Didn’t I just spend my money on a million gifts?
By ABHINAYA KASAGANI — akasagani@ucdavis.edu
With Valentine’s Day around the bend, millions of shoppers hit the stores in full force, scouring the racks and searching frantically for the perfect gift. Store shelves are stocked with generic bearings and signs listing the wide range of discounts offered. This fine establishment is desperate for your services, but the department store will not be where you find the ultimate token of your affection. Oh well, try again next year.
Valentine’s Day has evolved from being a day to honor a martyr into one of grandiose romantic gestures that encourage material expressions of love. There is no shirking responsibility here — one must think of a gift, thoughtfully but quickly, to maintain eligibility. Excuse the cynicism. Sure, all holidays are reliant on gift giving to express feelings of love, but no, there are none like this one.
It is the one occasion on which your gifts are weighed by how much thought went into them, how much time, how much money. What are you looking for? Luxury? Something high-end? Something utilitarian? Traditionally given gifts: jewelry, chocolate and the like raise several ethical concerns regarding consumerism and sustainability. They also ask the larger question of whether the holiday is about the act of buying or the act of giving. The pressure to both spend and perform lavishly robs the participant of any satisfaction.
Gift giving represents an objective waste of resources, according to a 1993 journal article by Joel Waldfogel. Research has found that people often find it difficult to account for others’ perspectives.
“Their insights are subject to egocentrism, social projection and multiple attribution errors,” an article by ScienceDirect reads.
Despite being well intentioned, these gifts raise the question of whether we are giving meaningfully: is it about consumerism, or is it an expression of love? Some say that the distinction is clear, and if so, would the average shopper be willing to entertain the idea of being eco-conscious about their gift giving if it doesn’t take away from the joy of the occasion?
Sorry to make everything about a hot-button issue, but I promise this applies. While these gifts hold sentimental value, societal expectations often pressure individuals into making loud and expensive purchases. Many dread the idea of buying gifts, worrying that their purchase will disappoint the intended recipients. Others fail to calibrate their gift expenditures because they equate the amount spent with the appreciation the gift will receive.
This assumption, however, happens to be unfounded. Most mass-produced gifts contribute to environmental degradation and exploited labor or promote materialism and overconsumption. We must assess all ethical considerations and consumerist concerns to ensure that expressions of love do not contribute to social inequities or environmental degradation.
In order to do so, we must weigh the damage against a gift’s supposed value. Valentine’s Day cards are primarily made from virgin paper, resulting in more trees being felled to meet the high demand. This also destroys habitats, contributing to carbon emissions. Cocoa production for those heart-shaped chocolates involves the widespread use of child labor, and the floral industry relies heavily on pesticides and carbon-intensive transportation. Feel free to slap a price tag on a feeling and call it a day, if that works for you. However, shopping sustainably, with the intent to preserve the environment, is one of the best ways to consume more consciously. If you’re on board, here’s what you could do:
- Instead of defaulting to traditional and commercialized gifts, consider handmade ones. Personalized gifts reflect effort and intention and could be seen as more thoughtful and sincere. They also require fewer resources and reduce reliance on unsustainable production methods.
- To minimize harm, opt for digital greetings instead of paper cards. Or, make your own. If neither of these options interests you, buy a recyclable or fair trade card.
- Choose gifts made from recycled materials. Support local artisans and ethical businesses that prioritize sustainability.
- Utilitarian gifts are practical, durable and genuinely useful. What is important here is that you listened and considered what the recipient actually wanted.
- Consider intangible gifts — taking a class together, focusing on a sport or any other preferential outing — to strengthen connection and help avoid contributing to material waste. One can never go wrong with quality time.
- If it is really important to you that your gift be either chocolates, flowers or jewelry (because why fix something that isn’t broken), consider the ecological footprint of the products you choose and choose sustainably. One way to do this is by looking for B Corp Certification (the B Lab has an entire online directory where you can browse certified companies in different industries). Ethically sourced chocolates, Fair Trade flowers and jewelry made from recycled or responsibly sourced materials are wonderful alternatives. Be intentional about supporting brands that prioritize sustainability and ethical production to ensure that your gifts are not byproducts of exploitation or environmental disregard.
Considering the ethical dilemmas surrounding gift giving does not mean eliminating gifts altogether. By promoting a culture of ethical gifting, individuals can move toward a more compassionate and conscious world. Ultimately, rethinking the ways we love and appreciate one another helps to move away from the idea that Valentine’s Day is about fulfilling commercial quotas and toward the understanding that genuine affection can align with ethical values. This time around, find a gift that keeps on giving.
Written by: Abhinaya Kasagani— akasagani@ucdavis.edu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.
