Thursday, November 22, 2012

The WAR on Thanksgiving: One Turkey's Revenge on Christmas

The first shots of the War on Thanksgiving have been fired.  This civil encroachment of the holidays comes from the aggressor and architect of this manic season of spending- Big Business.  Companies have moved the opening bells of Black Friday to Thursday evening... ON Thanksgiving this year.  Someone has to stand up and defend the last morsel of what is our National Day of Thanks.

Inks on Bristol / 2012 / Brandt Hardin
In the United States, mass consumerism has become both sport and religion.  Bloated companies and retailers demand larger profits year after year.  The climate is such that holding steady profit is poor performance and any loss of financial ground is utter failure.  Men and women in suits find themselves in jobs more stressful than the most labor-intensive work one could ever find.

As with tradition, production and retail workers are under the gun this year with companies vying for record number, bigger sales, and higher turnouts.   Even as an initial concept, a "shopping holiday" held immediately after our day to "give thanks" is woven from pure greed marketing a literal frenzy to the public under the banner of Black Friday.  This annual mania leads to physical assaults and shopper on shopper violence. In several instances, people have been trampled to death (which usually only happens when a crowd is dispersing FROM a building in emergency situations.)  It is a truly odd enigma too see human beings lose their lives in the ultimate quest for... low low prices.

A crusade has begun here in the United States to take back the holidays.  Earlier this year, I brought you the epic tale of Christ reclaiming his day of triumph from the Easter Bunny.  (Click HERE if you missed out!)  The storm is coming as unions and droves of retail workers across the country are threatening to strike and stage walkouts from their stores.  Many of these workers are paid substandard wages with little or no benefits.  Wal-Mart alone has a large percentage of their workforce who collect food stamps... this is called the "working poor."  At the same time, the company's CEO makes in one day what an average worker at one of his stores makes in an entire year.  While retail sales set records, so does the money being funneled to the top 1% as the income inequality in our country is also at an ALL-TIME HIGH.  Workers aren't the only combatants in this- the most dangerous game.  YOU play a role as well by choosing whether or not to buy into the hysteria.  Imagine if every American stayed home Thursday night with their families and the workers left the stores to join their own loved ones.  Visualize a country willing to really stop for one day and give thanks for what they already have.  There was a time this happened once a week... now once a year... but tomorrow will it be never?  How far do we let our own consumerism go when businesses dips their fingers into your Thanksgiving?

15 comments:

  1. Happy? Brown Thursday

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    1. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh that's just wrong... unless you're a Plumber (then you're making bank!)

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  2. lol what a joke.

    I'm a Wall Street banker and this is bullshit.

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    1. Pickpocket Anonymous, if you really work on Wall Street then you're not allowed here.

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    2. Brandt you have the right to kick someone off your site, but why would you want to kick someone off simply for representing the other side? I would think that listening to an opposing opinion is healthy.

      Btw, I agree whole heartily with your post. I just hope retail executives aren't also preaching about family values because that would just be one hypocrisy too many for me http://lawblog.legalmatch.com/2012/11/21/

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    3. Jay, I was just being sarcastic. I allow anonymous commenting so that should let you know that I don't censor my guests. Thanks for the comment.

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  3. Good points, but it is a free country and if stores want to sell on Thanksgiving they can and they will continue to do so if people come out in droves to shop and spend their moolah.
    The top dogs always come out ahead, look at the Hostess Twinkie debacle, 18000 workers are fired, supposedly the immediate firing was good for them so they could start collecting unemployment right away??? Meanwhile 19 top executives will get a ONE MILLION dollar bonus for staying on to sell off the successful product lines, and if they make it a really quick sale they will get an even bigger bonus. This makes me SICK!! Corporate greed at its worst.

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  4. SHUT UP AND GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY

    THANKS

    HAVE A GREAT DAY

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    1. They'll get it AGAIN AND AGIN AND AGIN...

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  5. supply and demand, the people shopping on thanksgiving are to blame. though I am not entirely against shopping on Friday, I never have but may this time to just get a new egg chair. I think people shouldn't shop on thanksgiving, but they will. Demand it.. It's supplied.

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    1. Conflicted Anonymous, I'm hearing the "supply and demand" argument left and right this year. I have to agree yet disagree. Marketing manufactures demand. The stores are not responding to consumer demand because they created it in the first place. Polls all over the news and internet reflect the vast majority of Americans oppose the stores opening. More importantly, the employees being paid poverty-level wages disapprove as well.

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  6. Replies
    1. Are you stuck waiting in line to check out at a major retailer to be so bored on Thanksgiving Day?

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  7. The last three episodes of South Park covered the Black Friday madness pretty brilliantly, if you enjoy that show:

    http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes

    I think the first part is not streamable until the 13th.

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