With Thanksgiving break around the corner, the community has begun to prepare for the holiday. Thursday: Family, friends, food, gratitude and love. Friday: Consumerism, capitalism, greed and rummaging through stores. But is that all Friday is? The fourth Thursday of November is a time of gathering with loved ones to celebrate what we are grateful for with piles of food at Thanksgiving. The fourth Friday, however, consists of purchases and longing to grab an item before it is all sold out. An entire holiday — Black Friday — has been built around the ideas of mass spending and consumerism.
The term for the holiday was initially coined in the 1950s by Philadelphia police, describing the heavy traffic that occurred with tourists increasing their post-holiday shopping and attending the Army-Navy football game. It was first referred to as “Red Friday” to describe the loss of money businesses faced. It was subsequently changed to Black Friday, referencing the term “in the black,” to describe the profit increase from a surge in sales.
Why is Thanksgiving followed up by buying more than what is needed? While few can pass up the opportunity to take advantage of the excruciatingly gorgeous deals that occur on Black Friday, it is important to recognize the juxtaposition between Thursday’s gratitude and Friday’s greed.
Does consumerism define the holiday? Or, is it the experience of people squeezing over frantic shoppers and TVs being rushed from shelves that makes Black Friday something people anticipate year-round?
For me, the holiday is an extension of family bonding. My mom, sisters and I come together in our pajamas on the morning of Black Friday and do all our holiday shopping online. We buy gifts for others, occasionally treat ourselves, and while we feel incredibly spoiled, the time we spend laughing, talking and showing each other what we are interested in feels nearly as precious as the time spent the day before consuming food.
Eating isn’t the basis of Thanksgiving, though. It is the time spent with family. If Black Friday is spent the same way, either in the comfort of your pajamas or in the craze of stores/online, it can carry on the time of thanks.
Mr. Velgach, a history teacher at Lake Forest Academy, said that the only reason why Black Friday isn’t officially ruining Thanksgiving is because “… capitalist holidays are already such a staple of American culture.” Do gifts ruin Christmas? Or do chocolates and flowers make Valentine’s Day less meaningful? I argue no, the materialistic additions to the holidays are exactly that — additions. They do not take away from the basis of the holidays but add new traditions to them. Things change. Black Friday, while bursting in popularity since the 1980s, is just an addition to a time-honored holiday of Thanksgiving.
Yes, the holiday encourages spending large amounts of money.
Yes, the holiday provokes greed after a day of gratitude.
But to say that it ruins the gratitude shared the day before would be unrealistic and untrue.
Black Friday, especially online, gives people an opportunity to continue the family-focused cheer of Thanksgiving.