No matter how "anti-establishment" or against the grain, back to nature, outside of the box, or any way you term "different" you think you are as a parent, you always can fit into some sub-group. I happen to belong to the group of anti-consumer, anti-commercial, baby-wearing, breastfeeding, non-vax'ing, CSA-belonging mamas who heft around Robeez-wearing, organically fed children with amber necklaces around their triple-chinned necks. There are actually enough of us that we probably almost equal in numbers the Disney-and-Kraft-Mac-n-Cheese crowd, at this point.
What I'm going to do is causing me no small amount of cognitive dissonance, therefore. I'm about to do something that goes against my typical self, and I think I've come to terms with it. I think I'm going to go ahead and click the "Google AdSense" button, and add some commercialism to my blog. I've questioned myself and my motives long and hard, and what it boils down to is- if you want to click on an ad, click away. Click many times a day, if it makes you happy. If not, some servers will cut out ads, and you don't have to click on them at all. It will be a trial run, at the very least. It may mean more blogging, if Gianna will just sleep long enough for me to crank one out without saving it to draft, and then losing my vibe when I try to rev it back up!
A commercially driven blog, by an anti-consumerism mama. Wrap your heads around that one!
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2 comments:
=non-vax'ing, CSA-belonging=
It took a few minutes of pondering, but I figured out the "non-vax'ing" all on my own. Non-vaccinating, right?
CSA-belonging was a lot tougher. The only CSA I knew about was the Confederate States of America, and it seemed hard to believe that if you support the succession of the Southern states and the institution of slavery that you would settle in Michigan. :)
Google is my friend, however: Community Supported Agriculture? That's right, isn't it?
It's either that or the Casting Society of America. Or the Czech national airline. :)
Google can sometimes be too much of a friend.
With regard to the question you ask, I think you need to be more clear about what the words consumerism and commercialism mean:
Consumerism - the concept that an ever-expanding consumption of goods is advantageous to the economy.
Ew, that sounds bad. But Commercialism has a couple of definitions:
Commercialism - inappropriate or excessive emphasis on profit, success, or immediate results.
Hmmm. That sounds, well, inappropriate. But try this:
Commercialism - the principles, practices, and spirit of commerce.
Wow! The spirit of commerce!
Don't you think that Community Supported Agriculture is, kind of, the true spirit of commerce?
Think about it.
Also, I'd like to point out that Google tries to match ads with people who might actually be reading a particular blog (you have to help them with this, though), and so they would be, if all goes well, displaying ads that are meant to appeal to people with your own sensibilities, because, whether you like it or not, you are, too, a consumer (can you say Robeez?). So you will be calling the attention of your readers to a lifestyle (er, products) that you approve of. Not all ads are run by heartless multinationals. I have a friend who is a one-woman business who sells individually hand-painted Christmas ornaments, and she runs Google ads. Your local farmers market could possibly benefit from Google ads. The ads might run on your blog. With Google, it is possible.
But you want to know what I really think?
If AdSense will make you blog more, I'm all for it.
Just for that reason alone.
Go for it!
Thanks! And, you're right! I'm actually starting to accumulate some stuff to start my own one woman business as well- an Etsy shop. More on that later this fall!
A dark secret of the crunchy crowd is that some (but not all) who strive for a more mindful, self-sustained way of living is that when someone does start to profit from their venture, they are seen as sell-outs. I don't think (but I'm not sure! So many of my frequent readers are silent! I'm talking to you, Utah!) my readers are of that sort, but I thought a disclaimer would be a good thing.
I'm looking forward to trying to carve out more blogging time as well. It will be difficult (for example, right now, Gianna's foot is on the arm of the typing hand! In a moment, she'll hop down and try to restart the computer...)
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