Why This Blogger Will Not Be Shopping on Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving, and a restful and joyous holiday season to the readers of The Great Blog of Kéto! I do not plan on shopping this Friday after Thanksgiving. I feel that the holidays have become so over-commercialized that the joy has been taken out of the true meaning of America's religious and traditional holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc even though according to almanacs and historical records Jesus was not born on December 25. (Being that Palestine is extremely cold in the Winter months, shepherds were NOT caring for sheep in the fields in December (Luke 2:8-12). They only do that from March-October when the weather is bearable.) Last week, my monthly community forum, Wide aWoke Wednesday's hosted a debate, "Holidays, Holy Days & Pagan Days" which discussed the origins and history of major US holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.

Now there is nothing wrong with shopping on "Black Friday", as it is called, especially as there are quite a few bargains on holiday staples such as clothing, electronics, toys & games, appliances, and more. However, it is the spirit of so many people participating in these shopping experiences that concerns me. I remember several times in the last few years watching news footage of grown adults camping out in front of the major department stores in Philadelphia, Michigan, and other places before dawn and then trampling each other like wild animals once the doors open (See video below).

My wife and I approach holiday shopping differently than many families because we believe that we should show love and appreciation for our loved ones year-around, not just at Christmas time. We also believe in volunteering with homeless feeding programs, food and clothing drives, and more through community organizations and our church to those who cannot give back in return. We believe that as Jesus stated when we do something for the least person who cannot pay us back (Matthew 25:33-40), God honors our giving. Now I'm not saying that YOU shouldn't go shopping and bargain hunting on Black Friday. I'm just saying that we all need to remember the original purpose of Thanksgiving which was to offer thanks to God for our prosperity and of Christmas which was to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ who came to the Earth to give. Everyone talks about "remembering the reason for the season," but few people actually do remember why we celebrate these occasions.

The Son of Man will put the sheep (good people) on his right and the goats (bad people) on his left. "Then the king will say to those good people on his right, 'Come. My Father has given you great blessings. Come and get the kingdom God promised you. That kingdom has been prepared for you since the world was made. You can have this kingdom, because I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.' "Then the good people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our home? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?' "Then the king will answer, 'I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.' "Then the king will say to those bad people on his left, 'Go away from me. God has already decided that you will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever. That fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. You must go away, because I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.' "Then those people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty? When did we see you alone and away from home? Or when did we see you without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?' "Then the king will answer, 'I tell you the truth. Anything you refused to do for any of my people here, you refused to do for me.'"Then those bad people will go away. They will have punishment forever. But the good people will go and have life forever. (Easy to Read Version)"

Wal-Mart Shoppers in Grand Rapids, Michigan Trampled & Injured on Black Friday

Are We Ready for a Black President (Or Just Another Rich White One?)

I wish that more of my Tampa Bay area friends had been present on Wednesday, 7/16/08 (although we did have a standing room only crowd) as Motown Maurice and The Combination facilitated lively debate between panelists and audience from many different perspectives. That's what The Combination, and Wide aWoke Wednesday are all about--uniting us despite our many differing perspectives on the same topics.

While it's true that maybe the color of the President should not matter, unfortunately it does due to to a variety of historic, social, economic and political factors. After all if it didn't matter then I'm sure we would have had a Black, Native American, Latino, or Asian President w/in the last 400 years, seeing as how those were the people that built the America we enjoy today. However, it does matter in the context of our western/Eurocentric mindset, and historically, socially, economically, politically, and symbolically.

Now, does the possibility of Obama mean that racism will seek to exist? NO. Does it mean that the single Black mother working 2 jobs at $7/hr to get through college and to put food on her family's table will suddenly have an easier life? NO of course not. Does this mean that cops will stop racial profiling or our prisons will not continue to be 80% filled with the blacks and the poor? NO--although a President can actually have some impact in reforming the criminal & civil justice system. (Recall Pres. Ronald Reagan's alleged "War on Drugs" and how that has forever impacted the legal system. More recently, recall Pres. Bill Clinton’s controversial 1996 “one-strike” rule which made first-time offenses by those in public housing as punishable by incarceration? By the way, the "President and Congress have direct control of the federal prison population". Now there were more things that the average Joe without proper legal representation could rot in jail for.)

The bottom line is that the Presidency represents the world's most prestigious job in the world's richest country, and up until now, anyone with a drop of Black or non-WASP blood had absolutely no chance of navigating the networks or making the path that it takes to become President. This accomplishment is symbolically important b/c it tells the rest of the world, that yes, there is hope that ONE DAY it won't actually matter what color a person is as long as they are a capable leader. Until that day, we still have a long way to go, but as the old commercial says, "You've come a long way, baby."

For more information on Wide aWoke Wednesdays, please visit http://www.wideawoke.com/

http://www.thecombinationtv.com/ or call 813-951-0794. Our once monthly forums are typically held the 3rd Wednesday, 7:30pm with refreshments & a Meet & Greet at 6:30pm at USF Alumni Center - Traditions Hall 4202 E. Fowler Ave. Tampa, FL 33620.