Its Black Friday and what I clearly can see as one of the key signs of the fall of western civilization. In almost no other way do we see what a true post apocalyptic society may have in store for us. Limited supplies of goods, wanted by many, that are willing to claw, scratch, lie, bite, and fight to the death to acquire what they so desire. And what makes this insanity even worse is that what used to start at 6am, or 4am, now has spilled over into thanksgiving itself. At dinner tables across the nation yesterday, as soon as the meal was done, and the plates were cleared, the ads were laid out on large tables, and groups of industrious shoppers laid out their battle plans. The logistical planning would make masters of military strategy quake in awe of the precision, and steely eyed focus. This is not the battle plan to save a country, defend a home, or conquer the world, it is a plan to save a little bit of money on things we may not really even need. I completely understand the want to save money, but is it truly worth the battle. Lines that wrap around buildings, standing for hours in the cold, instead of huddled around the table sharing fellowship. Our society seems to measure status and worth by possessions, and material wealth. Parents measure whether they are good parents not by the time and the care they give their children, but based on meeting the wants, not needs of their children. Every year is a battle with the previous to not disappoint those you care about, but when is enough enough. When have you spent enough money, bought enough things, and padded the pockets or the retailers to a great enough degree. As thanksgiving rolls around each year, the major retailers wage their own little wars, on each other, and on your time. What used to start on Friday has crept farther and farther into Thanksgiving with stores opening earlier and earlier, trying to be the first to get a shot at your wallet. This assault on the family is horrifying. The idea that Thanksgiving is a holiday and things should be closed so that employees have the time to spend with their families is quickly being pushed aside in pursuit of more dollars in the coffers of the rich. The retailers pray upon the common person’s want to get a good deal and to save money, and battle each other in some sort of winner takes most marketing grudge match. And as a society follow blindly off the cliff as if they were part of the Black Friday lemming march. The saddening fact is that this nose dive of a downward spiral into the complete devastation of the Holiday in which people give thanks for all they have, shows absolutely no sign of stopping its descent. With every new high tech toy, discounted clothes, and that special deal you just cant live without a little piece of the meaning of Thanksgiving is stripped away. It turns not into a celebration of what you already have, and the blessings you should celebrate, but into a strategic campaign to get what it is you want, or those you buy for on your Christmas lists. For every individual I could convince not to contribute to this decline there is simply someone waiting to take their place in the line that wraps around Best Buy to save a little money on the video game their child will play with for a week and then forget all about. Without a wholesale altering of the culture in which we live I see doom and gloom as what will continue. As long as we are preoccupied with keeping up with the Jones and measure our personal worth with what we own, or what we give, retailers will continue to chip away at our souls, our family time, and our wallets. Oh, and studies show that even though you save money on these Black Friday deals, the amount each individual spends during the Christmas Holiday season is steadily rising. At what point do we value family time, and what we have, more than the idea of saving money on what we could get? When we find an answer to that question, we can halt this descent and once again be truly thankful.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 10:18:25 +0000