Recession Chic: Just Another Passing Fad?

Staff / Truthdig Mar 10, 2009 As the national economy continues to wreak havoc on many Americans' lives, even those who remain relatively unscathed by the recession are feeling the need, whether for appearances' sake or otherwise, to reconsider their spending habits -- but will it last? Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Cure for Shopping Withdrawal

Staff / Truthdig Feb 23, 2009 For everyone forced by the global economic meltdown to pinch pennies, the Onion has this friendly reminder that consumption isn't all it's cracked up to be. Warning: This clip has an abundance of salty language. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Chavez to Mall: Váyase!

Staff / Truthdig Dec 25, 2008 Nothing says full of yourself like ordering a Venezuelan mayor to halt construction of a near-complete shopping mall after passing by it in a car. Obviously, President Hugo Chavez has a bit of a ego, though his suggestion to use the facility as a university or hospital, not as a monument to consumption and capitalism, does seem a bit more just. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Wealthy Shoppers Opt for Inconspicuous Consumption

Staff / Truthdig Dec 16, 2008 Whereas during boom times not so long ago, the über-loaded were all about having it and flaunting it, some among their ranks are now feeling the need to tone down their spending habits, if only for the sake of appearances. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Tough Times Could Lead to Sex Boom

Staff / Truthdig Dec 1, 2008 It seems the British have found a way to cope with the global economic crisis. A survey by the Terrence Higgins Trust, a UK AIDS charity, found that sex is the most popular free activity in the empire, beating out window shopping and going to a museum. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Casualty of Black Friday

Staff / Truthdig Nov 29, 2008 What does the post-Thanksgiving shopping rush dubbed Black Friday really symbolize in the U.S.? The death of a Long Island worker after a mob of shoppers rushed into a Wal-Mart certainly shows the worst of American consumerism and excess, but where do we position such exuberance in a time of economic downturn? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Baghdad Behind Walls

Anna Badkhen / Truthdig Aug 14, 2008 Walls have become ubiquitous in Baghdad, a place where barricades keep militias from one another and hungry shoppers from the nearest kebab. As Iraqis struggle with sovereignty, the barriers are a constant reminder of the American military occupation. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Can YOU Spend $3 Trillion Better Than Bush?

Staff / Truthdig Apr 15, 2008 We've all heard of Publishers Clearing House, but this is a whole new ballgame, people. Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films team has come up with a game that offers each player the fictional (sigh) amount of $3 trillion, the same amount the Iraq war is projected to cost the U.S., and a whole virtual mall's worth of fun "shopping" items to buy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

What Would Jesus Buy?

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Nov 21, 2007 "Rev. Billy" wants you to stop shopping. He's the brainchild of an anti-consumerism activist and the subject of a new movie that takes a hard and entertaining look at our shopping-addicted culture just in time for "Black Friday." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )