Monday, December 2, 2013

Violent Friday

Thanksgiving!  A time to be thankful for all the good things that have happened to you during the past year.  The time to get together with family and eat a giant cooked bird that you normally don't eat unless it is Thanksgiving.  A time to sit and watch your local high school play its rival in football then fall asleep in front of the three pro football games on TV that day. It is also a time to beat up a fellow patron at your local Wal-Mart at 3:00 am to get that last PlayStation that will most likely be available again in a day or two.  What a great holiday.

So the last comment truly isn't what Thanksgiving is about, at least I hope not for you.  I just don't get the madness that comes with all this.  Luckily in Massachusetts the stores aren't allowed to open Thanksgiving, but opening up at midnight doesn't make it any better.  If you are on social media and noticed people chiding Wal-Mart for opening on Thanksgiving and making their employees work the holiday.  The same people applauded Sam’s Club for not opening, so I guess it's a wash for the Wal-Mart Corporation.  

If people want to be away from their families, or wake up at some un-Godly hour in the name of savings, who am I to judge.  I choose not to do it and I am still able to complete my Christmas shopping within my budget.  That's just me I guess.  But do these things need to resort to violence that was reported on the news?  Now these stores are forcing local authorities to beef up their staffs during these times because people don't know how to behave themselves accordingly.

According to a website mocking this tradition called www.blackfridaydeathcount.com, there have been seven deaths and ninety injuries related to Black Friday since 2006.  One of the deaths was this past Friday when a teen driving home from shopping fell asleep at the wheel.  That is definitely a tragic ending to a perfect holiday.  Four passengers were also hurt in that crash.

  • In Rialto, California a police officer was sent to the hospital with a broken wrist when he was trying to break up one of three fights at a Wal-Mart that police responded too.
  • At a Walmart in Claypool Hill, Va. a man allegedly threatened another man with a firearm and then cut that man's arm with a knife "down to the bone," according to reports.  This man felt the need to bring a gun AND a knife to Black Friday shopping. 

In Philadelphia two couples got it a brawl at the mall, over god knows what, that had to be subdued by a stun gun.

Like I stated earlier I am not going to judge people that do this, it's just not for me.  I do find it funny that people complain about the lack of sleep and the craziness that goes on at these things.  To be honest I don't need to go Black Friday shopping, I get a blow by blow recap on social media of all the events.  I read them as I drink my morning coffee.

As we go into the Christmas Shopping season please be careful and if getting that last X Box One means having to fight for it, just let it go and move on.

3D

If you don't take it from me, ask my wife.





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