A Friday of Darkest Shade
by boh3m3 on Nov.26, 2008, under Rants
…You Are Not Your Fucking Khakis
Another year has passed with another Thanksgiving to stretch our belts, and with the looming weekend comes that holiday unique to Americans: Black Friday.
For those of you not in the know, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving that marks the official “start” of the Christmas shopping season. Stores across the nation advertise deals on everything from televisions to argyle socks in an attempt to start the materialist masses drooling with desire.
And oh, how they drool!
Regardless of your city’s size, if so much as a Best Buy or Wal-Mart is within 10 miles you can be sure there will be a line stretching around the store come opening hour. Electronics stores are the bulls-eye for Black Friday shoppers, and there is a recent history of tramplings that seems to be destined for tradition.
Consider the videos below.
See how they run? Take a close look at just who is running into these stores. Look into their eyes as best you can through the crummy quality of the camera. Read between the lines.
Addicts.
Oh, sure! They just want a good deal. It’s not an addiction that will do any harm, right? Look at the way they bust through the door; the frenzied scampering through the aisles as they search for that once-a-year deal.
The people hip-checked to the side by their more ruthless consumer brethren. How many grandmas were trampled by the herd last year? How many unsuspecting geriatrics will accidentally suicide-by-bargain-hunting this year?
This is America’s Law of the Jungle: Survival of the Richest, Pecking Order of the Credit Score, Stealer of the Deal, First Class Financial Finger-banger.
What have we to gain by such rampant frenzied materialism? Every year we are reminded anew that this country is driven not by what you create, but what you buy. At this point, people don’t identify each other based on personality; today, it’s what you spend on rather than what you spend time on.
That’s Suzy Versace; Herald of the iPhone.
There goes Jimmy D&G, Keeper of the MacBook Pro.
Check out the ass on Michelle Abercrombie… god I’d love to get ahold of her black American Express.
Every year, millions pour millions into the machine, hoping to get a shiny new bauble to fill the gaping hole in their hearts. Here’s hoping this year you instead spend the hours you would have spent waiting in line with the people you love making memories money cannot buy.
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November 26th, 2008 on 4:49 pm
Wow your country is fucked up.
November 26th, 2008 on 5:11 pm
I am, coincidentally, with my family this week. I say coincidentally because we don’t celebrate thanksgiving (or, for that matter, Black Friday) here. Nonetheless, here I am, with the people that matter to me around me.
Of course even in the UK, the clammy hand of Christmas consumerism is upon my shoulder. I’ve never seen the vicious bargain competitiveness that you describe (I can’t see the videos), but consumerism is pervasive. It insinuates its wormy, worthless way into our lives, and pretends to be something it’s not. It pretends to be love. It pretends to be success. Lately, it’s been promoted as the solution for our floundering finances.
Funnily enough, I blogged on this topic mere moments ago. ‘Tis the season.
November 26th, 2008 on 6:17 pm
Oh, dear Jamin` Ben, I’m glad this is what you meant by “Dark days”.
I’m looking forward to black Friday, later at night. I’m going to head on over with my girlfriend to make Christmas lists with each other :3
I told her I wanted to make lists with things that cost ridiculous amounts of money, which she thinks neither of us can afford…but I saved up and…yay! ;D
November 26th, 2008 on 7:20 pm
Yeah, it is…so is every other place on earth.
November 26th, 2008 on 9:20 pm
I always try to avoid the one dimensional outlook on things in life.
To experience the holiday season to its full extent, or even life itself, we need to find a balance between the each aspect; both the material and the “spiritual”, so to speak.
That is, to find a way to enjoy the overly cheap products without letting it consume too much of our time, or let alone, let it get in the way of our quality “family time.”
Not easy, but it is ideal.
Hope you have a sweet Thanksgiving in ol’ L.A. :)
Happy Holiday!
November 26th, 2008 on 10:33 pm
Unless one of my dear offspring comes down with something worthy of the E.R. I (as always) will be enjoying the warmth of my house and decorating our christmas tree.
Part of me would love to have the money to buy my kids all the shiny toys their hearts desire.. but it is a good thing that I am broke in some respects.. It means that instead of being with the horde hunting down the shiny I will be spending quality time with my family instead.
There is always a bright side eh?
Hoping your holidays are filled with warmth and love hun.
November 26th, 2008 on 10:51 pm
In Canada, our Black Friday is on December 26 (Boxing Day - not a post-X-Mas, drunken, pugilistic holiday, mind you). All the big retail chains clutter our mail with glossy fliers, advertising their SUPER LOW PRICES! and LIMITED QUANTITIES IN STORE - FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE!
I’m usually flat broke and hungover on that day and the last thing I want to do is stand in endless lines, buying something I would probably have no use for. Our liquor stores on Christmas Eve are very similar to the videos you posted above.
November 27th, 2008 on 7:22 am
I’m just gonna hide under the covers…black friday scares me
November 27th, 2008 on 9:36 am
I went through all of my most recent You Tube subscription updates (I just got a fresh e-mail today)…you’re not in any of them!
HAZAH!
Actually, I shouldn’t be saying “HAZAH!”, because that means every time you’ve updated…You Tube hasn’t alerted me about it. I don’t really have a problem with the home page showing your videos, though.
November 27th, 2008 on 3:15 pm
oh hush, if you weren’t all about your food stamps you’d be shopping for cameras.
November 27th, 2008 on 10:51 pm
o.o i see wut u did there
but i couldnt help but notice
0:36 on that second video
XD MUTHA FUCKIN VANILLA ICE
xD i guess he’s that broke now days
^_^ anyways happy turkey day Ben
:3 and may the sheep be trampled
^0^ WOO!
~Garth
November 27th, 2008 on 11:12 pm
Ugh. People depress me. Best part is, most technology is made to be replaced in a shorter amount of time, hence, more spending!
>.> Bah.
November 28th, 2008 on 8:13 am
MAHAH!
I went out to Kohl’s at 4 in the morning for Black Friday. No worries, though, I went with friends. It was big effing fun, man.
That one guy in our group that no one likes got stepped on a few times. We warned him not to drink before he came but…what ever. We got a laugh out of it.
November 29th, 2008 on 3:16 am
Lmao! The first dude in the second video looked like he was running from a horde of zombies.
November 29th, 2008 on 8:22 pm
I think it’s crazy. Patience, kindness and consideration is out dated and out of style. How sad. Alas I stayed home on black friday. I had very little money and I prefer to do my shopping with as few people around as possible. (shopping at 3 am ftw) It seems there’s always someone taking things way too far.
All I want for x-mas is for my family to stop fighting and get a long. Buying them expensive gifts might be easier though..how sad.
November 29th, 2008 on 11:37 pm
I seriously can’t believe how stupid some people can be. I even heard that some people had been camping out since last Sunday!!
November 30th, 2008 on 8:22 am
People DIE because of this shit. THERE’s a clue that it might be a dumbass idea. If I worked in the USA i’d refuse to work Black Friday… it’s just madness…
November 30th, 2008 on 11:10 am
CLOSING DOWN SLAE!! EVRYTHNIG MUST OG!!! Sorry, that just seemed appropriate. Also, it may not be entirely accurate, but it’s close enough.
Cookie to whoever gets that. :)
November 30th, 2008 on 3:31 pm
This is why I do all my Christmas shopping in January.