occupy deloraine

I've been following the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement with one eye. I know it's happening, am pretty sure I support the protests, but haven't read that much detail about it. This article made things clearer, and anything that's anti corporations is pretty well OK with me. I'd be in if I was anywhere near Wall Street.

I suppose I could join one of the 'occupy' protests in a number of Australian cities, but while corporations are just as dominant here as in the USA, our economic situation is no where near like that of the USA. And inequality exists but not to the same degree as in the USA. Consequently, the Australian version of 'Occupy Wall Street' seems a little paltry in comparison, almost like copy-cat protests because protests seem cool, not because they have the significance or meaning they carry in the US.

So. From all of that it would seem I am not protesting, but... really, I am. Not in New York, but down here in little ol' Tasmania. Yes, there are even ways to protest here! That is, if by protest you mean 'buck the system and beat the corporations'. I've decided the way to beat corporations at their game is not to play their game.

Don't engage. Don't participate. Don't. buy. their. stuff.

Instead, go to Deloraine Craft Fair and rub shoulders with a host of small time creators who have turned production back into an art form.

Buy a card from Bruce Bain, and hear the story of the pictured wren laying four eggs the day after the photo was taken. Or chat with Joanna Gair, whose every card is a work of art. Or purchase one of Mel Hills delicate drawings of lady birds. Tell Joseph Austin you love his art and buy a card or two every year.

Get into the hand dyed woollen fabric, hand made recycled jewellery or glass beads. And if art or craft aren't your thing, head into the food tent or look for every day items. Whether it's Chilli Ginger Beer (oh la la - delicious), chocolate raspberry sauce, cinnamon hazelnuts, blackberry with fig and balsamic paste, pure olive oil soap, salmon, honey or a host of other produce, it is possible to live and eat without buying from a major corporation.

That's why I go to the Deloraine Craft Fair. It's worth every cent of entry fee and time and effort. I get to meet the people making the stuff I buy, compliment them on their produce, make a connection.

Who needs to occupy Wall Street? Occupy Deloraine instead.

(And the best thing is, if you're nearby, you still have one more day to get there and check it all out!)