For those of you who think that my posts tend toward rants, be advised. This is a rant.
This morning’s news included a segment on how the Long Island Expressway was brought to a standstill by shoppers at midnight (yes, midnight) going to the Tanger Mall outlet stores. Ah, the$100 $10 gift card to be given to the first 100 shoppers, combined with those “midnight madness” sales. What could be more tempting to ten thousand shoppers.
People, this is sick. I wonder who in their right mind would go to stores that open at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday. It appears as if the number is too great to name. Why? Are you that desperate for material possession that you have lost all perspective? Are your loved ones that avaricious that they will stop loving you if you don’t buy them a lot of things?
I am obviously out of touch. Not only will I not consider going out in the middle of the night for a sale, but I am not particularly inclined toward buying gifts of necessity for holidays. Forget the commercialization of holidays. That ship has sailed, and those of you who want to pretend that you are good believers in your faith and then debase it through consumerism, you already have to live with yourselves. That’s your problem.
My problem is the mass hysteria that compels people to force their buying of things, all at the same time, or what? Or your children won’t love you? Or you spouse will find you sexually unattractive? What terrible thing will happen to you if, on one day a year (or eight, or whatever number you feel applies) you don’t shower your loved ones in excess?
What are the priorities that you are teaching your children? That love is expressed in the quantity or cost of gifts? Are they less worthy as human beings for lack of a new fangled cellphone? By stealing out in the middle of the night, it enables you to buy more and more for less and less, right? Is that $29 cashmere sweater proof of your devotion? I suppose it must be, since you found yourself stuck on the highway along with the 10,000 other shoppers afflicted with the same disease.
And you wonder what drives criminals to commit crimes for financial gain? As worth in our society becomes increasingly (if that’s possible) connected to possessions, we are all party to the encouragement of doing whatever is necessary to accumulate things. Even those who lack the wherewithal through honest effort want to possess things, because we bombard them with the message that this is the worth of a person.
Instead of feeling the pressure to produce on this most important of commercial opportunities, we could buy something for our loved ones when something happens to come along on any given day of the year. There’s nothing wrong with getting things to make our kids or spouses happy. It’s the compulsory obligation of this particular season that brings out the sickness. If we could bring it down about 100 notches, refocus on the meaning of the season, and stop believing that happiness and love is directly proportional to the number of boxes under a tree, we would all be a lot better off.
Certainly, I lack the persuasiveness to stop this. But maybe one by one, we can consider what this says about our society and decide whether this reflects who we are and who we want to be. Maybe one less person will feel compelled to commit one less robbery, and there will be one less victim in the world. Just think about it.
End of a rant that I fully expect to be read by absolutely no one, as you will all be out shopping. Sigh.
This morning’s news included a segment on how the Long Island Expressway was brought to a standstill by shoppers at midnight (yes, midnight) going to the Tanger Mall outlet stores. Ah, the
People, this is sick. I wonder who in their right mind would go to stores that open at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday. It appears as if the number is too great to name. Why? Are you that desperate for material possession that you have lost all perspective? Are your loved ones that avaricious that they will stop loving you if you don’t buy them a lot of things?
I am obviously out of touch. Not only will I not consider going out in the middle of the night for a sale, but I am not particularly inclined toward buying gifts of necessity for holidays. Forget the commercialization of holidays. That ship has sailed, and those of you who want to pretend that you are good believers in your faith and then debase it through consumerism, you already have to live with yourselves. That’s your problem.
My problem is the mass hysteria that compels people to force their buying of things, all at the same time, or what? Or your children won’t love you? Or you spouse will find you sexually unattractive? What terrible thing will happen to you if, on one day a year (or eight, or whatever number you feel applies) you don’t shower your loved ones in excess?
What are the priorities that you are teaching your children? That love is expressed in the quantity or cost of gifts? Are they less worthy as human beings for lack of a new fangled cellphone? By stealing out in the middle of the night, it enables you to buy more and more for less and less, right? Is that $29 cashmere sweater proof of your devotion? I suppose it must be, since you found yourself stuck on the highway along with the 10,000 other shoppers afflicted with the same disease.
And you wonder what drives criminals to commit crimes for financial gain? As worth in our society becomes increasingly (if that’s possible) connected to possessions, we are all party to the encouragement of doing whatever is necessary to accumulate things. Even those who lack the wherewithal through honest effort want to possess things, because we bombard them with the message that this is the worth of a person.
Instead of feeling the pressure to produce on this most important of commercial opportunities, we could buy something for our loved ones when something happens to come along on any given day of the year. There’s nothing wrong with getting things to make our kids or spouses happy. It’s the compulsory obligation of this particular season that brings out the sickness. If we could bring it down about 100 notches, refocus on the meaning of the season, and stop believing that happiness and love is directly proportional to the number of boxes under a tree, we would all be a lot better off.
Certainly, I lack the persuasiveness to stop this. But maybe one by one, we can consider what this says about our society and decide whether this reflects who we are and who we want to be. Maybe one less person will feel compelled to commit one less robbery, and there will be one less victim in the world. Just think about it.
End of a rant that I fully expect to be read by absolutely no one, as you will all be out shopping. Sigh.
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It’s not consumerism, or materialism, or any form of sickness at all. You don’t like to do it. Separate that from the larger issue.
People do it for the same reason they attend pro football games, huge concerts . . . any mass gathering of people for an “Event!” (Note – not an “event” – an “Event!”)
People want to take part in the larger-than-life Events! that occur in modern society. They want to be a part of the central crowd, to do the things “everybody who’s anybody” is doing today.
Everyone in the world (or at least a huge and significant portion of them) shops on Black Friday. Which is why everyone in the world (or at least a huge and significant portion of them) shops on Black Friday.
It’s an Event? Let me think about that . . . okay, I’m done. Nope. I’m not seeing it. The Concert for Bangladesh was an Event. Live Aid was an Event. Woodstock was an Event. I’ve been to Events. This is not an Event. It’s just a reflection of a sick society of crass consumerism.
Scott’s right, there’s something mentally ill about the “buybuybuy” lifestyle.
It is ironic that people go for this immediately after Thanksgiving, which represents just the opposite — mentally stable values. Love and gratitude for our families, just as they are, and for our other gifts.
It may be the way people are raised. My parents discouraged and actually made fun of the herd mentality, and gave us an example of kicking our brains in gear. We are all very moderate shoppers. To the frustration of some spouses and in-laws. At this time of year. Tough.