Black Friday: Enjoying It By Not Being There

I took a drive this morning, mostly as the last few days have been uneventful and I like to start the car every day or two.  I didn’t go to any major retail chain, beyond a quick trip to the grocery store.

I’m avoiding Black Friday.  Of course now apparently there’s the fear of Brown Friday, which I guess is a thing now where people have rather . . . fecal abuse heaped upon a retailer.  I’d like to make a witty comment, but really, it’s difficult.

If you’re morbidly curious there are roundups of Black Friday madness all over.

I’ve decried Black Friday for some time, and I just did again.

However, something has struck me – I think we’ve made Black Friday a reality show.  We discuss the horrific excesses, we show the video clips of the insanity, and it all feels a bit too familiar.  It’s another case of morbid curiosity, and the peculiar rush we all get from talking about how bad it is.

Look, if people hate Black Friday madness – and I do – maybe it’s time to come up with a positive alternative.  Not an anti-Black Friday statement or whatnot, but some post-Thanksgiving holiday.  A day of giving, a day of greatfulness, a day of sanity, a day of donating our leftovers, something.

It’d be a lot more functional, because I’m tired of criticizing Black Friday, and Istill haven’t gotten all my bile out.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.