We’ve all been there: you’ve done your research, you’ve waited for the big sale, and you’re all set to buy the accent chair/party dress/outdoor power tool of your dreams. But then, something catches your eye: a rainbow flag has appeared on the background of the company’s logo; you’re informed at checkout that a portion of the proceeds from your purchase will fund so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives.
Now what? You know these woke companies use noble goals simply as smokescreens by which they manipulate unsuspecting consumers for their own self-interested, sinister ends. You are well-aware that the fruits of the woke movement are rotten, and you know it’s your duty to reject them.
But where is the average, traditional-minded consumer to turn when it seems woke tentacles touch everything?
As I write in my forthcoming book, Woke-Proof Your Life: A Handbook on Escaping Modern, Political Madness and Shielding Yourself and Your Family by Living a More Self-Sufficient, Fulfilling Life, it’s tempting either to give up completely on boycotting corporations with such long arms and sticky fingers, or to obsessively play boycott whack-a-mole with every subsidiary you uncover, to the detriment of your peace of mind. Neither of these approaches is necessary, though, I assure you.
8 Tips For Shopping With A Conscious
By keeping in mind these eight tips, you’re in for a less stressful, more conscientious and enjoyable shopping experience:
Simplify, distract yourself, and ‘offer it up’
It’s easier to talk yourself out of a third pair of sandals or a lipstick for your other purse when you know your unnecessary purchases are funding something wicked. Distract yourself from whatever it is your closet/kitchen/patio “needs” by saying a prayer, taking a walk, and, perhaps, heading to the antique store (see tip #8).
In addition to depriving woke companies of your support, denying yourself little things can be a small act of penance and a reminder that we are to store up our treasures in heaven, not here on Earth. Even better — if you can live without the thing you wanted from the woke company, rather than buy it, donate the cost of the thing to your parish or another worthy charity.
Localize
Resist the modern instinct that compels us to look for everything online automatically. Leave your house and seek items from small, family-run businesses if you can. Committing to buying things from a physical store will undoubtedly cause you to buy less (two clicks on Amazon is just too easy!). It will also encourage you to interact with fellow human beings, giving you both the opportunity to serve one another.
Try micro-boycotting
There are many ways to boycott. You don’t have to boycott everything, and you don’t even have to boycott anything all the time. Choose one woke company to boycott at a time, then add another when you’re able. Don’t buy anything online for a week; then try two weeks — then try a month. Choose a couple items you can afford to buy from the farmer’s market and make it a point to do so once a week or as often as you can.
When you’re limited in what you can (or want) to buy, it can actually be a rewarding challenge — like a hunting expedition! After a while, you’ll likely find you don’t even miss the thing you “needed” so badly.
Rely less on technology
Every click, swipe, and tap means more money for a company that’s probably woke. Technology and business companies tend to be owned and run by people who promote woke messaging — and who cancel and censor the non-woke narrative. A solid rule of thumb for conscientious consuming is: real-life is preferable!
Keep a list
We live in an age of abundance, so despite a handful of investors seemingly owning everything, there are still plenty of companies with traditional values and those that keep out of culture wars altogether. Do your research and keep a mental list of woke-proof approved companies. Also check out New Founding, an economic and cultural network of like-minded people, and the PublicSq. app, which advertises itself as “America’s Marketplace: the largest community of freedom-loving, patriotic consumers and businesses the nation has ever seen.”
Try a ‘cash diet’
Going on a so-called “cash diet” can help protect your identity and save you money, as parting with real money, not “future,” plastic money, has been found to be “psychologically more painful.” It’s also a great way to force yourself to buy things at brick-and-mortar shops and to avoid unnecessary purchases and financing woke credit card companies, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Wells Fargo.
Become more creative and resourceful
…with your time, money, and possessions. Learn to fix/repurpose something you already own rather than buying a new one; rent or ask to borrow something you don’t need really to own from a friend, a neighbor, or a relative; grow some of your own food, cook more at home, get crafty and hands-on. Spending money on stuff is our modern default, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Go exploring. Take your time and let pieces of art and furniture and clothing find you.
Go antiquing
Visit antique and thrift stores, flea markets, your church’s rummage sale, your grandmother’s garage, the side of the road, etc. for unique items that deserve a second life. When you acquire something old, you’re not funding a woke corporation, and you’re also cutting down on waste!
Keep Learning How Catholics Can Respond To Woke Movements
In a single century, America has moved from a rural, agricultural, family-centered society to one that is urban, corporate, and hyper-individualistic. Yet, despite all our technology and material wealth, we’re left with higher rates of depression and greater alienation than our parents’ or grandparents’ generations ever experienced.
We are awakening to the fact that we are up to our eyeballs in labels, pronouns, microaggressions, triggers, TikToks, and guilt trips. We have less free time, more debt, and more anxiety than ever before. We are being cowed, coerced, and canceled by tech giants, media conglomerates, and billion-dollar, multinational megacorps that are forcing us to support the progressive movements du jour. It’s made us miserable, and we need a break.
But how? Where do we go, and how exactly do we get our lives and freedom back? In an invigorating and highly relatable style, Teresa Mull explains this in her new book, Woke-Proof Your Life.
- The actual definition of woke (Brace yourself!)
- How to avoid “toxic empathy” — approving immoral behavior so you’ll be liked
- Six ways to be truly NORMAL (Non-woke Ordinary Rational Moral All-American Leaders)
- Six major woke weapons to beware of and how to disarm them
- Tips on growing in faith, educating children, and cultivating community
- Three tenets to focus on when you feel trapped in the maze of woke culture
In an upbeat way, you will discover that you don’t need to become a survivalist prepper, live off-grid, or learn to tan beaver pelts. Somewhere between Amish buggy rides and Pride parades, there’s a healthy, middle-ground approach to regaining the good old days and providing yourself and your family with a wholesome, nurturing, faith-enriching lifestyle and future.
