Stick It to the Man and Black OUT Friday by Caryn MacGrandle

Before I go any farther, I want to clarify that I am not speaking of all men.  There are a lot of good, strong, protector-type, kind, compassionate men out there.

But I am speaking of THE MAN – an archetypal dominator who has held the purse strings and the control the past few thousand years.

THE MAN who puts the almighty dollar above all else and doesn’t care who he has to step on in order to do so.

I’m sure  you can think about quite a few.  I would also include some women who behave like THE [DOMINATOR]  MAN.  The prevalence of this thinking has led to the spot we currently find ourselves in.

Black Friday is one of the most crucial sales periods for many retailers, with some earning a significant portion of their annual revenue during the holiday season.  Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024 alone generated billions of dollars in online sales.

What if we said ‘no’?

What if we said ‘no’ to a culture that does not make sense in so many ways.

Health insurance doesn’t make sense (and is about to make a lot more nonsense with premiums going up for many over 100%!).    The healthcare industry as a whole , Big Pharma, smartphone usage with our kids, lack of community, rent costs, inability for large percentage of working America to buy or afford a home, retirement crisis.

And we haven’t even gotten to wars and immigration nonsense.

But the basis of the American culture has been ‘work more’ so you can ‘buy more’ and then ‘work more’.  And more. And more. And more.

In America, you are a consumer first and foremost.

Trump may proclaim our country  ‘hot’, but in my opinion, that is only because it is on fire.

We have not been seeing what is going on reflected in the Stock market because the top 10% of the US population own about 70% of all U.S. wealth.   The rich and AI are floating this economy at the moment.  But here’s the thing:

It may trickle down, but it evaporates Up.

The top 10% drive most investment and stock market activity, because they own the majority of financial assets. 

However, the bottom 90% drive a large share of consumer spending – which makes up roughly two-thirds of GDP.¹

So in terms of day-to-day economic demand, the majority of Americans matter deeply.

Marches matter.  What you choose to spend your money on (or not spend it on) matters.

I have been buoyed by the No Kings gathering (and it was a Gathering!  Happy, smiling, kind people offering snacks, water and cleaning up after themselves with handmade signs!) for the past month.

I’m not alone!

Others see what is going on!

Time to speak with our purses.

Today, I cancelled my Amazon Prime membership.  I am going out of my way not to order anything from Amazon.  I go directly to the company websites or Etsy.

Amazon has historically treated its employees badly with violations of workspace safety, union-busting and financial hardship, and laying off 14,000 workers to be replaced by AI was the last straw for me.

I will go elsewhere.  And you should, too.

That top 10% made its money off of the bottom 90% and when we get off the hamster wheel, they will take notice.

SNAP benefits getting canceled.  Insurance premiums going up.  Programs that matter to taking care of people and the Earth being recklessly cancelled. 

Making money, profit and large corporations prioritized over human care.

Enough.

We the people of the United States who care for each other are calling for a large-scale economic protest.

It is time to take care of all of us. 

Health care, shelter and food should be givens for all.  It is time we grew up as a human race.

Avoid all ‘large box’ corporations – shop only local! – from Black Friday November 28^th to December 5^th.

I have been outside the norm for many years now.  I go around my house giggling and cackling like the Witch that I am on days that I do not spend money.  They make me happy.  I smile and laugh and say ‘stick it to the Man’ to my kids.

My best days are spent outside in nature, kayaking, hiking, in Circles with my friends, making homemade gifts, singing and laughing.

I don’t need a new car or a large home, and I spend an inordinate amount of time working on figuring out how to live on less.

I am so happy to see so many others catching up with me!

Be sure to share this post.

¹ Source.