In the if-you’re-not-outraged-you’re-not-paying-attention department, the Associated Press reported yesterday that a Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death the day after Thanksgiving, when shoppers, looking for “Black Friday” discounts, broke through the doors a few minutes before the 5 am opening.
The saddest thing about this news item is that the crowd was not waiting in line for food or water or some other necessity – they were hoping to get big discounts on flat screen TVs, lap tops, digital cameras and the latest gotta-have toys for their kids. It was also reported that when shoppers were asked to leave – the store had become a crime scene, after all – some refused screaming, “I’ve been in line since yesterday morning!”
I hope I don’t have to point out the irony here (but I will): The holiday season, which has morphed into a crass, sad (and now deadly) consumer nightmare, has its roots in the birth of a child in a manger. As a culture, we now “celebrate” that event by a soulless display of materialism. Something is horribly wrong with this picture.
The people in line at that store – and those corporate types behind the holiday consumer hype – are “adults”. We are setting an incredibly immoral example for our children. The insanity needs to stop.
Stay tuned for some ideas on where we might begin.

November 29th, 2008 | Category: Metro Parent