stationery overconsumption ✿ moral policing and shame

In this video, I reflect on the guilt I’ve been carrying around my growing collection of stationery supplies — unused notebooks, dry fountain pens, full ink bottles — and the no-buy pledge that followed earlier in April. The community response to that video was full of tenderness, empathy, and honesty, and it made me think more deeply about the narratives we’re fed around hobbies and overconsumption. As an academic who studies business through an intersectional lens, I wanted to offer a more nuanced take than the moral panic often circulating in the YouTube stationery community. Yes, we’re in a climate crisis. Yes, many of us feel overwhelmed by our belongings. But there are deeper systemic forces at play — forces that individual no-buys alone won’t fix. Whether you’re in the middle of a no-buy, feeling stuck in guilt, or just curious about the deeper social forces shaping our hobbies, I hope this conversation brings you some clarity—and kindness. If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below 💬 °˖✧ in this video I explore… why moral absolutism in anti-consumption rhetoric is harmful how responsibilization shifts blame from systems to individuals the psychology behind shame and moral policing my perspective as an educator of current and future business leaders gentle, practical ways we can still engage with stationery as a joyful, meaningful, and conscious hobby °˖✧ lovely people I mentioned in the video the south east queensland journal keepers group #seqjournalkeepers   / daxllj4sv7c   @michaelinthemargins @littlecocostudio @leejournals °˖✧ timestamps 00:00 intro … °˖✧ tools camera: iphone 16 pro editing: davinci resolve mic: iphone 16 pro °˖✧ music ♪ tomomi kato from pixabay ♥︎ current subscriber count — 1,381 #plannercommunity #stationerycommunity #fountainpen #overconsumption #anticapitalism