Saturday, November 29, 2008

Good Mourning/Black Friday

Yes, that is actually the name of a song, although by a band that I don't listen to. However, I thought it was appropriate for this post. I don't normally do a lot of rants here, I hope!, but what occurred yesterday in this country has disgusted me far beyond my ability to keep quiet, so this is going to be a doozy. And what is even more disgusting is the local and national media's 'oh,yeah' attitude concerning this and the deaths in California at the Toys-R-Us. What the ***k is wrong with people today!!?? Have we really sunk to this level of subhuman behavior as to actually kill another PERSON in our unbridled, horrific mad rush to buy cheap, plastic shit from Wal-Mart! Greed is defined as "acquisitive or selfish desire beyond reason". I don't think this is a strong enough word. The mere fact that people (and I use that term loosely) could actually, literally stomp the life out of another human just so they might buy another, useless, stupid, piece of crap TV, or some other junk, with which to further rot their brains is just beyond the realm of any, even half-assed form of reason. This is sick to the point that their are just no words to describe it, in my opinion. The article that I linked to does a pretty good job but there is just no way to account for this type of behavior. I won't try to describe it as animalistic because I don't want to insult the animals. The fact that so many people today apparently feel that acquiring material possessions is this important just shows the moral depravity that our society has sunk to. People can talk about drugs and prostitutes all they want, and those things are horrible, but this all-consuming avarice and lust for STUFF; stupid, plastic crap that will probably get thrown out in the trash in a couple of months, I think reveals a hunger to fill a void far greater than any immediate sexual or emotional need. Those things (sex, drugs) you can kinda, sorta understand; this other is beyond comprehension. How horribly empty must a person's soul be in order for that person to feel satiated, however temporarily, because they just bought a new DVD player? Or hell, just a new DVD? Good God Almighty, what have we become?
But this attitude, this way of life has been brewing for a long time. The media and the retailers have been cultivating our attitudes to embrace this idea that you are a failure if you don't have STUFF. You don't have STUFF?; what the hell is wrong with you? What? You're lazy! And now, you're not patriotic if you don't go out and buy!!!! All these "entertainment" news programs cramming it down everyone's throats how much STUFF celebrities have and oh, don't you wish you had that? Consume as much as you possibly can because you are less of a person if you don't! Their ****ing Hummers and "whoever dies with the most toys, wins" bumper stickers. Maybe he who dies with the most toys busts the seventh circle of Hell wide open 'cause they trampled their fellow man to death, literally, to get to all the STUFF first!
What is even more disturbing, or at least as disturbing, is the attitude now of the media. Oh, by the way, three people were killed senselessly yesterday while out shopping. Yesterday there was one article about it on Google's front page. Today? Nothing. And our local media here barely mentioned it. They were too busy foaming at the mouth over the fact that the Galleria was packed to capacity from the time the stores opened at 5:00 a.m. And to even further incite me, our news people had the absolute gall to keep insisting throughout the broadcast how that "times are tough" right now. What the ****! Tough!? Yeah, that's why people were packed into the malls like the lemmings they are, fighting over $10 vacuum cleaners. Excuse me, children in some parts of Africa eat clay just so that they will have something in their stomach to quell the pain. ****ing dirt!!! They eat it! And we think "times are tough here"..... **** off, you jackass!
And don't even get me going on the fact that this is the "Christmas season" that people are supposedly celebrating. Yes, I know there are other holidays at this time but it's Christmas that they use as the protagonist in this filth. Yeah, let's trample a few people in order to celebrate the birth of One that came to teach us to love one another. God have mercy.


*Megadeath

24 comments:

Richard said...

Well said.

Gina said...

Yes, very well said. I was so angry when I heard about this yesterday. The part about the soulessness of someone that *needs* stuff to make themselves feel...what? F**king human? Alive? What?

And, like you, I have questioned the media's apathy towards this tradegy. In fact, it seems we are all so numb anymore that we cannot even come up with the necessary investment of emotion for the senselessness and ridiculousness of our xmas shopping frenzy.

Someone said, "O, those NYers are like tat-coldblooded!" But, I hate to break their little bubble of fantasy, but I saw it myself in my little rural town, two women fighting over a Xbox. The people on the local news had blank faces-the absolute look of Zombies.

What the F is wrong with us all???

Thank you for sharing your rant. Yesterday, I was so sad and angry I just needed to read somewhere, someone cared!

Gina said...

oops, I meant to say that part abou the empty souls was dead-on!

Anonymous said...

Gives a horrible, deeper meaning to the term "consumer culture casualty."

The Thinker said...

Beautifully written, ER. I, too, am glad to see that there are some of us who take this more seriously than the media. I am still mostly at a loss for what to say about it.

MamaHen said...

Hey Richard! Well, I hope so. this just really got to me.


Hey Gina! glad you dropped by! I think your post was a bit more eloquent than mine; I tend to be a little aggressive. It makes me feel better to know I was not the only person really upset by this. I mean, I know I would not be but we need to stand up and speak our mind about this or it's just going to get worse. Yeah, and it's not just those New Yorkers.


Hey Pablo! Yeah, right on and the term Black Friday. And not one media person I heard made that connection.


Hey Thinker! Thank you and glad you came by. I think quiet a lot of people are outraged at this. As they should be.

Shannon said...

Very well, and thoroughly, and colorfully said! You nailed it. I am shocked and frightened by what I see happening in our society.

MamaHen said...

Hey Shannon! Thank you. Yeah, it scares me too.

Robbyn said...

Yes. Sobering how real our society's toys seem to many even with the real world as close as a satellite close-up away.

I think we get there by degrees. When I moved here to FL, I found out it's actually a crime to be homeless...they lock the homeless up, or take them to the county limits and dump them. When I worked for 911, people would call in to request police arrest individuals who were taking aluminum cans out of their curbside recycle bins...you know, to use to make a few bucks. They had them arrested for "stealing"...from whom? Technically, from the county. What a backwards world.

Truth is the motivation behind both is that both situations are "inconvenient" in high-tourism areas that have to maintain a certain "image." Just more expenseive toys, if you ask me. The toys are easier to ditch at a yard sale if they lose their appeal, but people are a different story.

This is how we treat our vulnerable folks so no one has to deal with their real problems. I think that's when toys become more real than real people.

Walter Jeffries said...

It is disgusting. Mobs are very dangerous. They lack ethics and morality. They are a different animal. I steer clear of them and teach our children like-wise and why.

On the snap ties, turns out those are much like something we used to use back about 20 years ago on another foundation I did. It was a very uniform wall thickness and they worked great for that.

Woody said...

Rant on Annie...

R.Powers said...

Good job Annie.
Well said indeed.

Ed said...

I haven't been out shopping after Thanksgiving or the following weekend since before I can even remember these things. I think I will continue this streak until I can no longer remember these things six feet under.

Anonymous said...

We have an expression here ER...."only in Ameria". I ccould not believe people would acctually go that far that getting in first meant a life was worth nothing.

As you so rightly state, our species have beome something so terribly sad. My only hope is that the perfect storm (econonics, climate change & peak oil) will bring us to our senses before it is too late.

Blessings:)

MamaHen said...

Hey Robbyn! Yeah, that's a good point. We have begun to think so many THINGS are more important that real people.

Hey Walter! That's a very good thing to teach your kids. Crowds have always made me nervous.
I guess snap ties have been around for a long time; a very simple tool but very effective.

Hey Woody! Well, that incident just really got to me.

Hey FC! Thanks.

Hey Ed! I don't go out shopping that weekend either and I'm really reconsidering all my Christmas shopping now.

Hey Molly! We use that expression too! In disgust about ourselves!
I really think though that the tide is starting to turn somewhat; that perfect storm is approaching I think. Too many people are getting sick of the way things are.

Rurality said...

I think a lot of the blame here belongs to the stores, who purposely try to whip people into a shopping frenzy by having huge savings on expensive items, which are very limited in number, and which are available only if you go to their store first thing and beat everyone else to them.

Think about the logic behind "door buster" specials. They are actually courting this very behavior.

Crowd behavior like that is very predictable, and is why they usually don't have general admission seating at rock concerts anymore. People got killed. It's been well documented... so why do stores still do this? Because it makes them more money, and they don't care if people get hurt. Or killed.

MamaHen said...

Hey Karen! Oh, I think a good deal of the blame certainly belongs to the stores. I just group them in with the media. They all spew their propaganda of shopping in order to have a better life. I mean, Wal-Mart has even adopted that as their insidious new slogan. Shop with us and live better. Bullshit. You might not live at all. Just another reason for me to hate Wal-Mart.

Ron said...

Of all the things to die for... sheesh. I sure do hope that some of the stigmas our society has attached to doing without, reusing things, thrift, and solving problems creatively can be undone.

Ron

Omelay said...

it is scary out there. another good reason to stay home. too bad it was a guy just trying to do his job and not one of the conspiring idiots.

going out shopping on a day like that is so far from my understanding that it all seems too impossible.

sadly amazon well get all of my minuscule christmas spending dollars.

k-)

Woody said...

Karen brings up a very good point on the stores responsibility. Most stores/malls are running people off the lot calling it loitering, but put a bunch of citiodiots in line with their tents and news crews clambering around and it becomes an event. It is just a shame no matter where the fingers get pointed.

peace

MamaHen said...

Hey Ron! Nice to hear from you again. I hope it can be undone also but I'm afraid we are a long way from that with most of society.


Hey karl! Yeah, everything has just gotten so out of hand. I stay home also and order a few things online and try to make a few other things. My family seems to enjoy those items more anyway.


Hey Woody! Yes, Karen makes a very good point and I totally agree. I mean, any store has to advertise but the way they set it up is just asking for something like this. And even after this tragedy, people still will not have the where-with-all to refuse Wal-Mart's propaganda.

Anonymous said...

Oops, I think I just developed a crush on you...

That being said, I'm almost certain there is a connection to our crumbling health care system here, after all, the people lining up at the Walmart have to be mentally ill correct? Had they been diagnosed, then perhaps some counseling (or sedatives, but that is a rant unto itself) could help them out. Until we somehow address the "shopping as an activity" syndrome that lies underneath all of this, the subsequent shopping frenzy stuff will probably stick around. Hmmm...maybe I do need to go back to school, there is probably at least a Master's degree somewhere in there...

Keep ranting, there is plenty worth ranting about and it is good for your cardiovascular system...

MamaHen said...

Hey Gary! Haha! Well, from what I can tell about Maya, you like us women with spirit! I try not to rant much but some things you just can't keep quiet about.
You're right, there probably is a Master's in there somewhere. To me, it's "shopping as a life" not just an activity; that's what so scary. Overall our priorities are so messed up.

Sal in Maine said...

Coming to this party really late but have to say I completely agree with your very well-written rant!!!