Business
Less spending is the last thing a pandemic-stricken global economy needs. To truly challenge extreme consumerism though, people need to look outside their own shopping habits for solutions, writes DW's Kristie Pladson.
Every year, hours after American families gather to give thanks for everything they have, millions will flock to stores and websites lusting after everything they don't. The tradition known as Black Friday, in recent years a global phenomenon, generated some $20 billion (€16.8 billion) worldwide in 2019. Critics of the consumerist holiday aftermath have called for people to boycott the practice.
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There are a lot of reasons to hate Black Friday and its digital sister, Cyber Monday. The frenzied consumption is hard on the environment, retail workers and people's pocketbooks.
If your primary interest is shielding yourself from these uncomfortable realities, then by all means boycott Black Friday. You're one less person to trample at the checkout.
Read more:Psychology of shopping sprees: On Black Friday your brain forgets everything else
But if you truly believe this practice should end, it is fruitless to call for people to shop less when our economy depends on that very act to survive.
The global coronavirus crisis has laid bare this reality. Governments have been fretting ever since springtime lockdowns closed businesses and killed consumer spending. The International Monetary Fund now expects the global economy to contract around 5% this year, down from the 3% growth predicted before the pandemic began.
Some speculated, or hoped, that the exceptional situation would bring about a shift to slower, more sustainable consumption patterns. But economists and global leaders saw it differently.
Shopping and the wider economy
The problem with less spending is it leads to a drop in consumer prices, which can lead to deflation. This pulls down wages and the economy with it, as notably happened in the 1930s with the Great Depression.
Particularly this year, when slow economic growth has economies begging for people to spend, ending Black Friday shopping is the last thing the people in power want.
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier this week even called shopping a 'patriotic duty' as he pushed for more shops to be allowed to open on Sundays to counter the effects of state-mandated closures.
It is possible to bring about change with a boycott. But ending a practice on this scale would need government backing, like changes to labor or consumer protection laws, to provide a real impetus for change.
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There are a lot of reasons to hate Black Friday and its digital sister, Cyber Monday. The frenzied consumption is hard on the environment, retail workers and people's pocketbooks.
If your primary interest is shielding yourself from these uncomfortable realities, then by all means boycott Black Friday. You're one less person to trample at the checkout.
Read more:Psychology of shopping sprees: On Black Friday your brain forgets everything else
But if you truly believe this practice should end, it is fruitless to call for people to shop less when our economy depends on that very act to survive.
The global coronavirus crisis has laid bare this reality. Governments have been fretting ever since springtime lockdowns closed businesses and killed consumer spending. The International Monetary Fund now expects the global economy to contract around 5% this year, down from the 3% growth predicted before the pandemic began.
Some speculated, or hoped, that the exceptional situation would bring about a shift to slower, more sustainable consumption patterns. But economists and global leaders saw it differently.
Shopping and the wider economy
The problem with less spending is it leads to a drop in consumer prices, which can lead to deflation. This pulls down wages and the economy with it, as notably happened in the 1930s with the Great Depression.
Particularly this year, when slow economic growth has economies begging for people to spend, ending Black Friday shopping is the last thing the people in power want.
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier this week even called shopping a 'patriotic duty' as he pushed for more shops to be allowed to open on Sundays to counter the effects of state-mandated closures.
It is possible to bring about change with a boycott. But ending a practice on this scale would need government backing, like changes to labor or consumer protection laws, to provide a real impetus for change.
US protesters demand wealth tax
A successful boycott also requires buy-in from the people who make that practice possible in the first place. During the US Civil Rights movement in the 1950s, which called for equal rights for Black and white Americans, the Montgomery Bus Boycott succeeded because the Black passengers who boycotted made up the majority of the city's bus riders.
That's not the case with Black Friday. Last year, over 154 million people shopped in the US on this day. And generally, the people who feel empowered to pass on discounts or shop ethically are not the same ones stampeding into electronics shops at 4 a.m.
Following the consumer leader
Like the trends toward minimalism and mindful consumption that have emerged in recent years, calls to boycott Black Friday are understandable attempts by individuals to free themselves from a system that is exploiting workers and the environment.
But in the end, these fads are better at crafting a pleasant illusion of innocence than they are at improving labor conditions, environmental practices, or consumer tendencies in any meaningful way.
After climate activist Greta Thunberg famously completed her wind-powered trip across the Atlantic Ocean last year, she said of course sail boats wouldn't solve climate change. The stunt highlighted the difference between individual and collective effort. 'If we don't manage to work together and to cooperate … then we will fail,' she said.
Individuals who really want to see an end to Black Friday should learn to protest with more than just their wallets, and that solving collective, systemic issues requires a collective, systemic response.
Amazon delays Black Friday sale in France
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Britain's Mail Online has reported that a number of the country's biggest industry members have warned against pursuing game-specific degrees. Jamie MacDonald, the vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios Europe, said outright that he couldn't 'remember the last time [he] employed someone from them.' Britain's David Braben, of Frontier Developments fame, reiterated a similar sentiment, saying that he was 'shocked and surprised' at how little some graduates knew.'
This is an issue that's particularly close to my heart, as I have been very close to the game development scene here in Canada. Having attended the University of Waterloo for Computer Science, I studied alongside many who had aspirations of developing games, others who abandoned university altogether to move to trade schools, and a select few who have started to enter the industry at home and abroad with companies like Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Bioware.
Anecdotally, it has become painfully clear that many of these trade schools are degree mills designed specifically to reap the rewards of offering naive students what amounts to a mirage. This isn't just my own perception; nearly every developer I've talked to on the matter has said that a general computer science (or fine art, digital media, or what have you) degree from a good university is worth infinitely more than a specialized trade school degree. A few lucky souls may wind up producing art or doing programming for projects directly out of trade school, but for the vast majority, unemployment at the hands of a limited skill set will be the unfortunate reality.
AdvertisementFor the most part, American video game trade schools such as DigiPen and Fullsail are more productive than the Canadian and European counterparts, but when it comes to post-secondary study, absorbing as much broad knowledge and not limiting yourself to a single pursuit is always the better strategy for most. When you're throwing down big bucks and potentially going into debt for that piece of paper, you want to make sure it's as valuable and flexible as possible coming out the other end. Should you want something more specific, pursue it after you've got a good amount of background knowledge and skills.
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If you're considering entering school to pursue a specialized video game trade degree or diploma, ensure that you've done the proper research and spoken to as many people as possible about the issue. While it may not be glamorous to envision yourself pursuing a general and perhaps boring basic computer science, fine arts, or a digital media degree, in most cases those programs will in fact net you the skills and experience you'll need to pursue your real goal of doing what you love, be it game development or otherwise.