Happy? Holidays
65
Stupid Paradise
Black Friday is the construct of an absurd culture with a dysfunctional ethos: consumerism.
I saw on TV today where a woman in Los Angeles started pepper-spraying everyone so they would get away from the items she wanted. And in another WalMart(I forget where) someone shot a man while trying to rob his family of their items while they were leaving the store.
Even though it seems some craziness occurs on Black Friday every year, the incidents are now getting really violent, as our dangerously dumbed-down citizens are getting even nuttier.
And I notice how these incidents seem to happen predominately at WalMarts. I have a hunch that it's because WalMart is the preffered store of the poor, who are more desperate to prove something come Christmas-time. You never hear of rich people killing each other over toys---except the really big toys, like a nation's oil and resources, and even then, the rich don't do the actual fighting. And the rich already have nice things, so Christmas shopping, for them, doesn't carry the same emotional baggage.
It's not a matter of the haves and have-nots; it's a question of why anyone values material things to the extent that they do. And if our relationships with our loved ones were based on something deeper than work and play, would we feel the need to buy-them-off at Christmas?
In my everyday travels, I can't help but notice what lousy parents so many of us are, and do we think that nice Christmas gifts will make up for our deficiencies? So much so, that we'll stop at nothing to get that special gift---even shoot someone; pepper-spray them or wrestle them to the ground?
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were consumed with the struggle to merely survive, so, I appreciate the comforts of modern conveniences. But, beyond indoor plumbing and climate-control, where does necessity stop and absurdity begin? Unfortunately, it's too late for that question, because we've already crossed-over and sold our souls to what was once intended to serve humanity, but, now rules us as we get lazier and crazier with each passing day and I can't help thinking that humanity will never find its way out of the rabbit hole.
Blaise Pascal once wrote: "I prefer an intelligent hell to a stupid paradise." I couldn't agree more, but, the best I can do while stuck in this paradise is to tune-out the hype and embrace simplicity.
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It is getting pretty out of hand out there. I can't imagine getting up at the crack of dawn for shopping. Nor can I understand how any store expects their employees to work those terrible hours. Yet it happens again and again. Interesting hub and voted up!
It's gotten out-of-hand over here, Shinkicker, as have many aspects of American life. So much so, that I---and a growing number of other Americans---often contemplate expatriating.
Wow. I'm astonished at the violence that can occur. In the UK our equivalent is the January sales. Maybe a sharp elbow in the ribs or a stamp on the foot is the worst that will happen.
Great Hub Charles. Voted up^
Good news for retailers---whom this Black Friday nonsense is intended to benefit---but, the increased sales means the crowds were bigger, and with that came even more incidents. When will it end---will it end? I say it eventually will, because even the thickest clouds eventually yield to Sunshine. ;-)
I thought of you this morning when I heard on the news that this has been the most successful Black Friday with sales up 11% from last year. I'm fighting a losing battle but I'm not giving up...Sunshine never gives up! :)
LOL...sounds like the momentum is in your favor, Sunshine. ;-)
Good idea Charles! Now that she has twin babies it's not as easy for her to get up and go. I'm hoping she'll get over it and not corrupt my grand-twins. Ugh! :))
Sunshine, I agree with you a hundred percent and applaud your efforts on behalf of sanity. Get that stepdaughter of yours in a head-lock and give 'er a good noogie. lol
Hi Charles, I never have and never will support Black Friday. I think the retailers are out of control trying to compete with one another. It's a shame. I'm glad the tv commercials are over with even though I did enjoy the Kohls commercial with Rebecca Black:) Each year I make an effort to convince more family and friends to avoid black Friday sales and I've had success! My daughters who are 22 & 26 have never been. I'm a proud mama! I'm still working on my stepdaughter but her mom corrupted her! Haha! Thanks for a great hub and allowing me to voice my opinion. Oh at my Walmart a guy got upset because someone stepped in front of him at the jewelry counter, he became irate started a fight and was arrested. I've heard of Walmart lawsuits due to Black Friday but we only hear so much because Wally World has the power to hide what they don't want us to know. Ok I'm done. I think. :)
WillStarr, you make an excellent point! I won't be surprised one bit when that inevitably happens.
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Hey Minds! It was just a stream-of-thought that I had to get off my chest. lol
You're so right about the one-generation thing and it's the Baby Boomers who got spoiled and desecrated everything for future generations.
Thanks so much for your kind words. :-)
This Black Friday insanity will end when a retailer gets successfully sued for millions. Sooner or later, their limited-bargain-bait will result in a genuine riot, with multiple deaths and injuries.
I don't like crowds, especially rude crowds, so I have never gone out on one of these "Black Fridays". People have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. That is reflected in the ads and specials on TV.
You are right in your assessment of the world being spoiled. When I was growing up I slept in a room with no heat and I accepted it as how life was. I didn't think badly of my parents, that is just how it was. Christmas at our house was more about us being together, my dad taking a week off from work and us playing family games that whole week. All it takes is one generation giving too much and spoiling and Christmas changes its meaning.
Thank you Charles for a timely hub. Well written - voted up.
Glad to see you back and writing again.
Not at all, Story. I loved your comments---my head swelled to twice its normal size. lol
And you're right: it IS a simple concept, but, made chaotic with our misplaced priorities. However, it seems you and your kids have the right perspective. And I hope your time with them this holiday season is filled with good food, interesting conversation and warm affections, as I'm sure it will be.
Now, back to my purrrrrrring. :P
Charles, I agree that people go shopping to brag that they did! I am ashamed to say my daughters got up at midnight this year and went shopping at Target, which in the end they admitted was "lame." For them it was about bonding. Last year they went at a sane time and surprised me by bringing home a half price Christmas tree kit, which they set up. We were going to Minnesota for the holidays and, as we always got a real tree, I didn't think it was a wise purchase, while unemployed. The thrill I experienced when they brought in some Christmas spirit was so amazing, I kept the tree up all year, haha. What a sucker I am. Anyway, I think they had such a great experience last year, they were thinking it was about the shopping. I doubt they will bother next year. I think my youngest came home with a couple cds and that was about it.
I was thinking you might take my comment wrong and was so glad to know you did not. When I said it was a simple concept, I was thinking of myself and my mundane life. These issues do not seem earth shattering, though to the father who was shot and his family or to those peppersprayed, it was certainly huge. But it's about shopping for Pete's sake! I thought your tongue in cheek final comment about paradise was perfect. It gave me pause initially, but when I reread it, I thought, "How brilliant."
Now go hang with your kids and shake off these comments so that you can write another piece without thinking you are the cat's purr, hahahaha.
Thank you, samsons1, for your honest critique.
My use of "paradise" is figurative and sarcastic in response to the propaganda that has always hawked America---like a carnival barker---as the "greatest nation in the world." And until the economic downturn wrought by corporate greed and it's henchmen in Washington, America was a consumer paradise.
Very well written hub, except for the last paragraph. This is definitely NOT paradise we are living in as supported by the main body of your article. People are driven by the stupidity of the merchants trying to outdo each other and make more sales. Stores are worried that overall sales are suppose to be down by 15% this year. Merchants greed is what is driving this madness. If people would not go shopping at midnight trying to get ahead of all other shoppers for bargains advertised by the merchants, the mishaps you mentioned would probably not have occurred...
Wow! Thank you so much, Storytellersrus! That was the best compliment I've ever gotten on HubPages.
I remember when Black Friday didn't start until 6 AM; then it was 4 AM and now it starts at midnight. I think people go shopping then simply so they can brag that they did. Otherwise, who in their right mind would go shopping at the busiest, least convenient time?
Charles, I voted this hub up and awesome! Seriously, it made an impression on me. I was not informed of these Black Friday events. They remind me of the mother who hired a hit man to kill off her daughter's major cheerleading tryout competitor. Or Tanya Harding injuring Nancy Kerrigan before a skating competition. There are so many rationales for such behaviors, but none of them make any sort of moral sense.
I appreciate how you laid this out. I found it interesting and it flowed easily. In fact, I did not skip one paragraph. Funny how seemingly simple concepts are anything but dull when presented well. Thank you thank you thank you.
Charles Hilton Hub Author 2 months ago
I'm glad you mentioned the fact of people having to work those hours. I would much rather be slightly inconvenienced than for them to have to miss-out because of their work schedule---except for those who want the overtime. People can easily schedule their shopping for much more reasonable hours.
And I feel bad for those who work on the actual holidays---isn't anything sacred anymore? Has the merchant class become our gods to whom we pay homage in the form of our patronage?
Thank you, Jeannie! I appreciate your patronage. lol