The UK has
officially engulfed itself into the madness that is ‘Black Friday’ seen by many
as the new marmite, you either love it or hate it, the day is charged with
conflicting emotions. I’m more inclined to oppose it for various
reasons and tend to lean more towards the ‘no spend Friday’ I
would rather avoid taking part in an event with consumerist
and colonial undertones.
“Black
Friday represents all that is wrong about capitalism and freedom in a world
where being free is still so fragile. I can't help but see the
short-sightedness of Black Friday's hubristic consumerism as a reflection of
Thanksgiving's unilateral view of the colonisation of the Americas.” (Cevick, n.d.)
This new tradition we have adopted, like many others, from the US
exposes fundamental flaws in today’s society. While we have Amazon and Asda to
thank for bringing the craze across the water, the media bombard us with
footage of angry shoppers that we are just expected to watch with delighted
outrage. Reports show shoppers trampled to the ground as crowds race past, in desperate
to get 20% off a television.
Source:https://pixabay.com/en/money-card-business-credit-card-256319/
Of course the shops are not looking to calm the mayhem as it majorly
benefits them, with Black Friday sales commandeering a huge majority of festive
sales. It’s been reported people camped out, taking tents, folding
chairs and sleeping equipment in order to be first in line and this can only
serve to rouse hype around discounts. Again it’s a reminder of how centred
people lives have become to having the best things and the most things. The
most frustrating aspect of it all is that those people queuing and camping out
for that one discounted television are under the illusion they are entitled to
it. In actual fact, retailers are manipulating this chaos by majorly discounting
one popular item and only stock an extremely limited amount. Despite their
knowledge of how many thousands of people are after that product and its new
price. Black Friday gives retailers a platform to maximise their power over
consumers, a practise which certainly wouldn’t be acceptable on any other day.
The term ‘Black Friday’ originates from the business idea that the start
of the Christmas shopping season puts retailer’s finances firmly in the black.
If we are honest about the situation majority of retailers are nowhere near the
black, this is just a great cover up to excuse a major, sale event. This
ludicrous event is making many irrational rather than grateful; ironic
considering it’s sibling day is Thanksgiving.
It’s becoming apparent that particularly in America media reports are covering
Black Friday rather than Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has had to take a back
seat, which means that so does family and the time given to be thankful has
been stolen.
Although not a religious man, I feel similarly towards the consumerism
and glamorisation we now often see surrounding Christmas. Of course I enjoy
nice things and like many enjoy buying new things for my friends and family.
However, I often resent the pressure from the media and shops to involve myself
in the mainstream high street’s chaos for 20% off.
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