dispatches from TJICistan

http://www.buyhandmade.org/

I pledge to buy handmade this holiday season and request that others do the same for me.

Two comments:

1) Unless asked, it is rude to tell other people what they should buy you.

2) What’s with this “buy” thing? If you’re going to think globally and act locally, and all that jazz, then why buy something from some guy a town (or “worse” yet, a state, or a country) away?

The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.

Bullcrap.

The cost in human labor, electricity to power machinery, electricity to power overhead lighting, calories to power the human, and oil to move a package from point A to point B are vastly (like, three or four orders of magnitude) higher when we’re talking about me making a peppermill as compared to me buying a wooden pepper mill at Target.

Handmade gifts are cool because they’re so wildly costly and extravagant.

How much, and how irrationally do I like you?

So much that I spend $2,000 on a lathe, 200 hours and a three day class learning to use it, and four hours of my time making you something that I could have bought at the store for $7.

That’s how much.

I’m crapping on the environment because of what we have together.

NOW PUT MORE BLACK PEPPER IN YOUR LEMONADE, OR I’LL KNOW THAT YOU’RE REJECTING ME!!!

This entry was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 10:29 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.