Black Friday—American Consumerism At Its Finest

With Thanksgiving just ending, I’m sure everyone enjoyed stuffing their face with delicious food because it is the one time we can eat as much as we want without any regrets. Following Thanksgiving was Black Friday, which is essentially the same as Thanksgiving except for shopping. It’s weird that these days follow each other, but it exemplifies American consumerism and values. One day we are being thankful for everything in our lives, and the next day we are battling one another over a television because it’s been marked down a few hundred dollars.

I love Thanksgiving, but I also love Black Friday because it is the one time in the year when I stock up on Blu-rays. I buy all the movies I want for the year on that one day because they are extremely cheap. The thing is, no one really fights over Blu-rays because there’s plenty for everyone, but when it comes to the big-ticket items, that’s when chaos starts to breakout.

Televisions and gaming consoles are some of the bigger ticket items that people will fight for on Black Friday. The significant price drops drive people mad, and they believe they have to buy everything on sale for their children or whomever. This belief leads to bad things happening such as fights and shootings. Every year it seems like something bad happens on this day that gets national attention. It’s a shame accidents like this happen after a holiday.

To make it worse, stores contribute to the mayhem that occurs on Black Friday. At first, the deals started at midnight following Thanksgiving, but now the deals are starting earlier and earlier each year. Advertisements for doorbusters starting at 5 p.m. on the day of Thanksgiving have people rushing to get in line earlier than ever before. We are not paying as much attention to our family because we have to focus on which stores to hit first in order to get those deals.

As American consumers, we are more interested in bargains than investing time with our families. While our bodies may be at a family gathering on Thanksgiving, most of our minds are set on the night for shopping. I have to say I am guilty of this, but it’s not my fault; society has made me this way. There’s nothing wrong with Black Friday following Thanksgiving. It’s just funny and sad that after a day dedicated to giving thanks for everything in our lives, we trample strangers for a day full of deals because we know if we are not first in line, then we won’t get them.

I love America and I love the holidays, but when consumerism is met with a holiday, it highlights American values, consumerism, and hypocrisy at its finest.