but, i'm posting here because this comes up every year and i can't stand the narrative. if this is a skit, it just demonstrates the point, further.
look at all the stupid poor people fighting over shit. they're funny.
listen...
it may be kind of nice to have some cash and shit. maybe you even earned it. good for you. but, these yearly delves into black friday insanity should be interpreted through the filter of how fucked up the wealth distribution is in our society, and it's not something that should make you feel good about yourself at the expense of others.
the question of picking something up on sale like this may seem trivial to you, but you have to understand that for the bulk of the people standing in line it's the difference between having a christmas and not having a christmas. and, what that means is explaining to your kids why you don't have a christmas. what it means is finding a way to uphold societal expectations about getting your in-laws, that you hate, something - because you have to. because they'll judge you, if you don't.
it may be great for our collective sanity if more people just stopped celebrating christmas. fuck, i haven't celebrated christmas in years. then again, i don't talk to my family, either. nor would it really have an effect on our economy anymore; stores hire temporary over the holidays, and 95% of the crap people buy is made in another country. it would be great if people just stopped. but, it's just not that easy.
showing up empty-handed at your in-laws, or telling your kids it doesn't happen this year, is just a measure of self-worth. of basic pride.
that so many people need to go through this ritual to maintain that basic level of self-respect should generate reflection, not ridicule. the insanity, here, is the level of inequality underlying this.