The Price of Materialism

Happy Belated Thanksgiving everyone!!

I hope that your holiday was spent with friends and loved ones. At one of the two Thanksgiving dinners I attended, those present took turns saying what they were thankful for over the past year. I’ve always felt better and happier after identifying all that I am thankful for in my life. One of the things I am most thankful for is this blog and all of you who read it and contribute to it. This blog has been such a blessing for me. It has provided a medium for thoughtful debate and true growth in ideas. I’m thankful to those of you who have continued to encourage us in your emails and comments.

I’d especially like to thank Justin for being a true friend and companion in this endeavor. Of all my liberal friends (and I do have a few), Justin is among the most insightful, respectful, and considerate. For that, I am grateful. Thanks Justin.

Black Friday….

I’ve never been a part of Black Friday, a fact that almost makes me prideful. I’m amazed at the intense motivation that arises in those who participate in the biggest shopping day of the year. Late Thursday, my friend’s niece informed all of us at the dinner table of her plans to wake up at 4 am down in San Diego and go shopping with her friends. I was reminded of my cousins in Irvine, CA who make it an annual routine to shop from around 4 to 8 am every Black Friday. They plan out every hour, what they want, how long they’ll wait for it, and when they are done. When I hear these stories, I can’t help but be amazed at the cultural significance of this day, and it’s all based on materialism. On the one hand, I hoped that the day’s consumption would slow down, cushion, and perhaps help turn around the decrease in consumer spending, the primary indicator of confidence in our economy. The initial results indicate that it was a good year for retailers. On the other hand, I worried about what the obsession with materialism meant for our culture and future.

My girlfriend had to work during Black Friday. Her store opened at 8 pm on Thanksgiving day and wasn’t scheduled to close again until 11 pm Saturday. When I was dropping her off, I couldn’t believe the amount of people that were at the outlet mall in Carlsbad, CA. I’d never seen the parking lot that busy…and it was just after 4 am!! I was appalled by the rudeness and downright idiocy I observed as people fought for parking spots and pushed and shoved each other on their way to the next big deal. When I went back to pick up my girlfriend at 11 am, I watched at least 10 standoffs between opposite lanes of traffic for opening parking spots. Anger, frustration, and bitterness filled the air. It was as if the benefit of a deal outweighed common decency toward one’s fellow man. This is an ugly side of cultural material obsession. Nothing could be more tragic than what happened in Long Island at a Walmart store. I found this account from the article particularly telling of the price of materialism in our culture, “When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, ‘I’ve been on line since Friday morning!’” Cribbs said. “They kept shopping.”

And all this for more stuff. You see, I just moved to a new apartment. For those of you who have moved before, you can understand the feeling of frustration with the amount of stuff (or junk) that you accumulate over the years. I’ve made it a point to try to reduce the amount of stuff I have. The thought of getting more stuff (even at greatly reduced prices) made me depressed. And yet, our culture pushes us toward an ever increasing accumulation of stuff.

All this said, I still couldn’t help getting caught up in the energy of the day. What did I need? A flat screen TV? I just gave my old tube TV to Goodwill. A Bose sound system? I still have a boom box. It was almost too easy to justify buying whatever I wanted to justify buying. Maybe next year I’ll plan to wake up a little earlier, practice yelling in the mirror, and head to the stores for whatever current gadget suits my fancy!

Cheers,
Joel