ontheedgeofeverything

I’ve never been entirely sure how to feel about Black Friday. On a surface level, it seems great; incredible deals and savings are enticing as hell, and it makes sense that people yearn to purchase products when they’re significantly reduced in cost.

I’m no stranger to Black Friday, and I have certainly made purchases on the date in the past. This year, however, I found myself a little reluctant to participate in Black Friday sales, as ridiculous as that sounds. Am I nuts for not wanting to save money? Perhaps. But, I take issue with the fact that this day (in the U.S.) comes immediately after the day we are intended to be grateful for what we have and express thanks.

How have we deemed it socially acceptable to celebrate Thanksgiving and the following day act like imbeciles and greedy folk to ensure we get to the stores in time for Black Friday? Does no one else find themselves questioning the contradiction that stems from these days being back-to-back?

So many people are under the impression that Black Friday savings are some of the best to occur in a given calendar year, but this simply is not the case. So many companies fool customers by advertising their items to be drastically reduced, often creating false, comparable prices of said items to trick you into believing you’re saving big. It’s crooked, it’s wrong, and it’s misleading as fuck.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that encourages people to contemplate the things they are grateful for in life. Having a materialistic celebration day immediately after Thanksgiving is rudely ironic, and not in a good way.

I’m not trying to tell you to stop making Black Friday purchases, because who am I to tell you anything? I simply ask for a general influx of attention and contemplation toward these two days in future, and how they do not, in any way, coincide.

Photo by CardMapr.nl on Unsplash