The night has yet to give way to morning. The sky is still black, the air freezing, meanwhile thousands of people around the state line up to get what they consider once in a lifetime deals. These “door busters” are what the eager shoppers think the Friday after Thanksgiving is all about. They will fight, hurt, run, lose sleep, and throw money away just because the advertisers tell them to. This is where society in an economic depression has been led.

The ludicrous and ridiculous rite of passage known as Black Friday has become a new fad throughout the last ten years with more and more people willing to buy discounted merchandise if they have only six hours to do so. It is the biggest shopping day of the year but why is it so important to start shopping in the middle of the night? Stores such as Kohl’s and Best Buy open their doors hours earlier than usual to build up excitement for cheap pants or three dollar DVDs. Is it really worth not sleeping and waiting five hours or more in line to get them? Laptops, for example, aren’t going anywhere, yet $30 off is enough to make people turn into a group of wild beasts to get one, even if totally unnecessary.

It is hard to comprehend why people get violent for good deals. Every year there are stories of the elderly getting trampled and guys getting in fights on Black Friday because they were “caught in the moment.” This is unacceptable. America has become such a consumerist society that even with no money people will spend all they have on items they don’t need. Maybe these shoppers can just retain the length of their lives by getting good sleep and not raising their blood pressure. Violence because of shopping is laughable but, unfortunately, real.

The advertising that leads to Black Friday, so ubiquitous that the day is now called Black Friday, lives through the media and it is impossible not to see commercials or hear something about one-day specials leading up to the fateful day. By telling people that holiday shopping has to begin on this day, the advertisers seek to spark frenzy. Apparently, one big screen television isn’t enough. The most mediocre movies turn up on thousands of mantles because it was like paying nothing, even though they did pay more than their worth.

Black Friday leads to black souls. From Nicollet Mall to Rosedale the mad dash for gifts and household products began. In 2008 Black Friday was more hyped then ever. If people can live down their actions maybe everyone can forget about how stupid this concept is…until next year.