Saturday, November 26, 2011

Gross

I've just been perusing news about the violence among bargain-crazed shoppers in the U. S. yesterday. "Black Friday" is a national phenomenon when retailers push sales to move themselves out of the red and into the black before the end of the year. It happens on the day after Thanksgiving.

So, we pause. We give thanks. We look around the table and say we're thankful for our families and our friends. We recognize that we are blessed. We say, "I am so thankful!"

But, apparently, it's not enough. It doesn't actually fill us up.

The very next day, we go absolutely mad over manufactured stuff that we HAVE to have.

I'm not above loving a good sale, but the whole thing strikes me as incredibly gross.

We are gross.

And the worst part of it is, we are willingly led down this path. We're told we need this stuff; that our other stuff is outdated and ridiculous.

And we believe it.

4 comments:

Carolyn said...

It is pretty gross. Just looking at some of the commercials that were on; so pushy. I felt assaulted. I wonder if we haven't all been mesmerized by the advertising business over years and years to think this way? I was grateful to stay out of the fray yesterday.

sue said...

It is a shame.
Do you remember the clever video on consumerism you shared a while ago? I'd love to catch a viewing of that one. Thanks.

lisa said...

Oh, yes. That's called The Story of Stuff...

MacKenzie Klein said...

in cleveland we did black friday as "buy nothing" and the day after as "buy locally"