The anarchist and the glowing chimp

File under: flanerie, politics, retail, Wellington

This real estate sign on a vacant showroom in Willis St has been grafittied to express disgust with consumer society and its relentless need to drive more spending. I presume that it is the work of someone who identifies as an anarchist, given the circle that has been added around the 'A' on the left of the sign.

Now, I have a lot of sympathy for some of the local anarchists' campaigns, such as their opposition to the 'bypass', but regular WellUrbanites will know that I'm not entirely averse to a bit of retail therapy. I mean, c'mon guys, we need to go shopping in order to eat, buy clothes and books, and otherwise furnish the necessities of life. Surely it's going a bit far to reduce all this to "buying more shit"? But then I looked across the road:


Hmm, maybe they have a point.