Black Friday is looked at by many as a manifestation of our country’s consumerism. To that I say, awesome. I love Black Friday and I hope it lives on forever. I even think it should be a national holiday.
This day of shopping reminds me of a harvest festival. All the farmers take a horse and buggy into town and sell their goods to other happy people. Certainly shopping has evolved from that, but I feel a similar spirit in the mall on Black Friday.
I do not understand people who feel bad for the employees working on Black Friday. These people are paid, right? Some of them are even paid more to work on these days. I love the idea of people going to work even if that means waking up from a food coma.
The consumer is the real winner on Black Friday. I can sit in front of my TV in a pair of sweatpants watching the news and say, “I would never stand in line all night for 25 percent off a laptop,” with indignation in my voice. But I don’t speak for everyone. Some people actually rely on these deals to nab a product they otherwise could not afford.
If you don’t want to Black Friday shop, by all means sleep in until 11 and watch “Narcos” for the rest of the day. But when an eight year-old opens a present on Christmas morning that her parents could only afford on Black Friday, do not go writing a letter to your congress members complaining about this day of commerce.
Also, when Sally from Kansas City pays her rent check on time because of the extra hours she got working on Black Friday, don’t cry to your friends about the injustices of corporate America.