Really, What is Black Friday? Marxism and Illusions

Really, What is Black Friday? Marxism and Illusions.

“Black Friday” is the epitome of Marxism. It is indicative and in a sense illustrative of the Marxist laws of capitalism, which emphasize the competiveness of, between and within the various class groupings. “Black Friday” is one of the biggest scams in America. Well then again, besides the one or two heavily discounted items that have to be purchased between the hours of midnight through sunrise, “Black Friday” really is a scam. Do the elite even remotely care about “Black Friday”, let alone wait in lines for sales? Absolutely not.  Do the elite even pay for things? Rarely. Proletariats are exploited in attempts to be like(d) and amongst the elite especially on Black Friday. Perception is a muthasucka isn’t it?

I like to think of myself as Generation “Xy”. I don’t consider myself a millennial but I could if I wanted to – mid late 80’s and all. Growing up, consumerism was intense but never this extreme. Actually I don’t recall “Black Friday” really being that big of a deal until my early teens. Instead what I truly recollect the biggest sale of the year was once advertised as the “After Christmas Day Sale” (which still exists, although ignored and outshined by Black Friday Madness).  Over the last decade, “Black Friday” has morphed into this ridiculous, obsessive game show. It was when I got my first few jobs in retail I saw Black Friday for what it was – or at least what it was becoming. I worked for some prominent male American designer stores as a sales associate, some were commissioned and others were not. Working on “Black Friday” you’re really only excited about the money. Its more hours and more commission if your lucky. Some retail workers have to be at their stores at 4AM ready to go in. But then again, they also prepare for the madness and overly excited customers as well which can be very stressful. It really is a demonstration of capitalism at its worse and at its best, I suppose. Not only have innocent people died on “Black Friday” for the sake of consumption, but people get robbed, gypped, and a host of other things that don’t even get reported. Personally, I cannot imagine it being fun waiting on line and shopping in a crowd full of anxious people, on a full stomach, around and after midnight. Huh?

 This does not look remotely fun.

Neither does this ↓

…Or this ↓

I fully understand people make sacrifices to take advantage of the sales, but frankly those sales take place all throughout the year. In fact, I would argue that some items are discounted even more during the rest of the year, but people don’t want to hear that. Retail insider; for “Black Friday” most stores just get really humongous signs, which say 40% off. Um what is so damn special about 40% off???

Courtesy: Vivobarefoot.com

 Things are 40-50% off for the Presidents Day Sale (February), St. Patricks Day Sale (March), Easter Sale (April), Memorial Day Sale (May), 4^th of July Day Sale, and not to mention the Columbus Day Sale (October) which takes place weeks before “Black Friday” not to mention the every other “weekend specialty sale”.  But for some reason people are fixated by this illusion of “Black Friday” and want to leave there house at the crack of dawn to get something on sale that was on the same damn sale a few weeks before.  I am not negating the fact that there are items on sale that really gets your bang for your buck with things for 90% off and such, but most likely as I mentioned before, you would have to be up before sunrise to really take advantage or go to the major department and specialty stores. Black Friday at one point just meant getting businesses of “out the red” (deficits) and into the black (profits). When was the last time these companies such as Walmart, Kmart Target etc been in the red? Really? People have to do what they have to do and I am not knocking anyone’s hustle. However, I can’t sit around and watch people get sucked into the “Black Friday” bravado and illusions. You’re better off shopping between Christmas and Martin Luther King Day when stores are practically giving away everything as they await new inventory or any other holiday weekend for that matter. Besides, with the new “Cyber Monday” and so many other opportunities to grab sales like living social and groupon, is it really necessary to go shopping in the wee hours of the morning? I don’t know how modern Thanksgiving transformed from family time to this insane sense of shopping, but okay.

Happy Holidays