Black Thursday


I love Thanksgiving. It's fair to say that it's my favorite holiday. It's a fun time to gather, enjoy good company, enjoy good football, and enjoy good food. It's a day when we stop, think about the blessings we've enjoyed in life, and give thanks for all those.

At least it's supposed to be.

Always looming behind Thanksgiving is Black Friday, the most commercialized day of the year. People go out early (or late) and standing in line, fight other consumers, and generally don't enjoy themselves a lot as they battle for bargains. It's bad enough that Black Friday follows such a special day of giving thanks, but now it's taking it over completely.

For years the times of the sales have moved up. Last year, a lot of the sales started at midnight. That's because 3, 4, or 5 a.m. just isn't good enough. But this year, the sales begin at 6 a.m. — on Thanksgiving day. Is nothing sacred?

Apparently the answer in our current consumer-driven culture is no. Nothing is sacred and, at the rate we're going, holidays will be meaningless for everyone except retailers. After all, nothing feels more like Thanksgiving than trampling your fellow man to save $50 on a Wii...

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