I'm writing this while sitting in a Barnes and Noble at 10:41am on Black Friday. The only thing I have purchased is a coffee. Let me preface by saying I am not against buying presents for friends and family. I am not against the idea of gift giving. But I am disgusted by the overwhelming consumerism that grips our nation one day a year. Ironically, Black Friday happens the day after we are compelled to be thankful for what we already have. Instead, millions of Americans have left their family to spend hours in line to buy cheap, made-in-china products from corrupt mega-corporations. And I really don't understand why.
Do you really need the box set of some banal tv show that you probably won't ever watch again? Do you need another blender? A slightly different drill? What drives people to such a level of shopping fever that they are willing to trample other human beings in order to buy something they don't strictly need?
Someone I know was explaining that while she was going to go Black Friday shopping, she was only going to local, craftsman-based stores. I support this. I support buying from local artists and eschewing the likes of Walmart. But the fact that most people who go shopping today are going to mega-stores like Walmart or Target or Best Buy just blows my mind.
So in conclusion, I will not participate in the insane, inane "tradition" that is Black Friday. But if you do, I urge you to shop local, not just today, but every day.
And with that rant out of my system, back to my book!
I SO agree, Grace!
ReplyDeleteI avoid Black Friday shopping as well. I think there's something hideously demeaning to the idea of spending hours in line or camping out to get a deal on a new TeeVee. The orgy of consumerism makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.
ReplyDeleteMy mom gave me a $10 card to Kohl's that was only good on Black Friday. The kids and I stopped by around 11:30 in the morning. We walked in and saw the checkout line snaked around the building. I turned to my daughter and said, "I don't think ten dollars is worth waiting in that line." She said, "I agree." So we turned around and walked out. Closest I've come to Black Friday shopping in a long time.
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