It’s a slogan that needs to come back, but not to win the war on drugs, but the war against enshittification, which has happened in numerous areas of modern life since the days of the famous Just Say No campaign from the 1980s…which was already pretty bad, as this clip from the 1976 movie Network shows us:
Of course, this clip talks about the world’s problems, which none of us individually can do anything about.
Or can we? Sure, we can’t stop whatever’s going on in the Middle East or Ukraine or even California for that matter. But there are things each and every one of us can do that can have an impact on the world.
Regardless of who you are, where you live, or what your station in life is, you have a sovereign brain and soul. Meaning: you get to choose what you think, where you focus your attention, and your actions. Consequences may flow from these things, but the acts are the result of choices made by you.
Money is not the root of all evil, as some religions proclaim. Even if it were, the acquisition and spending of money is a reality of living in the modern world. Regardless of how you earn your money, you do have a choice as to what you spend it on.
When you spend money on something, you are expressing intent: I want that thing. That thing may have a mix of desirable and undesirable elements, but ultimately, the purchase of that thing means you get it, problems and all. Further, you signal that you want more of the same by continuing to spend money on that thing.
To go back to the topic of enshittification, which was coined primarily for streaming media services, the real reason the streaming media services get shittier and more expensive? Y’all keep shoveling your money at them when they ask for more. You want it to stop? Stop paying for it, plain and simple.
Yes, that means you might not get to watch that show your friends are talking about, but do you really want to watch that show anyway? Or…any of the shit they call entertainment anymore? Why spend money on it at all? By continuing to do so, you’re implicitly authorizing and demanding “more of the same.” That makes you part of the problem.
If you want to be part of the solution, stop spending money on shit you don’t need, that doesn’t provide any value to you, or, to borrow a concept from Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, brings more frowns than smiles.
This applies not only to the Netflixes of the world, but everything you spend your money on or give your attention to. If you want more of something, you spend your money on it and/or you focus your attention on it. If you want less?Stop spending your money and giving your attention on it.
You don’t even have to do it all at once. Start small: pick one thing to say no to. It might take some adjustment like it did when I went mostly dark on social media in 2021, but it makes space for things that bring you joy.
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