Is Minimalism a worthwhile form of activism?
Posted on 08. Jun, 2010 by Forest in General
In my recent post “Does A Minimalist Lifestyle Breed Laziness?” it was brought up in the comments that minimalism can also be a form of activism. I agree with this somewhat and some of my minimal choices are due to the eco-friendly aspects or the point of not using products from a certain company.
How is minimalism activism?
The basics of minimalism is generally using and having as little as possible. Often along with this mindset you end up going much more natural, ideally growing your own food, using natural products and getting away from mass consumerism.
The detachment from mass consumerism is the important element here. Every time you drink (tap) water as opposed to a Coca Cola you are giving less money to the Coca Cola corporation.
Every time you eat a vegetable from your own garden or a local source you are giving less money to corporations such as Dole and Monsanto.
Every time you buy a second hand shirt or take a hand me down as opposed to a new one you are possibly stopping one less shirt from being made in a sweat shop style factory.
These are all small things but actions can add up. Save a penny a day and you will have over $3 at the end of the year….. If a movement to save pennies took steam millions and millions of dollars would be saved each year…. This is the way for all actions.
As a minimalist you have the opportunity to boycott things from corporations and people you do not ethically support. The act of learning a minimalist lifestyle will also ensure you learn to live a good life without them too.
Why would you oppose the capitalist system with minimalism?
I am sure many of you readers are pro-capitalist. I am personally stuck in a world in between. I love the ideals of pure socialism but understand that it will never work. Capitalism works in many ways but far too many people suffer. I love my apple mac, I even love Coca Cola (but try hard to stay away from it) and understand that capitalism is the only reason the green movement has managed to get such a wide audience these days! Even minimalism is being taken advantage of by capitalist regimes!
For us to have our cheap shirts, cola, burgers and even our expensive items people on the other end often suffer in grueling low paid work and unfair systems. if you want to go extreme you could say we all have blood on our hands! Sometimes we even suffer ourselves. Monsanto and friends are filling our food with hormones, tying farmers into deals that will never allow them to produce goods free of monsanto again and generally taking over our food industry all with the approval of the free trade capital system…. We are harmed by this even if we detach from the system…. The bad hormones and chemicals that make fruit cheap will make their way to us via water and other ways in the end.
….. What about the other side of the fence?
It’s important to look at all aspects. If we was to all somehow stop buying Dole bananas then it could be said that the poor souls who farm them in South America would suddenly be out of a job. They need that job to survive even though it barely gives them enough to live and they suffer atrocious human rights abuses. This is just one example but the point is if we all left the system and started fending for ourselves many people could also suffer…. Our own economies would likely collapse too to some degree.
I stand more firmly on the side of disliking what the corporations do so even though these thoughts weigh in I tend to steer on the belief that it’s good to let the corporations come falling down and let small business and local initiative rise from the ashes…. A dream that may never be realised!!
So how can we use minimalism to protest and does it matter anyway?
I think protest is important, even if you are silently doing it and you feel your small voice will not make a difference, it will make a difference to your life, your mental being and people around you. If enough people are also doing it then slowly the influence will spread.
I don’t acquire objects mainly because I hate things going to the landfill, why even recycle when we can just reuse? I also dislike the conditions many objects are made in.
I have stopped buying from many companies when I can help it such as Coca Cola, Nestle and other careless corporations. I try and buy from smaller more trustworthy local sources and believe that fueling the local economy helps you maintain activism and minimalism as well as putting more money in people’s pockets and not in corporate bank accounts.
“Knowmore.org is an excellent site to help you gauge the ethical status of a particular company”
By using less items in general it helps me focus on good things in life and I hope eventually it will free time for me to actually help organizations and charitable causes that I care about.
So yes I think minimalism is a suitable form of protest, now what do you think?
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15 Responses to “Is Minimalism a worthwhile form of activism?”
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krantcents: I started teaching whe I was 55 years old. I am v...
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Jeremy: I think the media plays a big part in that. US me...
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Forest: Thanks for the comment Jeremy. I guess you are rig...
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Des @ Affiliate Progress
09. Jun, 2010
Hi Forest,
I’m typing this in a little office that is ludicrously overcrowded with junk, so I can only claim to be a wannabe minimalist!
I’m not so sure minimimalism in itself is a protest, but can be a good moral choice based on what we know about over-consumption harming the environment.
I agree, if done right, minimalism can reduce consumption and could right some injustices. But often minimalism is just promoted as a way to increase your freedom by stopping your posessions from holding you back.
But is that really minimalist? Relaxing on your long-haul flight, tapping away on your iPad so that you can upload your next blog post to a far from minimalist server, to be transported across the world on far from minimalist routers to people’s far from minimalist PCs?
That’s the contradiction for me. So maybe I won’t be a minimalist, maybe I’ll just grow a few vegetables and leave it at that
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Forest
11. Jun, 2010
Hey Des, thanks for the comment.
I think minimalism is different person to person. They free lifestyle being touted by many a self help Guru these days may not quite be minimalism as you say…. Getting on a giant hulk of metal that spews chemicals into the sky every few weeks is kind of not minimalist!!!
I’ll never be a full minimalist either
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Carol@inthetrenches
11. Jun, 2010
Hmmm…very interesting discussion topic. So here’s my two cents. The best examples of the true minimalist lifestyle are the Amish. So, is that really what we are talking here or just a few minor changes to current habits? I think true freedom comes from being able to pick and choose our individual preferences. Personally I think bottled water is silly and the containers will pollute our landfills. We have raised our own beef for years but some of my good friends are vegans. I don’t know how to work the t.v. because of the four remote controls but am glad to have a computer. What’s a blackberry?
As far as the minimalist lifestyle making a statement or protest a direct approach may work better. I would be happy to support a boycott on many of the products and services on the market. Until BP gets the mess cleaned up they would be number one. Chase Bank up there also.
Does the minimalist lifesytle breed laziness? Only for the already lazy. Try using a push mower instead of a riding mower and then decide.
Forest, Thanks. Great post!
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Forest
13. Jun, 2010
Hey Carol,
The Amish are true minimalists that is for sure! I think you have to decide on your form of minimalism and also why you are doing it.
Some people do it to make life easier, some people need to spend less money and others are boycotting major corporations and such things…. All are great and valid in my books
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I don’t actually think minimalism causes any laziness… was just a thought and discussion topic from before
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Although I have met minimalists that don’t cook or do much. They live very basic with in a small room apartment or serviced apartment/hotel. They buy simple food like uncooked carrots, bread products and fruit and survive on little money overall… This could be viewed as lazy in some ways but it’s just another way to focus (i think) on things that matter to them.
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Mark
13. Jun, 2010
I am a 27 year old man and I am a minimalist. I agree with Forest. Minimalism varies from person to person. Me personally; I live in a cheap studio apartment in Kansas city, MO. It is close to grocery stores and public parks, so I don’t drive often. I own a cheap, used car. My apartment has no furniture, except one folding chair. I use a few blankets to fashion a bed. I own a stereo/cd player that I purchased used for $50 on Craigslist. I own a home phone with a $14 monthly fee. Those are the only two forms of electronic entertainment that I own. I do not own a tv, cell phone, computer ( I use my friends computer). I buy cheap, healthy groceries. Lots of brown rice, oatmeal, sardines, canned tuna, frozen vegetables. I purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at the local city market for below wholesale prices.
I own a dog and spend most of my free time with him. We go on walks, jogs and to the park. I will admit that it is hard to find others who share my views on minimalism. Relationships are about impossible. I removed myself from the dating pool and focused more time and energy on my dog.
Minimalism, even on this level, has changed my life. By removing many key components that cause impatience and add additional stress to my life, I have found life to be much more enjoyable. Let’s face it; technology and an overabundance of choices has created a disconnected society. I’m sure your parents and grandparents will concur.
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Forest
13. Jun, 2010
Hi Mark,
Was good talking to you earlier.
Your view is extreme for many but i also think many would find your ways liberating and inspiring. I could not part with my computer as it connects me to like minded people but I will also never reach true minimalism, whatever that is
!
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Forest.
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Carol@inthetrenches
13. Jun, 2010
I loved the comment from Mark. The most interesting thing to me about the discussion is the element of choice. And, those choices can be made for whatever reason. When I was writing In The Trenches and contemplating the sections of the Minimum Basic Budget that’s what I was getting at. I have heard so many people say that they “need” this or that when often it is something that others would think lavish. (I have a friend who HAS to buy her undergarments at Nordstroms) I love that Mark acknowledges that this is his lifestyle choice and I’m sure people often give him blank looks. Am I right?
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Forest
14. Jun, 2010
I love Mark’s reply too, I even asked if he would be interested in writing a guest post as I would love to know more about his lifestyle.
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Charlie
15. Jun, 2010
I have no idea if it is a form of activism but I feel it is more a lifestlyle choice. Is it what brings a person a feeling of contentment, filling the inner self with self worth? Does a true minimalist really need any thing that adds to the confort of the physical body but at the same time adding to the expansion of the mind body connection. Does a minimalist have an ego? My head is hurting from this exercise in futility. Like asking where the material came from for the original big bang>>>>>>>>>>>
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Forest
16. Jun, 2010
Hey Charlie, I don’t think questioning things is ever futile! But I do get where you are coming from, just some stuff I was thinking about and I wanted to discuss with my readers.
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Carol@inthetrenches
16. Jun, 2010
Hey Charlie, Loved your comment. Sounds like Forest found a topic that what I call “rattled the brain” . Good for us sometimes as it challenges thoughts we have so long taken for granted that when confronted with alternate possibilities our mind just doesn’t know how to process it. Regardless of what you conclude it shows you’ve done some thinking.
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Forest
23. Jun, 2010
Hey Carol, Yes I love it when people get involved in the comments and really start pushing the topic around….. the comments are always the best part of a post!
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Fred Wheatly
17. Jun, 2010
It is always interesting to see the replies from such a diverse group on the variety of subjects. This blog could save our country….. LOL
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Forest
23. Jun, 2010
Absolutely, discussion is awesome…. As for saving the county LOL…. but people talking in public forums could help the country a LOT!!! Thanks for commenting and joining the discussion
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Ruth - Web Career Girl
04. Jul, 2010
Charlie above said minimalism is a lifestyle choice, and I agree – but I also think that lifestyle choices can be a form of protest or activism. “Be the change you want to see” is what I think will ultimately work. Take vegetarianism for example. I became vegetarian at the start of the year, before then I didn’t even think about it that much, and vegetarians probably wouldn’t have convinced me to change my view. I don’t expect to change people’s views, but I just do what I believe is right for me. Same with buying products that aren’t tested on animals (I’m not perfect but I’m beginning to learn a lot more about things like this). You can fight and argue to get your point across, but I think the choices you make for your lifestyle will ultimately carry a lot of weight too. Great posts Forest! I am only just now catching up.
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