RECENT POSTS
- This Flu Kills
August 29, 2009 - Serious Doubts on Healthcare
August 27, 2009 - Ted Kennedy Dies
August 26, 2009 - Two and a Half Men: The Return of the Sitcom
August 24, 2009 - MJ's FBI File
August 24, 2009 - How Youth Make a Difference
August 22, 2009 - Hurricane Katrina Four-Year Anniversary: Have We Done Enough?
August 21, 2009 - Bringing Guns to Obama Town Halls
August 19, 2009
E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
Making Sense of Black Friday
This has been an interesting week for America. On Wednesday, Islamic militants laid siege to Mumbai, taking the lives of over a hundred people, including a large number of tourists, and injuring hundreds more. While the attacks were reminiscent of those perpetrated by Al Qaeda, the group responsible has not yet been positively identified. Likewise, the group's motives are still a mystery, officially at least.
Whether perpetrated by Al Qaeda or not, it seems more than fair to assume that these attacks were religiously motivated. Relations between India's Muslims and Hindus have historically been tense, and bloodshed has not been uncommon. But since the target was Mumbai's tourism centre, and after hearing reports that American and British citizens were singled out, there must be something else at play.
India has experienced a rapid and culture-altering Westernization in recent years, alongside the stratospheric acceleration of its economy. And we all know how those Islamic militant-types feel about Westernization. While their motives may have been more complex, it seems fairly likely that they, along with untold numbers of other groups, are pissed off with the West.
Wednesday's attacks were upsetting, given the number of innocent people killed and wounded for some yet to be determined (but assuredly futile) cause. I was, however, equally troubled by the news Friday that a man had been trampled to death in a Black Friday stampede at a Long Island Wal-Mart. After some thought, I decided these two things were not unconnected.
While it's important to condemn these cowardly attacks on unarmed tourists, it's equally important, at times like this, to consider what on earth these people's problem is. What is it about us and our culture that they hate so much? I think, to a certain extent, the events of Friday begin to answer that question.
The death of Jdimytai Damour, the part-time Wal-Mart staffer who was trampled to death by a mob of holiday shoppers early Friday morning, was just as tragic as the deaths in India last week, and infinitely more avoidable. Americans, and people in Western culture all over, have become unable to do without. Unlike previous generations, who scrimped and saved through a great depression and a world war, when times get tough here, we refuse to cut back. We ask for lower prices instead, and companies like Wal-Mart make up the difference by bullying their suppliers in places like China (and, to a lesser extent, India) into compliance.
Every year around this time, people begin to wonder aloud how we've managed to let materialism gain so much control over our lives. When a sale at a department store causes people to line up through the night, surrender their dignity and trample to death a man making five dollars an hour who gets in the way, something is very wrong with our culture.
No one's debating the fact that our economy is in trouble, and we all need to save money where we can. But maybe, instead of pushing each other aside to save ten dollars on an Xbox game, the answer this year is to spend less by actually buying less. Maybe it's time to reassess the things we actually need in our lives, and pass that wisdom along to our children. There is no excuse for the murder of innocent people by groups trying to make a point about their take on religion or politics. And there is also no excuse for the murder of the man at Wal-Mart by people trying to save a few dollars on things they don't really need.