The Thanksgiving/Black Friday Connection

I find it strange that Thanksgiving is right next to Black Friday in the order of holiday events.  Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy both occasions.  Thanksgiving for the food, fun, and family, while I like Black Friday for the excitement and buzz that it generates as we usher in another Christmas season.  On Thanksgiving we are supposed to give thanks for the things that we have been blessed with.  It is a lesson in contentment.  Then comes Black Friday.  A day that can be exhilarating and fun (if you have had your coffee), but also a day traditionally filled with fights, selfishness, and an overall disregard for other people.  Fortunately, everyone is not in a foul mood on Black Friday unless someone tries to jump in line.  Last year the mobs even resulted in the death of a Walmart employee.  This year Walmart and other stores are offering sales on Thanksgiving Day as well as earlier in the week.  Thanksgiving is becoming enveloped by the madness that is Black Friday.

The irony of these two days being next to each other can border on hypocrisy.  Have we lost the true meaning of Thanksgiving?  Should we instead put a fire on, switch off the power, and eat by candle light?  Would having a modest meal or going without a meal help us to see the gifts we have been given for the blessings that they truly are?  This Thanksgiving let us thank God for what we have, and ask him for opportunities to bless others.  Then we can begin on Black Friday by meeting people in line, being friendly and patient with cashiers, and even handing the last item on a shelf to someone else.  Black Friday is a replacement of the appreciation for ones blessings, with the materialistic rat race of modern society.  Wouldn't it be great if these two days were a continuation of each other.  Mahatma Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."  What kind of world do you want?
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Labor Day - "A Rest From Unemployment"

We are a very label conscious society.  We read labels for nutrition information if we are counting calories, for natural/organic content if paranoid of artificial processed fillers, or for name brands if materialistically savvy.  I remember shortly after 9/11 (when America's view of France was about as lows as their view of us) that a boycott of all things French was on the rise.  We were eating "Freedom" Fries, "Freedom" Toast, and even "Freedom" Kissing our spouses (ok, so that last one was just me).  It was during this time that "French's Mustard" (a British  owned company) issued statements separating them from France and reminding them that Mr. Robert T. French was born in New York.


Now for all of our label consciousness and despite our recession, high unemployment, and many toy recalls on China based products (that lack proper inspection to the point that they contain lead) we still ignore the label that tell us the point of origin.  I am not suggesting that we go deeper in debt by buying overpriced brands and items just because they sport a U.S.A. logo, but I am saying that the point of manufacture decal should play a role in consumer decision making.  If it is a better deal and suits your other label conscious aforementioned needs then we owe it to ourselves and our fellow countrymen (many of whom are waiting in line for unemployment) to buy American.  If you do not care or have not been personally been affected let me appeal to your selfish tendencies by reminding you that the amount of people on unemployment and welfare (not to mention bailouts for the corporate sector) directly determine tax increases that will affect you personally.  


Let's all do our part this Labor Day to make this country a better place to live, work, buy, and sell.
Happy Labor Day!