Capitalism, Consumerism, and Gift-giving

It's the holiday season, the time of the year in which we are forced to give in to the claws of capitalism and consumerism for the sake of gift-giving. The holidays may either be the highlight of the year or the most stressful time of the year, or it may even be both. For people like me, gift-giving can become something to resent as the stress turns into panic.

Gift-giving is a social activity that has a long tradition that dates back to pre-civilization times. As human beings, we feel good when we give something that may be significant and well-received. As social creatures, we want to feel accepted and welcomed. Traditions have become the center of our social lives as human beings. Therefore, it becomes ingrained in us the need to follow the social protocol, which includes unnecessarily and senselessly spending hundreds of dollars on things that may or may not be well-received.

In our capitalistic culture, everything that may be in our nature, such as gift-giving to demonstrate love, affection, and sociableness, turns into an opportunity to promote consumerism and the working-class's exploitation. Our instincts are turned against us and become part of the marketing psychology for communications majors to figure out how to sell more stuff.

Things such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, which are meant to be celebrated with family, friends, or significant others, become corrupted by capitalism. Everywhere we see advertisements that tell us what we need to buy. And if you can't or refuse to spend a lot of money on gifts, you're accused of being cheap.

With capitalism, gift-giving becomes about spending the most money and making the most money. In the process of companies making the most money, they exploit their workers' labor; they pay the bare minimum, put employees in dangerous situations, and make workers work the most amount of hours without caring about burnout or health.

Don't get me wrong; I love gift-giving. There's no better feeling in the world than giving someone something that you found memorable. I love thinking about my loved ones while selecting their gift. However, I don't think we need special occasions, like Christmas, to express our feeling through gifts. For some reason, Christmas gifts feel forced. Like it's an obligation to get them. The worst part is people who expect presents.

I enjoy random gift-giving. I love small details that say to someone that I love, that I care about them, that I think about them, that I love them.

One day I was at the museum with a friend. We were looking at Native American art. Once we were done, I insisted on visiting the gift shop to see what they had (I mean, who doesn't love a good window shopping in a museum gift shop). Anyway, while I was browsing the shop, I found these small three-legged ceramic pigs called Chanchitos. A card next to them said that they had origins in Chile and that traditionally, people gave each other these little pigs for good luck. I absolutely loved the idea of giving my loved ones these small pigs. They were a unique gift with a lot of meaning to them. They said, "I think of you as my dear friend, and I want the best for you."

I remember the faces of my friends when I unexpectedly gave them these little pigs. The surprise on their faces made every penny I spent worth it. And I get it. That is the exact reason why some people love the holidays and gift-giving.

However, we need to stop letting our intensely capitalistic culture dictate the traditions and rituals we engaged in and how we engage in them. These things are deeply personal, yet they feel like opportunities to be sold to. No one likes the feeling of being sold to.

I believe in giving gifts. However, I think it should be more acceptable to give smaller things that have more meaning. Second-hand gifts and regifting should be more acceptable. My sister and I constantly gift each other things we own that may be well suited for the other's needs or wants.

I dare you to go out into the world and gift someone something small, handmade, or second hand. Start a conversation about the hardships of gifting and how it can be meaningful without breaking the bank.