Down the Rabbit Hole
theophilus November 29th, 2008
I just don’t get it!
Instead of growing closer to Christ, some are sprinting away from him at light speed.
The worst news coming out of Black Friday was that a Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death by shoppers, who then complained when the managers closed the store.
But that tragic story is just the tip of the iceberg.
A woman was punched in the throat over an Xbox. My wife read on discussion boards about a woman getting punched in the stomach over a Leapster and a kid having a man forcibly take a TV away from him while he was watching it as his mom got a cart.
And I’m sure there are many, many stories like these.
How are these people going to be able to give these gifts with a clear conscience? “Gee son, sorry you have to wade through all of that guilt to get to your present.”
How far down the rabbit hole do we have to go before we decide to turn back?
I read one article of a woman saying her family forewent Thanksgiving dinner so they could get in line on Thursday. How touching! Let’s show how thankful we are for the blessings in our lives by standing in line for twelve hours to get that $10 DVD player or a $400 flat-screen TV.
Now, before I totally go off the deep-end, I do realize that there is another side. While I’m horrified at these stories, I am reminded that it’s not all bad.
My wife returned last night with stories about joyous times spent with others while in line. The camaraderie felt by her, her mom and her sister, especially as they coordinated gift-buying with their other sister who lives out-west. My wife told me about how people shared coupons and helped others find what they were looking for in the store.
For them, it was their annual Grand Adventure bringing them closer to each other.
But for too many, Black Friday brings out the worst. In a crass, soulless and materialistic pursuit, they go to un-Christlike lengths to get what they think they need to be happy; whether it’s something for themselves or something to desperately get the love of another.
God has to be shaking his head. Mary must be in tears. To see their children behave such; all over materialistic goods that will one day be as broken as their souls.
The good news is that Advent starts tomorrow. It’s a time for renewal and searching. We have had a horrid start to this blessed season, so it can only go up from here.
I just wonder whether those Wal-Mart shoppers are going to be able to clearly see their favorite TV show through all of the blood on their screen.
On its own this story is a disgusting example of degraded civility in our society. However, when you consider the additional point you made about how it follows a day where we nationally stop and give thanks for our many blessings and proceeds the beginning of a season we set aside to celebrate Christ’s birth then disgusting fails to do justice to the mindset and actions of some people.
I realize that these are isolated incidents, but they are predictable in a way. Don’t misunderstand me, the people involved are responsible for their own actions. However, It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this coming. The stores list items at a extremely low price for a limited time and mention in the fine print that there are only a few of that item in each store. I don’t want our law makers to step in and write bad legislation to end this problem. I would like to see the stores recognize their personal obligation to change their way of doing business. There has to be a way to attract customers without driving them into a frenzy.