Oh, the joy of capitalism

Before Lydia and I traveled to the Dirty South, we decided to see what all of the Black Friday buzz was about. In need of a new camera, we decided to take advantage of one of Wal-Mart's 5AM sales. We knew that it was going to be unlike the everyday run to Wal-Mart for bread and milk, we did not know that it was going to be an absolute madhouse.

We woke up at 4AM hoping to beat some of the Black Friday traffic. When walking in the parking lot to Wal-Mart we noticed that people were actually running into the store. (I, personally, do not care if they were selling Apple Iphones for .99, I would not demote myself to running into a department store.) While Lydia and I were strolling in the parking lot, my beautiful bride was almost clipped by an SUV rushing for a parking space.

The scene inside was just as ridiculous. It appeared that these people really believed that Christmas happiness could be won if they muscled themselves towards the better deals. Lydia and I easily secured what we went in for, browsed the store a bit, observed human nature at its worst, and left for breakfast.

Now, do not get me wrong. As a morning person, I see nothing wrong with getting up early and enjoying some good deals. I was, however, disgusted by much of the greed that was present in the store. There is something wrong when human beings are herded down aisles like a bunch of cattle and when one accidentally gets elbowed an apology is no where to be found because common courtesy may slow one down from buying that printer/scanner combo.

As a capitalist, I say 'good for Wal-Mart' for creating a sale that many of its shoppers enjoy. As a human being, I say 'shame on you' for my fellow Americans' clear display of greed. A sale on Dvd camcorders is no excuse to abandon all civility.