Look, it’s 2013: We have tiny computers in our pockets, we can order pizzas without picking up a phone and we can stream an entire season of “Xena: Warrior Princess” on Netflix in one sitting. Information is available at our fingertips, and communication is effortless with the help of smartphones.
So why in the world is Black Friday still a thing? It’s so primitive. People suit up and wait in the freezing cold — or the sweltering humidity, if you hail from South Florida — to await a feeding frenzy, except instead of a zebra carcass it’s a Nintendo 3DS. Something about Black Friday just brings out the worst in people, and it further fuels Americans’ bad reputation abroad as capitalism-happy, greedy lunatics stampeding for the latest “it” gadget as if Walmart was an Eagles concert.
What possesses people to sacrifice a warm post-Thanksgiving meal nap or quality time with the couch and a good book for crowds of people hustling for the last Garmin GPS? It’s the same kind of people who join polar bear clubs: people who seem to thrive on discomfort to prove a point. Not to mention the poor, underpaid workers who are forced to deal with the madding crowds at the expense of time with their families.
The debate against Black Friday isn’t new, but a new trend among big retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy includes opening their doors on the evening of Thanksgiving Day to begin sales. Before people will have fully digested their calorie-filled Thanksgiving dinners, crazed shoppers will be thundering down the aisles of Target and Sears grabbing every discounted object in sight.
What’s especially disconcerting is that many college students will undoubtedly be part of the hopping madness on Thanksgiving evening and Black Friday. Even though the hours we spend at home with our families are few and far between, many will sacrifice that precious time in favor of Walmart.
Remember Emily’s pivotal monologue from “Our Town,” that you read Cliff’s Notes for when you were in 10th grade? In one heartbreaking scene, she revisits a moment from her childhood as a ghost and notices how little she and her family interact.
“Let’s really look at one another,” she says to the family members who can’t hear her. “We don’t have time to look at one another.”
We at the Alligator hope you’ll use this short break to take advantage of the short time you have with your parents, siblings, grandparents and close friends. As young 20-somethings, it seems that everything in life is transient — part-time jobs, classes, internships and intimate relationships. Although the holidays are a successful vehicle for big corporations to sell their products, use the time you have at home or in Gainesville to appreciate the important people in your life.
A version of this editorial ran on page 6 on 11/26/2013 under the headline "Thanksgiving is for loved ones, not doorbusters"
