Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, when ever it is that you're reading me! I want to talk about Black Friday, well actually the day before. You know the day that is for all American's to be gluttons and eat and eat and eat. Hey I'm not complaining mind you because I love food.
However I'm not here today to make fun of Americans or our crazy fancy holidays. Nope, I am here to make fun of Americans and how we can't ever be happy.
Okay happy is the right word. For the last couple of years we've had more and more stores start to open up Thanksgiving night or all day Thanksgiving even. This has caused an outrage...if you're company is named Wal-Mart...for the most part. These people need to be at home with their families watching the football game (never mind the players aren't with their families...I've never heard any outcry for them, or the officials, or the TV crews, camera men, cheerleaders, production people, truck people, security guards at the game....you get my drift).
And I know why people aren't upset about the Lions players, they are making a lot of money, so it is okay. But that cashier at Wal-Mart....Wal-Mart is evil! Well when I'm not there taking advantage of their fabulous deals that is!
I've was lucky that the bookstore that shall not be named that I worked for wasn't open on Thanksgiving, however I would have no problem working it. Do you know why? Right on the application it asks about holidays and weekends. These people knew that they *MIGHT* have to work on say Thanksgiving or The Fourth or Easter or Flag Day or Pioneer's Day or whatever made up holiday it is.
Does it suck? Perhaps for some people who truly want to be with their families, however they aren't working 12-15 hour days. They will still get to spend time with their families just not all day.
I've also seen people talk about how the CEO's and the higher ups won't have to work that day. You are correct. They also don't have to work weekends while others do. That argument seems flawed to me somehow.....
Should these people have to work on a holiday...yes...if the public demands it...and guess what boys and girls...they do. Oh boy do they ever.
I work for a movie theater chain now and guess what one of the biggest days of the year is? Christmas. So guess what that means? Some poor souls have to work the ticket booth and concession stand and sweep up after your snot nosed brats and start the movies and all that.
They are open because there is a demand for it. You bet the CEO's are greedy and want money, that is their job. Companies could ignore Black Friday, and be closed on Sunday's for religious reasons. Of course that means that the consumers will go else where those day...and possibly other days as well.
We as consumers have 100's of choices so companies need to do whatever they can to get us to come into their establishments. If that means being open on Thanksgiving then they will.
While I've never been shopping on Thanksgiving I have gone out to eat and have gone to the movies. I have also worked those days at the University who shall not be named because people needed me. My customers needed me so I helped them. That includes all holidays. Christmas day while I was working at the University I was answering tickets because people were studying and needed help. No one asked me or expected me to do it. I did it because that is what my customers needed.
Same with these business. Do you think Walgreens would be open if they didn't make enough money to make it worth their wild? Of course not. It isn't the companies who are at fault...its us...the consumers. We are quick to make blame, but we are sending it in the wrong direction.
I'll end with this old saying, and I'm sure I'll butcher it:
Remember When You Point A Finger At Someone, There Are Three More Pointing back At You.
2013/11/07
Put a sheet on that or the costumes that killed Halloween
For those who don't get the title of this entry it is in reference to E.T. They re-released E.T. but put digital sheets on the characters when they go out on Halloween because they go as terrorist and we can't have that.
I've talked about it before and I feel like I am most likely repeating myself here but I am going to do it anyway.
The problem is that we, as a country, focus our energies on things that don't matter, yet we leave those that do alone.
Halloween is the perfect example. I won't rant and rave on the amount of time people put into their costumes yet couldn't tell you who was running in the election Tuesday. I won't talk about the irony of telling our children not to talk to strangers and then parade them all over town asking and taking food from said strangers. No I am going to talk about the outrage 3 costumes have caused.
No it wasn't because a bunch of girls were parading around basically naked, although that is basically what the "holiday" has become right? An excuse for women to dress as skimpy as possible and then wonder why some men see them as only objects....but not the point here.
The outrage came because of three young ladies, I say young ladies because they are over 18, because of their costumes. One, in the states...from Michigan, dressed as Boston Marathon Bombing Victim while two over in England went as the Twin Towers (not of the Lord of the Rings fame).
I've talked about it before and I feel like I am most likely repeating myself here but I am going to do it anyway.
The problem is that we, as a country, focus our energies on things that don't matter, yet we leave those that do alone.
Halloween is the perfect example. I won't rant and rave on the amount of time people put into their costumes yet couldn't tell you who was running in the election Tuesday. I won't talk about the irony of telling our children not to talk to strangers and then parade them all over town asking and taking food from said strangers. No I am going to talk about the outrage 3 costumes have caused.
No it wasn't because a bunch of girls were parading around basically naked, although that is basically what the "holiday" has become right? An excuse for women to dress as skimpy as possible and then wonder why some men see them as only objects....but not the point here.
The outrage came because of three young ladies, I say young ladies because they are over 18, because of their costumes. One, in the states...from Michigan, dressed as Boston Marathon Bombing Victim while two over in England went as the Twin Towers (not of the Lord of the Rings fame).
The image above is her picture. No where does it say Boston or anything like that. If I saw this with no context I'd assume it was a zombie costume. Throw a little blood on your and you're a zombie right? Zombies would eat someone in a marathon/race. I assume, and I am not going to go look it up, that she said she was the victim. Okay so she was slightly, or more than slightly perhaps, insensitive. However we've seen costumes of priest with little boys and those were okay? Or terrorists? Or the rubber masks of various killers and murderers?
Here is what pisses me off about the whole situation, not that she did it but our reaction. She received threats to be raped and death threats. She was fired from her job. Really? This deserved that kind of reaction? People we have people starving to death everyday! We have people who aren't allowed to be themselves and be married to the person they love because they both happen to be the same sex. We have people shooting other people almost daily. We have companies and religious groups boycotting funerals and people because of their beliefs. Yet this woman throw a little fake blood on her along with a number and we are ready to string her up! If you want to see some info on her her twitter account is @SomeSKANKinMI. Yeah not the best name and her background is from a certain "casting couch" website....or so I've been told he he! She has nearly topless photos on her twitter as well. I bring this up because it leads me to something else (yes this is a stream of consciousness boys and girls, no real thought ahead of time).
This young lady is us. This young lady is America. This young lady is what our future. Now before I go on I am not picking on Alicia, that is her name according to twitter. She is basically a what most 22 year olds are...can we really hate her for what we as a society seem to revel in? We follow the train wrecks that are young celebrities like Miley Cyrus or Amanda Bynes yet seem confused when a young lady like Alicia does something like wear a costume.
We are lost boys and girls. As a country, as a society and as a race. And before you go thinking that I am going to go all religious saying we need God back you'd be wrong there. I don't have an answer to be honest. If I did I wouldn't be writing this blog I'd be doing something important with my life like going on Dr. Phil or becoming the next Dr. Phil. Yes that was another shot at us as a people.
The other costume I wanted to bring up was that of two young ladies who went as the Twin Towers.
They won some contest. Honestly my biggest problem is that their costume suck! Seriously look at them! Did they steal some cardboard from a homeless guy? Seriously that is my biggest problem with this. Nothing good about this, creative or anything. If you're going to do this do it right and make them the correct color at least!
Look at these two, they are exactly what I was talking about moments ago. They are us people! They are the reflection of us. Don't like what you see? Then change it boys and girls. Going to twitter and facebook and making death threats is not going to change it.
In conclusion my response to these costumes is who cares. They did nothing but make people feel bad...which actually might be a crime anymore. In a world where bullying is brought up for every little thing what about bullying of these young ladies and the threats? Hypocrites isn't just a river in Egypt...oh wait...
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