resident of the richest nation in the world. At the risk of sounding apocalyptic, social sins seem to be rampant in this country if one is able to look around and take stock of the over-arching values of our culture. Materialism, individualism, and wastefulness are not only hallmarks of our society, but they are also the standards to which many hold themselves as they compare themselves to “American royalty” (ie. Hollywood). Even if one is aware of these traps, it is impossible to avoid them; our society is set up in such a way that prevents us from opting out of the system regardless of the injustices. For this reason, I can see how it would be easy to simply give up and ignore the Church’s call to social concern. However, I agree with the Church, which tells us that the promise of imperfection is not an excuse for inaction.

We discussed the matter of “pricked consciences” in class, and this is something with which I have been struggling lately. I have personally been boycotting Wal-Mart and limiting my patronage at other chain stores for many years. Although there is a second side to the issue, namely, that Wal-Mart is essential to the livelihoods of many West Virginians, my conscience tells me that a boycott is essential because of the multitude of injustices practiced by this company. However, the parish for which I work gets supplies and food from Wal-Mart regularly. My conscience is pricked every time my co-workers ask if I need anything from Wal-Mart for my ministry. Usually I simply smile and tell them no, thank you. I have had little success at “converting” people in the past, and so my super-ego takes over and I generally choose to maintain a friendly/stress-free/superficial work environment rather than taking the time to explain my beliefs. This is one small change I can make in my life in order to actively engage conversation about social justice.

What changes can you make in your own life to show your solidarity with the materially poor of the world?