Consumerism

Black Friday has always struck me as a gross tradition.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bargain hunter: I clip coupons and research deals online. I do this partially because I am cheap and partially because I achieve a discernable thrill out of saving money.

That said, I hate excessive consumerism. Black Friday is not really about the saving, it’s about the buying. People shouldn’t be so excited that they are willing to camp out overnight in the cold surrounded by a hundred other grouchy strangers to buy things that, though discounted, will still put them in debt.

People also shouldn’t be so enthusiastic to shop that they trample someone to death and hospitalize a pregnant woman, as was the case in Long Island. They did realize they were at a Wal-Mart and not a Bon Jovi concert, right? Having been to many a Wal-Mart, I feel pretty confident in saying that there’s nothing in the store worth unhinging the doors and subsequently cramming through the entrance, giving no consideration to the people next to you, let alone below you.

Apparently, after the police arrived to retrieve the body, shoppers refused to leave the store as managers attempted to close it down. Alice showed me a video of a covered body being wheeled on a stretcher next to a shopper wheeling a television in a cart. You want proof that people are greedy and without common decency? You want proof that our desire to buy things has gone too far? Well there you go.

On the same day, two men shut each other to death after a fistfight between their respective (yet clearly not respectable) significant others broke out by a cash register. Though it is uncertain as to whether these slayings were the result of a merchandise-related altercation, it does speak to the hostile atmosphere of consumerism. I believe that the media is missing the point by continually highlighting the idea that people would have the gall to bring guns to a toy store. I guarantee that that same store had dozens of products with realistic depictions or replications of guns, so having real guns in the store doesn’t seem that absurd to me – but I’m not going to get on that rant right now.

Coincidentally, a few days earlier I was perusing the shelves at the liberry (I know, I know, I’m a socialist) for a book about the Supreme Court when I came across a horribly titled book, Is American Society Too Materialistic? The answer struck me as obvious, but the book claims to present both sides of the issue in the form of short essays. On a whim, I grabbed it, half expecting to return it unread a few weeks later. After the events of Black Friday, however, I was inspired to read it. It wasn’t good, so I will simply return it soon; I’m sure glad I didn’t buy it.

In preparation for moving out of my house, a few months ago I got rid of about 40% of my possessions, donating what I could and throwing out the items that couldn’t be salvaged. It’s funny how most of the things I did hold on to have no value except on a sentimental level. My trinkets, clippings, and used goods aren’t desirable to others.

Since I’m “in transition,” (yes, I’ve been saying this for a while now), I can’t handle anymore tangible objects. When I say I don’t want anything for the holidays, I mean just that. At this point, things just bog me down as I try to find a new place to relocate. I’m all boxed up, and I don’t need any additional boxes.

I know it’s considered “evil” or “unpatriotic” to encourage other people not to buy things given the state of our economy, but I think that’s crap. I can’t claim to have a firm grasp on our economic situation, but I have done some reading and attended public lectures to try to understand it better. One thing I do understand is that many businesses were spending money they didn’t actually have. Now the government is spending money it doesn’t have (by borrowing it – plus interest!) to “fix” our current situation. Spending money is not a cure all. The majority of Americans are in debt because they spend money they don’t have on non-necessities. Even more than a financial issue, it boils down to an environmental one. We dedicate so much of our finite resources and energy to material items that are often quickly disposed.

I’m not a total Scrooge: I think gifts can be nice. I like giving gifts when I know the recipient will use/appreciate it, and likewise like receiving them when I can use/appreciate it. But I hate this mentality of gifts being compulsory, that you don’t love someone unless you buy em something. Consumerism for the sake of consumerism is stupid, irresponsible, and even deadly.