The Black Friday Stampede

Being one who has only once gone shopping on Black Friday, I'm already at a disadvantage for understanding the hype. Standing in line for 5 hours to purchase a TV is not what I would consider a bargain, let alone good use of my precious sleeping time. So when I heard about a man being trampled to DEATH by a mob of shoppers, I really had a difficult time grasping the news. To begin, two thousand people tried to shove through a double door at a Wal-Mart at the same time. The sheer force of the self-propelled sea of bargain hunters bent the metal frame like an accordion. Then a 34-year-old man, who did not appear to be of small stature, was knocked to the ground by the first wave of customers. The throngs of people behind this group continued to force themselves into the store and simply stepped on, some may have gone around, the employee. As co-workers tried to force their way to the lifeless man, they began to be trampled, as well. While I have no idea how you would manage to step on a person and never look back, I'm simply stunned that these people, a term I use very loosely in the situation, could manage to trample 4 people and not even notice. Once the stampede through the front door cleared and the police and rescue teams arrived, the real humanity in these folks came alive. When told by the police that the store would need to be evacuated due to the death of the employee, the angry shoppers began to complain that they had been waiting in line for hours and were not leaving until they made their purchase. Most continued shopping, some had to be forcably removed from the store. Perhaps had these kind folks not trampled an innocent man at the front door, they would have been able to continue their holiday shopping in peace.

When did the prospect of a $100 TV become more valuable than another human being's life? At what point did it become acceptable to simply shove your way through a crowd of 2000 people to find a Christmas present? Here's a gift, have some common descency you inconsiderate bastards. When your life becomes so pathetic you have to wait outside a Wal-Mart for 5 hours, be sure to check the tool department for some sturdy rope. You should be able to get it for half off.