Materialism is every American’s right, but it’s ironic that bombastic Christian advocates like Bill O’Reilly nevertheless insist that store clerks say “Merry Christmas” rather than the more the inclusive “Happy Holidays.” After viewing footage of a Black Friday stampede, Brandon Burt wondered why any Christian would want his faith affiliated this “annual festival of consumerist greed” (see “This Year’s Christmas Trampling,” Dec. 5, CityWeekly.net/gayblog).
“I see footage like this every year and every time I see it I feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut,” wrote Hayduke. “Most of the selfish, ignorant slugs featured in these Black Friday love-fests make me sick. … Christmas has been reduced to a nasty, commercialized, bargain-shopping fraud.”
“‘I bought these really ugly, sparkly socks for my daughter that she wants,’” wrote BlackMamba mockingly, “‘and I got my husband an electric shaver even though he’s dead and I bought this stuffed parrot toy for my niece!’ ”
Rant Control is reminded of Jesus’ message to the “rich fool” of Luke 12:15. “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed,” Jesus said to the fool. “Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”
At least, as Hayduke pointed out, some of the stampeders helped those who’d they stomped on as they bum-rushed the store. Now that’s the Christmas spirit(?).