Wack Friday

Black Friday. We all obviously know what it is.

As a kid, I'd see horror stories of people getting trampled to death in the doors of shopping centers. I didn't even understand what Black Friday was at the time or why everyone went so crazy about it. I didn't grow up with cable TV, so I really didn't have an insane amount of access to news or anything. The little I did see on the matter was enough to terrify me. My tiny child eyes sincerely thought these people were criminals robbing stores... and it was allowed. If the Purge was real and had already come out in the early 90's of my childhood, I would have thought Black Friday was the day it took place.

I was terrified of that day, even up into my adult years.

My older sister started going to sales and telling me I was wrong about my idea of what they were. In my early 20's she convinced me that I should go and try to get baby stuff for my first daughter that was on the way because I was struggling with money and this would help. So, I convinced my husband to take me to Target so we could get some baby stuff.

When I say I was almost trampled, enormous pregnant belly and all, I'm not even close to lying. People had their kids there and an older boy, probably around 17 years old, pushed me hard because I was standing in front of a display of PlayStations. I hit a cardboard cutout for some video game and fell. Not one person in that store helped, aside from my husband, of course. He picked me up and got us out of there. He dragged me through the parking lot, where we watched a woman pick up a shopping cart and actually throw it at another person, and shoved me into the car.

That was the first and last time I ever went to any Black Friday event.

Every year since, I have tried to get all my regular grocery shopping done before I see all of the nonsense displays start popping up. I have never snagged any items from a Black Friday sale. Never even thought to go looking what was on sale after that experience. But I do notice the dramatic change from those years ago to now.

I haven't seen a story where anyone was trampled in many years. I also don't see many good deals when I do walk through the stores as that time is closing in. In fact, it seems the exact opposite. The deals are no longer deals. In some cases, I've read people think that the prices are highly marked up beforehand so that they can cut them down to just above regular price and make you think you're getting some great deal.

Like this one, for example:

I also believe it's a scam. I have never noticed any great deals during any of the Black Friday propaganda. Of course, I've seemed to miss out on what people swear were the glory days, so what do I actually know?

I won't pretend I'm some expert on the matter, but I will say this...

If your able to flock to stores and throw a grocery cart at someone's face to get $1 off of a flat screen TV directly after a holiday where you're meant to be thankful for all that you have, you're a terrible person.

I mean the concept alone is unsettling. Look at our news. Every single day, we are bombarded with stories of how people can't afford to buy homes or even food... but massive corporations are rolling out black Friday sales left and right. We don't need Labubus, we need affordable housing and food. Thanks.

Every day, we are bombarded with propaganda about how some politician wants to help us and make our lives better. In my lifetime, I've only known the government to make everything they touch worse. I don't care for politics much because I think it's insanely divisive and causes anger towards the wrong people. I don't think We, the people, should be mad at things that aren't in our control. I think no matter what side you're on- or if you're in the middle like me- we are being lied to.

Everyone is out here saying stupid shit like, "Trump is playing 5D chess and everyone else is playing checkers." No, he is getting a ballroom/bunker privately funded while actively cutting off SNAP benefits for American people. "Well, Sara... he isn't using American tax dollars." Isn't he though? Everyone who is funding it gets insane tax write offs while they nickel and dime you for your garage sell profits.

Meanwhile, why are we all paying taxes anyways? I mean... with the roads being complete shit, all of our programs being defunded (SNAP, Medicaid, PBS, etc) where are the tax dollars going? I am terrible at math and even I can tell you the numbers are fucked off.

I want to make it very clear that I am not a Trump hater. I could say the same for the Clintons, or any other democrat OR republican. I could say it for any corporation. Pick one. My opinion will remain the same. They all preach some bullshit about how they are here to help and they want to make our quality of life better... meanwhile, they get rich and fat while we all starve and lose our houses and livelihood. Are y'all living better? I'm not.

These places pay minimum wage while demanding maximum effort.

Let 👏that👏 sink👏 in.

Multibillion dollar companies are paying people the lowest amount they can legally pay you while they rake in billions of dollars in profit... and it's being questioned why so many people are on SNAP etc. Whaaaat??

Anyways... sorry for that side quest. Sometimes, I get carried away when I'm annoyed...

Where was I?

Oh yeah.

Black Friday.

The articles I have been waiting to see are these:

Black Friday spending at an all time high. Every year, these articles circulate like it's some congratulatory accomplishment that Americans went and spent billions of dollars on bullshit.

Then the articles about how great the economy is will begin to circulate. Americans must be doing great, look at how much they spent!

No.

Let's dissect that spending.

They don't have more money. They are mostly accumulating more debt. How many of these purchases were made using credit cards? After Pay? Affirm? How many people took out a loan to fund Christmas? Also... are we completely ignoring the fact that the prices are higher than they've ever been? OF COURSE Americans spent more. That's because everything COSTS more. They're not getting more. They're PAYING more to get LESS.

So, is this a massive success? (It sure tf is not in my book.)

Is America healing? (With the purchase of 65 Kraft macaroni and cheese boxes...)

Or is this just more sugar-coated bullshit propaganda gifted to us by a government and corporations that truly do not care about us as anything other than their own personal piggy bank?