Friday, November 25, 2011

A Man Made Monster...or Not?

An excerpt from a USNews & World Report entitled, "How Americans are Rethinking Prosperity":

"People are focusing more on life satisfaction than satisfaction by consumption," says Ethan Willis, co-author of Prosper: Create the Life You Really Want and co-founder of Prospect Inc., a one-to-one distance learning company that focuses on topics like real estate, entrepreneurship, and personal development. "One of the big shifts is that people are questioning, 'Is the time that I'm spending bringing me greater satisfaction in my life versus something that is just on autopilot?' "

An excerpt of a Yahoo article next to the one above, entitled, "Earlier deals, longer hours woo Friday Shoppers":


"Early signs point to bigger crowds at the nation's malls and stores as retailers like Target and Macy's opened their doors at midnight on the most anticipated shopping day of the year and a few others opened on Thanksgiving Day. Shoppers were mostly peaceful across the country, but a few violent incidents broke out as millions of shoppers rushed into stores and tensions flared.

For three days starting on Black Friday, 152 million people are expected to shop, up about 10 percent from last year, according to the National Retail Federation."


Population of the U.S.: 308,745,538 (in case you're wondering...vs that shopping figure above).




24 comments:

Susan said...

I will say it again: Black Friday appeals to the worst part of us: greed and entitlement. People should boycott the damn thing, and shop local. Prosperity comes when we help each other as in other human beings, not big corporate names with no accountability.

Doug said...

We're having a local Black Friday in an attempt to keep shoppers on this side of the border, at least for some purchases.
Cross border shopping is tempting for some because the US is a half hour drive, but it doesn't tempt me. my dislike of shopping knows no borders.

jadedj said...

Susan---I agree. The juxtaposition of these two articles struck me, as I no more believe the first than I believe pigs can fly. Many of these people are not merely shoppers, they are animals. Also, I read that at one WalMart, a shopper pepper sprayed several other shoppers to gain advantage for buying. Jesus. WTF? Just to save a few dollars!

Doug---You and me both, dude.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Consumerism is an evil and insidious force.

jadedj said...

D S W S---And too many of us worship it. The powers depend on it.

the walking man said...

HEY 72% of the AMERICAN ECONOMY IS BASED ON CONSUMERISM of foreign made goods. SO GET YOUR ASS TO THE DAMN STORE NOW!

jadedj said...

w m---Oops...I guess I overslept.

Tom Harper said...

Hey, what's all this touchy-feely drivel about "inner satisfaction" instead of ostentatious consumption? I've been hitting all the Holiday sales so I can stock up on smart phones and plasma TVs to impress my phony friends. Time is short, and if that old lady using a walker doesn't get the F#$! out of my way I'm gonna knock her over and mace her.

jadedj said...

Tom---Hey, no need to waste expensive Mace...just take her cane away and beat the shit out of her. I like to think of it as a patriotic thing...shoring up the economy and all.

Chimp said...

The corporate news media plants optimistic pictures to tell Americans, "See? They are all shopping. So what are you waiting for?"

Most media articles have hidden messages to pump you up to shop, shop, shop.

Black Friday has practically become a new religion.

Chimp said...

Another thought. Today's Hot Gadgets Will Be Tomorrow's Landfill And You'll Probably Still Be Paying For Them

yellowdoggranny said...

3 years ago I went on black friday..expecting the worse..I swear to the Goddess, this is what I hear:" excuse me, oh I'm sorry, pardon me, oh I'm sorry I bumped you with my cart, oh did I run over your foot, I'm so sorry..Jr. get out of the way, your blocking the aisle..."..I swear..wonder what it's like now.?

Chimp said...

3 years later..."excuse me mother f*cker, oh I'm "sorry asshole, pardon me jerk off, oh I'm sorry I bumped you with my cart, come out to the parking lot and I'll run you over with my truck!, oh did I run over your foot, I meant to run over your head, I'm so sorry.."

jadedj said...

Chimp---Sort of a Shop til THEY Drop...for Jesus?

Chimp---Ain't it the truth.

YD G---Hmmmmm, hard to believe, but then as the cost of living rises, so do tempers, methinks.

Chimp---You went shopping, didn't you ;-0

Susan said...

There were people camped out on Wed. night--they missed Thanksgiving so that they could be first to own blah blah widget. One of my students works in a mall--God save her-- and she said that people were stabbing others, not drawing blood per se, but getting them away from blah blah widget.

I want to leave Earth and relocate on Pluto.

jadedj said...

Susan---Having lived on Pluto for several years, I can say that in many ways the situation there on Black Friday (which they call, Fuchsia Friday)is just as bad. The malls are bigger, the crowds are bigger and then there's the atom displacer problem. You piss somebody off, zap...they neutralize your atoms. Now that is a bad ass widget!

PENolan said...

Jaded, you have shown remarkable restraint in this post. We all know how thoroughly your head used to explode every time you thought about that Made in China plastic stuff that busts in no time flat. I'm betting that most of the stuff purchased last week (and on Cyber Monday, too) was not only made of plastic - but PAID for with plastic. As I recall, credit card craziness makes your head explode too. So, sir, I congratulate you on keeping your head.

jadedj said...

Tricia---True on both points. However, it's not so much restraint as a new method. Having once too often exploded my head, I had to duct tape it back together. The duct tape kept coming unstuck due to the fact that (you've probably guessed it) duct tape is now made in Chine. Doesn't stick for shit. Especially if one stands in the rain for any length of time. So I have diverted the explosive force and now blow it out the other end. Much more satisfying.

Mr. Charleston said...

Why have I read this post twice and still not able to conjure up a comment?

jadedj said...

Mr. C---Maybe it's been covered? Or, perhaps it needs no comment. Sometimes that's the problem I have at your blog. For some reason I don't get notification when you do a new post, so many times I read it long after you've posted it, and then anything I'd have to say would be redundant. It's not a lack of interest, but rather a question of timing.

On the other hand, maybe you hate me.

Punch said...

Jesus!
Some broad pepper sprayed her fellow shoppers.
God Damn I love this country!

jadedj said...

Punch---You don't suppose she got the idea from any current event, do you?

Harlequin said...

i am ashamed to report that Canadian marketers are developing our very own version of this hedonistic self indulgent capitalist soldier bullshit.
sigh

jadedj said...

Harlequin---Yeah, it's a disgusting disease. I am sorry to hear it is spreading.