Black Friday 2011 did not disappoint...

Or, maybe it did.

Initial reports are saying that Black Friday sales were up by 26% over last year, but was the cost really?

Do a Google search for "Black Friday 2011 incidents" and see what you find. Shoppers pepper spraying other shoppers, shootings, stabbings, police tasering folks, fist fights, parking lot muggings, and the most heart breaking I heard.. a 61 year old man died on the floor of a department store from a heart attack while eager bargain hunters stepped over his body.

Unbelievable.

That time of year huh? Peace on Earth, Good will towards men, and all those other lyrics to holiday songs. Yeah, right. If Santa is making a list and checking it twice for all those naughty or nice, he could give his eight tiny reindeer the night off.

Do you think the people that shouted, pushed, shoved, hit, and/or punched their way to the front of the line to get that special holiday bargain are proud? I bet they are. I bet they haven't a shadow of remorse for how they got their bargain.

So let's start making a check list for next years Black Friday sale...
1. Shopping list.
2. Tent for camping outside the store 3 days prior.
3. Safety Goggles
4. Pepper Spray
5. Taser
6. Hand held weapon of choice. (gun, knife, club, or shillelagh perhaps)
7. Full body armour.
8. Lack of any common decency.

No worries, the local media will be providing the news crews and aerial photography.

So, if you were one of those the pushed, scratched, or clawed your way to that bargain of the year. Enjoy it. Think not of the person that missed out, got injured, or maybe even died so you could have your deal. It's not about them, it's about you. Remember, maybe next year your neighbor may step over your body to get that flat screen TV they've been wanting.

Black Friday, Grey Thursday

It's that time of year again. Only this year it's ealier than ever. The Holiday Season is upon us. There is a local FM radio station that started it's regiment 24 hour Christmas music on November 2nd.

Maybe I'm old fashoined, or just old for that matter. But, I remember the days when the "Holidays" didn't start until after Thanksgiving. The commericals on the television and radio have started, the stores are decked out in thier holiday best, and folks are decorating thier yards with lights and plastic reindeer.

The latest is "Black Friday" (please see the blog entry about DNA) is spilling backwards into Thanksgiving. Which should be henseforth known as "Grey Thursday". Another day to camp out for the great deal. Another oppotunity to put on our helmets and shoulder pads to trample our way through the crowd to get that item we just can't live without. Be damned with the "Holiday" spirit! To hell with being with family! Just give me that bargin! Now we need not even consider the countless people that will have to work at these retail establishments on a day usually set aside for family, friends, and giving thanks. They need to be at thier posts, working for minimum wage, sacrificing thier "Holiday" so we can can get that cheap laptop or flat screen TV!

I suppose this is all good for the sake of profit. Heavens forbid the retailers stock enough of those products that we could go at our leasure and get a great deal. No, that wouldn't work. Why stock enough of the deal for everyone, when we can stock 10 of them and let the rest pay full price for a similar item? Where's the fun in that? That wouldn't make the evening news.

So here's the reality check. the "Holidays" aren't about family, or friends, or giving thanks. They are about money. Don't believe me, take a look around. Why did do the RETAILERS get to decide when to kick off the "Holiday" season? Corporate profits have taken over and the "Holidays" have moved from our hearts to our wallets. Believe that. Ask someone that's struggling in this economy right now, worrying about how to pay the bills, the food they don't have, or the roof they don't have over thier heads. They'll tell you just how much "Holiday" spirit they can afford. Let's ask the 49 million people on food stamps in the US (reported this morning) about the "Holidays" or the people we see lined up at the food pantries.

So yeah, the "Holidays" can suck for alot of people. More now than ever and starting the "Holiday" season right after Halloween is just rubbing our noses in it.

DNA

They say that there is about a 3 - 5% difference in human DNA and the DNA of an ape. So that means the difference between a blogging, smart phone toting human and a grub eating, poo throwing ape is a relatively small number of DNA strands.

This isn't about evolution, more about behavior. It doesn't take long to look around and find examples of "humans" acting like animals. How about the "Knock Out Game"? Unprovoked attacks on innocent bystanders to see if you can "knock someone out". There are reports of people being beaten to death over this. A fine example of humanity. Maybe the annual reports of people stampeding retail outlets for the "Black Friday" sales. Knocking each other down and trampling one another for a good deal. Guess it's called "Black Friday" for a reason. Do a Google search on what happened at the Astrodome following Hurricane Katrina if you have any doubts left.

Have a look around during your day. I bet there are a lot of examples of people acting more like an animal than a fellow human. They don't have to be as tragic as the ones I mentioned before, they are most likely very subtle. Ignoring things that shouldn't be ignored, humiliating someone is some way for amusement or to elevate yourself. Demeaning or dehumanizing someone to get your own way, to feel or re-enforce a position of power. Sadly, the list could go on and on.

Is this really what we're suppose to do with that 5% of DNA? In times of need or catastrophe shouldn't we be rising to help one another instead of watching the idea of civilization dissolve, or worse, participating? Or maybe the next time I see something like this happen I should just throw some poo at them.