The problem with commercialized Christmas

Posted on Nov 28, 2008 in Misc. | 0 comments

The problem with the consumerismization of Christmas, if I can coin a very long word, can be summed up by the tragic death of 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour, who was trampled to death in a Black Friday stampede at a Wal-Mart in New York. I wish I was joking. I’m not:

By 4:55, with no police officers in sight, the crowd of more than 2,000 had become a rabble, and could be held back no longer. Fists banged and shoulders pressed on the sliding-glass double doors, which bowed in with the weight of the assault.
Suddenly, witnesses and the police said, the doors shattered, and the shrieking mob surged through in a blind rush for holiday bargains. One worker, Jdimytai Damour, 34, was thrown back onto the black linoleum tiles and trampled in the stampede that streamed over and around him.

I’m sorry, but no amount of $29.99 DVD players or whatever else the crowd had been queuing up for since 3:30am is worth the death–or even injuries–of workers or other shoppers. It’s asinine. I’ve never been to any Black Friday sales because I value my time (not to mention sanity and apparently even my health or life) too much. The holidays are about family and friends, not stuff. If more people realized that, events like this would never occur.

Related: If you liked this, check out:

1. Opting out of commercial Christmas This year we're opting out of commercial Christmas. A catchy...
2. Police Reunion No, this post isn’t about another installment of the Steve...
3. Andre Rieu After seeing Andre Rieu this evening, I’ve broken with my...
4. Holding open a door Chivalry isn’t dead when it comes to opening doors for...