Can't Stop the Bum Rush

Shopping has never been one of my favorite pastimes. Anyone who knows me can tell you where you CANNOT find me on Black Friday each year. For some reason, there is nothing appealing to me about waking up at the ass crack of dawn just to spend hard earned cash. And don't even get me started on the people who camp out at the store from Thanksgiving night. Plus, I hate standing on line to pay for anything. I mean anything at all. I am astounded by the amount of people who lose their cotton pickin' minds at the idea of a sale. I don't do crowds unless it's Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Labor Day- and even that is losing its luster the longer I get in the tooth.

This past Black Friday was no different. I always felt the frenzied crowd seeking "Doorbuster" deals had all the ingredients for disaster. So much so that I was only mildly surprised to hear about the Black Friday stampede that occurred this past weekend. This is what it has come to. People behaving like animals over the promise of half priced electronics and clothing.

I remember clearly the hilarity of the woman who literally got her wig twisted a few years ago at Walmart. But there is nothing funny about a man being trampled to death simply because he showed up to work that day. In fact, it saddens me and makes me furious all at once. Especially since I have two young nieces who work in retail. That shit is downright deplorable.

I found myself reflective this past Thanksgiving because it's also the anniversary of the tragic death of two classmates I knew. Fifteen years later, I found myself very thankful for what truly matters; and I can resolutely say it has nothing to do with discounted Plasma TV's. The economy is in a slump and people want to make this holiday season special, but this is not the way.

"Bum rushin' and crushin', Snatchin and taxin'."

Like MC Lyte, I cram to understand why brothers don't be maxin'. I like a good deal just as much as the next person, but at the end of the day it's just NOT that serious.