-- Posted Monday, 28 November 2011 | | Disqus

Reports of shopping-related violence over Thanksgiving weekend were so appalling that one might infer that Western civilization itself had slipped yet another notch, much as it did when Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian became world famous for sharing their fellatio techniques online. On Friday, a female shopper hell-bent on snaring a video game at a ridiculous price pepper-sprayed other bargain-bin ghouls to frighten them away. There was also a robbery-shooting in a mall parking lot, as well as numerous other incidents that, taken together, suggest that the annual kickoff to the Christmas shopping season has become as violent and rapacious as an 1880s land-rush.

We wonder whether this aspect of our consumer culture would have evolved as it has if the news media had not been pitching the “Black Friday” story ad nauseum over the last ten or fifteen years. It was already a sad fact of our consumer culture that the question of whether we would have a “green” Christmas had become an obsessive concern of the news media.  Has the U.S. economy become so enfeebled and dysfunctional that it cannot survive without a Christmas-induced binge of credit card shopping?  The answer, apparently, is yes.  Meanwhile, the news media must bear much of the blame for whipping buyers into a frenzy. With the country slipping back into recession, newsroom hacks are doing everything they can to give advertisers a boost. But at what cost to our humanity?

Is That Really Us?

Still, it’s difficult to know for certain whether the strip-mall underclass that we read about in the newspapers is actually us.  If so, the hard times that lie just ahead are going to be even harder on us all now that the last shred of decency and politeness appear to be disappearing from public life.  Or are they?  Looking on the brighter side, we’re skeptical that the news media is capable of getting any story right, no matter what the subject, and perhaps they have gotten this one wrong as well.  Keep in mind that these are the same guys who have been feeding us the nonsense that Mitt Romney, whose candidacy excites almost no one, is the GOP “frontrunner.”  We can only hope that the nation-of-greedy-shoppers story is equally wrong and that America has not, in that way, begun slouching incorrigibly towards Bethlehem.

Information and commentary contained herein comes from sources believed to be reliable, but this cannot be guaranteed. Past performance should not be construed as an indication of future results, so let the buyer beware. There is a substantial risk of loss in futures and option trading, and even experts can, and sometimes do, lose their proverbial shirts.  Rick's Picks does not provide investment advice to individuals, nor act as an investment advisor, nor individually advocate the purchase or sale of any security or investment. From time to time, its editor may hold positions in issues referred to in this service, and he may alter or augment them at any time. Investments recommended herein should be made only after consulting with your investment advisor, and only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company. Rick's Picks reserves the right to use e-mail endorsements and/or profit claims from its subscribers for marketing purposes. All names will be kept anonymous and only subscribers’ initials will be used unless express written permission has been granted to the contrary. All Contents © 2011, Rick Ackerman. All Rights Reserved.www.rickackerman.com

-- Posted Monday, 28 November 2011 | Digg This Article | Source: GoldSeek.com

comments powered by Disqus
Previous Articles by Rick Ackerman

© 1995 - 2019

Live GoldSeek Visitor Map | Disclaimer