Here is a random fact you should know about me - I hate shopping.
When I say shopping, I specifically mean shopping for clothes, shoes,
jewelry, and basically anything that a typical girl
should like
to shop for. I would much rather go to a book store or a CD store
or...well Best Buy and Staples are pretty fun I'd say. ;) But let's
face it, most girls (and A LOT of guys) love to shop for clothes and the
other things I listed. In fact, our nation seems to pride itself in
the clothes people pick out and wear. Yahoo's top news story the other
day was about Kate Middleton's sister who apparently has bad fashion
sense! We have pre-academy award shows where stars are interviewed and
the first question the interviewers ask is who they are wearing (not
what - who!), and it is usually a dress or suit from a famous designer.
Now when I see these things, I get bored sick. But Americans generally
love that kind of stuff. The only thing Americans obsess over more
than their fashion sense is celebrity fashion sense...or rather,
celebrities in general. Americans obsess over the things celebrities do
with their money; whether it be wearing expensive clothing or getting
their kid's book deals or renting out a theme park for the day or buying
a frozen yogurt; Americans love it all. Material wealth is what
celebrities have and Americans want it!
So naturally when Black Friday
rolls around with these so called "amazing deals", people jump on top of
it. They clip coupons and set up tents a week before Black Friday and
stand in the freezing cold lines only to get an iPad to waste more of
their time with by looking at celebrity news! People actually get
violent at these events! They want that big screen TV so badly that
they are prepared to punch faces and trip the handicap to get what they
want. Black Friday, to the customer, is all about
me me me.
Black Friday is not just about the customers though but also about the
stores. Big companies prepare for Black Friday months before the
event! They come up with some good deals and some not so good deals
that seem good. "Let's figure out how to make a deal look enticing when
secretly it will be just like the store on any other day," they say.
"How about we mark that big screen LED TV $400 but it is a no name brand
and probably won't give people the quality they expect. And make sure
we only have 25 of the name brand TV's in stock because, let's face it,
we can't afford to give these things away for free! And no exceptions.
Remember, it's the holidays. No time to be generous. This is the time
we will be getting the most cash. Say, mark down the Barbie dolls and
all Barbie products, would ya? I am a feminist and speak against them
but make sure other parents buy them for
their kids. That'll
boost our toy sales a lot. Parents are just suckers for those Barbie
products. How can they not buy the Barbie beach house for little Suzy
after she threw her temper tantrum for it?" The fact that they decrease
their prices on one day of the year probably brings them the most bang
for their buck. Black Friday, to the stores and companies, is all about
me me me. See the resemblance? No matter who is involved on Black Friday, it all comes down to
me me me.
Now
before I continue, I know that there are small businesses who do not
use these tactics to trick people or gain more cash by ripping people
off. I also know that some Black Friday shoppers use this day to be
generous and buy Christmas gifts. However, big corporations and
dedicated Black Friday shoppers do not get this excuse. Let's look at
the basics of Black Friday for a second. Both consumers and companies
prepare for this day as if it were a Holy day. People discuss Black
Friday as if it is the event of the century every single year. People
dedicate their weeks to clipping coupons and scrolling through their
emails and figuring out what they want that is on sale. And it is not
just the preparation for Black Friday. It is being a part of it.
People set up tents and stand in huge lines for that one product they so
desperately desire as if it will fulfill their hopes and dreams...and
well, their life.
John Green recently wrote a
blog post about
Black Friday and says, "I would argue that all these people standing in
line aren’t really
there to save money. (Like, standing in line at Best Buy for four hours
to save $20 on a TV is almost never an economically rational decision.)
They’re standing in line to be part of something. And the something
is consumer spending, the foundational idea of (and driving force
behind) America’s relative economic health. And because we associate
economic health so closely with community health, Black Friday is a way
of both giving thanks and making an offering. In the end, I would argue
the rituals surrounding Black
Friday—combing through emails and advertisements for coupons, waking up
before dawn, communing with strangers in large indoor public spaces
(Target, Wal-Mart, etc.)—aren’t just
similar to religious rituals. I would argue that they
are religious rituals, just ones played out in a secular world."
John
says it better than my entire Wasted Wednesday post ever could. But
just think about what I am saying and what Green is saying. Black
Friday truly has become a religious holiday. It is a day people devote
their lives to and I would argue that more people devote themselves to
Black Friday than Catholics do to Lent at Easter time. I mean, it's
completely ridiculous. Yet people do it every year as if this is what
life is worth living for.
Let me tell you all something - Black Friday is nothing someone should be fighting to live for.
Black Friday is now a religious tradition in America and it all ties
into this ideology Americans hold that material wealth is how one gains
happiness.
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