Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Black Friday

Nope, I'm not talking about the unofficial holiday commissioned by the NAACP.  I try not to post rants on the bloggity-blog, but Black Friday can kiss my white a$$.  That sounds a little bit like an Eddie Murphy line read by a dyslexic, but that’s truly how I feel towards the whole concept.  If I haven't offended you by now, by all means keep reading.

The thought of rushing into a grossly over-crowded store to save a few trivial dollars on crap no one really needs is beyond my comprehension.  What’s more baffling is that Black Friday is slowly becoming Black Thursday.  Having noticed that a few major retailers were open on Thanksgiving, I’m thoroughly disgusted.

Thursday, named after Thor – God of thunder & lightening (Yes! Score one for the Viking brethren), is not in and of itself held sacred by any major religious group that I’m aware of.  What disturbs me is that for 1 out of 2 days of the year (even Christmas will be subject to this trend before long) our society can’t adjust their priorities, priorities that are driven by nothing more than sheer greed by both consumers and retailers.  It forces the majority of employees to leave their families & friends or just their own peaceful evening because of their employer’s selfishness.  Years ago I worked at the Market Street Broiler and every Labor Day, the group that owned that restaurant and several others closed every single one and held a picnic at a nearby amusement park for the employees and their families.  I respect a business that can close up shop for a day.   
 I’m curious if there is such a maniacal occurrence in any other country.  I can’t imagine hordes of people standing in ridiculously long lines to purchase something other than basic needs such as food, water or medicine.  Not here.  This is truly an embarrassment.  I cannot think of one thing I absolutely need to buy that couldn’t wait for one more day.  This is a perfect display of a materialistic generation teaching the next generation of brats to be just as piggish and greedy.
Now, Cyber Monday is a whole different concept that I can support.  First, it’s a day where most people are scheduled to work anyways.  Second, it leads to an important day for all you Financial Crime detectives…Happy Job Security Day or Identity Theft Tuesday.