[lit-ideas] Re: Black Friday
- From: Eric Yost <NYCEric@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 13:05:08 -0500
What in the world would possess *anyone*, much less *thousands* to stand
in line in the middle of the night to rush into a store with the other
thousands of frenzied shoppers at one in the morning?! . . . I would
love to gain an understanding of why....
_____
Besides the financial reasons Robert gave, there's the simple fact that
THERE IS NOT THAT MUCH ELSE TO DO!
I mean, what is there? Judging from small-town Pennsylvania, people have
to use cars to get everywhere, are isolated by technology and local
ordinances, and there is no community beyond gatherings at malls.
For example, police in small towns stop and question people who are
walking or bicycling late at night because it is "suspicious" or they
are bored. For a society loudly proclaiming its freedom, America, at
least in small towns, certainly curbs all group activities unrelated to
shopping.
So here is one day of the year where groups of people can do something
irregular, at an irregular time of day, and not be thought weird or
hassled by police. It is a socially approved violation of the enforced
regime of small-town life.
So why should its popularity be surprising?
Eric
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