Black Friday brings dark consequences

By Devon Horowitz

It wasn't more than two hours that I was home for Thanksgiving before I had seen about 45 different, equally obnoxious television commercials advertising Black Friday deals. I was surprised that I didn't even see many ads for Thanksgiving, many of which are classic and reminiscent of the holidays for me, like the Pillsbury crescent rolls commercial. Instead, I saw repeat after repeat of god awful jingles luring people into big box stores.

I understand the appeal of Black Friday and I recognize that it does help many people fulfill their shopping lists, especially those with big families and young children. And there's something to be said about getting up at 3 in the morning to go snag a deal - it's an experience.

However, something seemed different to me this year. Because of social media, I felt like I was vicariously living through people's Black Friday shopping experiences and I noticed something odd. No longer are people using these deals to shop for other people, and instead, are solely buying things for themselves.

Why does there need to be a day in which we buy things for ourselves? Isn't that every day?

What's more is that people get so caught up on getting these deals that they are actually PERISHING because of it. Take a look at what happened in Atlanta to a suspected shoplifter or the shooting that occurred outside a Florida Walmart. In fact, "black friday casualties" was trending on Twitter on Friday and Saturday. People died and suffered serious injuries. All because of mob mentality and the desire for stuff.

By no means am I one of those people who thinks Christmas should be anti-presents, anti-materialism. In fact, I think that this time of the year is a great opportunity for people to give gifts to those who never buy for themselves and to truly show people how much you care. However, stores need to reconsider the turmoil their doorbuster deals are causing. They have the power to change things... but do they have the heart? Guess we'll have to wait until next year. 'Tis the season.