Black Friday

Tis' the season for animalistic consumer fights! That's right. Black Friday has come again. I find it ironic that we take a special day out of each year to remember what we are thankful for and focus on valuing family and friends, and then the very next day we erupt into a capitalistic frenzy and are ready to fight anyone necessary in the name of consumerism. Black Friday is a dark day indeed.

The videos and stories are ridiculous. People get trampled and injured and are anything but grateful and kind to each other, and all for what? So that the corporate moguls can sit back and watch Americans flood the aisles like hordes of mice or roaches, trained as if by Pavlov himself to run and shove at the sight of 50% off! They laugh all the way to the bank. Meanwhile, people get injured and act atrocious.

I say do away with Black Friday!!! How awful to trivialize and demean the spirit of Thanksgiving by following it with this insidious ritual of consumerism. I have no problem with great sales, but the corporations are perfectly capable of offering great sales and driving sales without creating these terrible conditions. A great example of this is what has come to be called Cyber Monday. This allows for a similar sales hype to give good deals and boost sales, but from the safety of one's own computer where no one will get steamrolled in their quest for the latest i-gadget.

D. Matthew Ray

P.S. How do you feel about Black Friday?  Is it really worth it?