I have to wonder how people would feel if they knew they were viewed as 'animals', ill-manners slobs, uncivilized morons . . . and worse! Would they change their ways if they knew . . . or would their reason for this behavior supercede good manners and Christian behavior?
I was out running errands, yesterday. I avoided the after-Christmas sales because I saw much evidence of the above-mentioned attitude when I made the mistake of trying to shop the day after Christmas last year. I had thought that by going in the afternoon, the worst of the frenzy would have died down. I was shocked when I walked into Walmart. It looked like a bomb had gone off. The floor was knee deep in discarded stock. I actually saw people ripping into packaged items, opening bottles of cologne, dumping items they changed their minds about, and, basically, looking like very low-class beings. I saw over 40 shopping carts loaded with items the clerks were trying to reshelve and it was a losing battle as the shopper slobs continued the distruction in their search for a bargain. We had gone in for some 'normal' shopping for the week and had forgotten about the annual frenzy of crazed shoppers.
This year, we went out two days after Christmas . . . to make sure! The stores were in a normal state, we still found a lot of unexpected bargains, and we didn't have to deal with hoardes of disrespectful shoppers. The clerks were smiling and the stores were clean. I chatted wtih a few employees and as soon as you mentioned December 26th, the smile left their faces and they just shook their heads. What has gotten into the world where saving a few dollars turns people into grasping animals? Last year, an employee got killed as shoppers beat down the door, mowed the man down, and then trampled over him. When the police tried to clear the 'crime' area, people did not want to cooperate lest they lose the bargain they had literally 'killed' for. I wonder how many people realized they were smashing their feet over a human being in their surge for savings?
There is a video of a shoe store in detroit where they actually had a riot because of a shoe sale. Again, the people, with little respect for themselves or others, broke down the door before it opened. And we can probably remember the woman who brought along pepper spray in order to thin the crowd around the bargain she wanted to have on Black Friday.
I imagine there aren't too many actual, practicing Christians in these mobs. From Black Friday until the day after Christmas, they are on the prowl for bargains. They have no thought beyond getting something for as close to nothing as possible. They want to fill their 'hearts' with materialistic stuff and forget about the 'reason for the season'. I'm thinking they must need this constant spending to fill in a empty place in their souls . . . and without much luck as the majority of them will repeat their performances year after year. Kind of reminds me of the Scripture that tells of the man who has finally filled all his storage with enough grain or whatever to last him 'forever' and then God asks him WHY as he is being called from this life that very night.
No comments:
Post a Comment