This page won't tell you what Renegade Consumer is “about.”

It will tell you a few essential things about the site layout, contents, policies... and how to proceed with finding out what this is all about. However, there is no short description of Renegade Consumer's philosophy and aims that would make enough sense to be worth reading... or writing. We wish there was!

The underpinnings of Renegade Consumer are so at odds with the way most people see the world that trying to describe it in a few sentences usually raises more questions than it answers. That leads to misunderstandings and the one outcome we don't want here: new visitors—potential renegades—driven away with a faulty perspective.

We don't want you to leave with that misunderstanding. We want you to read as much as you need to in order to understand what this is all about, and make an informed choice. If that choice is that this philosophy and movement isn't for you, we won't argue. But we think genuine understanding will lead to acceptance by most visitors... so forgive us if we ask you to do the work yourself instead of finding a way to make it a clumsy yes/no choice.

A Reading List for Newcomers

Renegade Consumer's goal is the future we deserve, which is a very different future from the alternatives we are now facing. We hope you'll decide to stick with us after reading up to a basic understanding.

Here are some suggestions for how new visitors might want to proceed:

If you haven't read the home page, do so. It's short, but captures the gist of things.
If you want a concise, detailed introduction to the philosophy and the movement's aims, start with the Renegade Consumer Manifesto. If that intrigues you but doesn't make our case, follow up with the Annotated Manifesto, which explains the viewpoint paragraph by paragraph.
Even that may be a little too narrowly focused for newcomers. If you'd prefer a more general and readable introduction to what Renegade Consumer is all about, put the Manifesto off for later reading and start with the essay Consumerism 101.
From there, read any essays, observations or other material here that interest you. The essays are listed on the Essays page in a sensible reading order but you can skip around if you like.

Soon, we'll be able to direct you right to the book, which contains the full Renegade Consumer message and is written in a comprehensive order... but it's still only the starting point for the movement.

Site Organization

This site contains several areas of content:

The About and Contact pages should be self-explanatory. Okay, this one is a bit indirect.
We will offer links to all editions of the book Renegade Consumer: The Battle for Your Economic Freedom as soon as it is published. This book, which is in final editorial and press stages, is the foundation of the effort and the starting point for newcomers who wish to fully understand the Renegade Consumer movement's aims.
In the meantime, the site offers a selection of Essays, most of them taken from the book. New extracts as well as essays on a wider range of topics will be posted from time to time. At present, comments are not directly allowed on these articles.
The continuing discussion will be found under Observations, which will be frequent blog entries on topics of immediate interest and invitations for relevant comment.

Affiliation & Support

Renegade Consumer is an independent, not-for-profit organization supported entirely by private, noncommercial donations. It will remain so as long as possible and evolve into a formal nonprofit structure only when necessary. It has no tie to any other institution, organization or business entity of any kind, a condition that is unlikely to change under any circumstances.

There is at this time no formal membership. Registering with this website is optional and needed only to permit you to comment. It carries no other consequence or requirement. We may later develop an opt-in membership structure, but formal membership status will never be a requirement for being a renegade consumer or participating in movement activities.

Comment Policy

We've all seen sites rendered unusable by unlimited and unmoderated posting or commenting—that empty box seems to invite empty-headed blather and thoughtless abuse even more than it does meaningful contributions. The goals of Renegade Consumer are too important and already difficult to discuss clearly without being dragged down by nonsense. Therefore...

We have a simple but draconian posting policy: All posts here must be civil, relevant and as concise as possible. We may remove any comment at any time for any reason.

Your presence here is welcomed. Your interest in participating in these early stages is appreciated. But we require comments here to be focused on the topic at hand and free of useless negativity—name-calling, pigeonholing, unsupported arguments and above all irrelevance. This is not the place to espouse your alternate theory or political ideas if they aren't closely related to Renegade Consumer thought and the subject of the Essay or Observation you're commenting on. Make no mistake: disagreement is permitted, even welcomed as long as it is coherent and relevant. General ranting and diatribe are not.

At present, we use the “one approved comment” method, meaning you first must have a validated user account and then must post one comment subject to moderator approval before it will become visible and you are permitted to post freely.

I hope to bring a full-fledged Forum live in the near future, which will permit not only a wider range of discussion but allow registered users to create their own topics—forums are the genuine discussion platform that the blog format is not. (Forums are also the sustained discussion platform that no social media stream can match—conversations can persist over months and even years.)

Site Author

I am James Gifford (aka “Renegade One” when I'm feeling dramatic), the founder of the Renegade Consumer movement, the author of the book Renegade Consumer: The Battle for Your Economic Freedom and the primary author of the material on this site. I can be reached via the Contact page.