Is consumerism harmful, and are gifts worth giving?
Since 2007 Hank has argued for less stuff and a less materialistic Christmas, while granting that wanting to give gifts is no fault. John called gift-giving economically inefficient in 2011 but also an act of empathy, and in 2020 concluded that gifts can signal goodwill and ease loneliness.
Axis: consumerism is harmful; give less or give differently ... buying and gifts are fine
Positions by date: 12 records in 11 videos. The position was refined (2011, 2012, 2015, 2020), never reversed, in these records.
John
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-11-30 | first on record | John says he dislikes the secular, commercial side of Christmas and suggests that gifts should go only to people who need them. | Nov. 30th: A CHRISTMAS RANT 00:02:36 |
| 2010-08-16 | restate | John says that many of our consumer choices (that handbag, that Starbucks) are unconscious but we remain responsible for them, after mocking an ad that orders him to lust for a purse. | Lust and Folly in London and Edinburgh 00:03:14 |
| 2011-02-14 | restate | John holds that all gift-giving is economically inefficient and Valentine's Day is the worst, since people get things they would not choose to own. | CHUBBY BUNNY...blergh! 00:00:45 |
| 2011-02-14 | refine | John allows that gift-giving, while economically inefficient, is also kind of an act of empathy: imagining what another person would want. | CHUBBY BUNNY...blergh! 00:01:45 |
| 2020-01-21 | refine | John concludes that gift-giving is irrational and inefficient, but gifts can signal goodwill, ease loneliness and occasionally make life better; if unused gift cards are the cost, it might be worth it. | Gifts That Changed My Life 00:03:11 |
| 2022-11-22 | restate | John says the best gifts are often not bought but made, such as a crossword puzzle for someone you care about, or art. | John's 2022 Gift Guide 00:03:24 |
Hank
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-11-23 | first on record | Hank argues that the people who love us want our time rather than our money or stuff, and that Americans want less stuff, not more. | November 23rd: BLACK FRIDAY! 00:02:07 |
| 2007-11-27 | restate | Hank restates that Christmas should be less materialistic: people don't suffer for lack of gadgets, and he wants Christmas to suck less, not to take it away. | November 27th: Eagle's Nest, Blogger's Choice and Shopping 00:02:17 |
| 2012-11-23 | refine | Hank finds it upsetting that the day after giving thanks we are barraged with ads for what we lack, but grants that shopping matters to the economy and that wanting to give gifts is no fault. | Black Friday: An Accident of History 00:01:44 |
| 2015-07-03 | restate | Hank says advertising aims to create need where none exists and that manufactured discontent is everywhere and invisible where the rich shop. | Thoughts from Yachts 00:01:09 |
| 2015-12-25 | refine | Hank says that, rather than complaining about how others celebrate, people can choose traditions such as charity instead of gifts; what shines through all of them is giving, which he can hardly object to. | On Hating Christmas 00:02:08 |
| 2023-11-24 | restate | Hank finds it weird that one day we are grateful for what we have and the next we need more stuff, though holiday shopping is about getting things for people you love, not bad. | It Wasn't Supposed to be Thanksgiving Yesterday 00:00:14 |
Background
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-02-01 | background | John jokingly calls Americans' desire to watch corporations sell them goods and services a weird collective mental illness. (playful) | Super Bowl Analysis from an Idiot 00:00:40 |