so call me unrighteous

You've probably seen them. Facebook posts here and there mourning the fact that people go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Some mourn American consumerism, which is fine. I understand the problem of consumerism. My Political Theory professor made sure of that. Some mourn the lack of gratitude Americans show for all the rich blessings they have. I also understand this.

But what I don't understand is why we can't still go shopping the day after Thanksgiving without falling into "that ungrateful lot" category. I'm not saying that all people who post on facebook about it are saying this, don't get me wrong. But I've definitely encountered this attitude through the years, so here are just a couple things to think about. Black Friday isn't just about finding that brand new tv for yourself. For a lot of people, it's about starting your Christmas shopping and saving a lot of money on gifts that you're giving to other people. And say it is about finding that brand new tv for yourself. If you're in the market for a new tv and you find it, you're spending less money on it than you would be any other day of the year, which is smart, and may I go as far as to say...wise stewardship?

And here's something else: why do we have to make it such an issue that people shop the day after Thanksgiving, but not make all our pithy facebook posts about it any other day of the year? I think we would all agree that we should express thanksgiving every day of the year, not just the 4th Thursday of November. But we wouldn't say that we shouldn't go shopping after we've been thankful about something on any other day. At that rate (the shopping-less one), we'd be Amish or something, which is a totally different topic.

All I'm trying to say is it bothers me if people think they're being "more thankful" than everyone else by not shopping on Black Friday. If you don't like shopping or don't really care, that's totally fine. I'm not saying you have to shop. I'm saying if you're fine shopping for great sales any other day of the year, but don't the day after Thanksgiving because it's suddenly a sign of piggish consumerism, there's a problem. Furthermore, piggish consumerism isn't limited to Black Friday - so why is it the only time we seem to rant about it? Either stop shopping altogether, or stop acting like Black Friday is some particularly dark day that's more of a "distressing indication of the true condition of our hearts" than any other day. At least have some consistency.