Why ‘Black Friday’ 
is a black eye

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A cold Friday morning greets sleepy-eyed shoppers, fresh off Thanksgiving dinner, joining the queue outside the local Walmart or department store in anticipation of the discounts and deals. Maybe it is the cold November morning or the competitive shopping spirit that possesses parents to fight over toys, but void from this scene is any consideration for others.

The term Black Friday, first coined in Philadelphia in 1966, is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. From its inception in the mid-’60s, Black Friday has morphed into a nationwide shopping binge. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a binge as “an unrestrained and often excessive indulgence,” and Black Friday is exactly that. Last year the average shopper spent almost $400 during the day (no doubt on the credit card) resulting in $41 billion in total sales.

Its time for us all to curb this offensive obsession. Especially, during the tough economic times in the past and the tough economic times in the future, we all owe it to ourselves to help each other out. Currently, the amount of people living below the poverty line in the United States is greater than the entire population of the state of California. It’s time to set down the Xbox and lift up your hearts.

I do not pretend to think that this short persuasion will cause everyone to donate to a charity instead of buying that new ultra-thin flat screen television. I think it is worth pointing out, however, that if every shopper gives just $10 of their Black Friday budget to a charity, Americans would raise almost $2 billion for the needy in a single weekend. Let’s face it, that shiny new laptop will be old news tomorrow, so put your money toward something that doesn’t lose its value.

Matt Schafer

Baton Rouge, La.

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