Long lines, shoppers intent upon scoring that deal, a day that some wait for all year. One might wonder how Jean-Jacques Rousseau would view Black Friday- the craziness, the shoppers, what it has become, I mean I want to know his stance on the issue. In thinking about Black Friday, I also began thinking about Rousseau's concepts of culture, comparative self-love, property, and his big issue: inequality.
It was really interesting to kind of dissect possible motives of the insanity that has become Black Friday shopping. What exactly is the incentive for the people that seem to view Black Friday shopping as akin to a religion? The definition of the day supports the incentive of getting that awesome deal, of getting all of your Christmas shopping done in one day and spending half as much. But, I'm taking a different approach.
Take this video for example:
This line about shoppers becoming animal-like was really interesting when thinking about Rousseau's writing. Rousseau explains the "noble savage" as natural man, as pre-social, full of compassion, and physiologically superior to modern humans. I think that is a very reasonable definition of man pre-society. Thus one cannot really compare Black Friday shoppers to animals. Animals would be natural, just like the noble savage, and thus compassionate beings. But when you are trampling your fellow modern humans in your rush into Victoria's Secret, compassion seems to go out the window.
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| Are these people reverting back to the "noble savage?" I'm gonna go with no, as compassion seems to be forgotten. |
Rousseau traced the very origins of inequality to the definition of property. I think it is indisputable that this is true when considering Black Friday. While everybody is desperately working to hoard anything they can get their hands on and trampling over each other just attempting to get in the door, I'm wondering what we would do if the concept of property had never been established. This idea that "this is mine, not yours" and " I beat you to buy this" is all driven by the desperate desire to be comparable to others, both in stamina to shop all day and be up that early to wait in mobs of people but also comparable in what you bought and how much you might have saved. The very first day after Thanksgiving, a day when we are supposed to recognize how fortunate we are for what we have, shows society's return to comparison to find any self-worth and our fixation with property, and how all of this promotes the inequality that Rousseau writes about.
We cannot all be equal when Black Friday seems to be a version of survival of the fittest: it has become survival of the best shoppers. The media and corporate offices take full advantage of how much emphasis our culture has but upon this day- I mean when my phone auto-capitalizes "Black Friday" in a text message, but not "Thanksgiving" that points to something. The amount spent on Black Friday is just mind-blowing, and I really wonder what the motive for this spending has become.
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| "Get Greedy?" What does this really tell us about our society? |
Is it really just the sales that draw people to the stores, or is it the terrifying thought that they might lose out? Lose out on some new piece of property they could call their own, the newest innovation that they need to have before anyone else? Lose out on a status booster? It's amazing to me that Rousseau's principles, his concerns still rack our so-called modern society. Something to think about the next time you are camping out for two weeks in front of Best Buy- why are you really doing it?
I think that this is a really great way to interpret Black Friday. It's funny in such a "civilized" society that we have, how something like a sale can turn people back in to savages. Reading your post really made me think: if Black Friday is turning people back in to animals, shouldn't there be rules and regulations regarding it? One thing that Rousseau stresses in his second part of his "Discourse on Inequality" is how the law keeps things in tact; without it, people would go crazy, not obey these laws, and become animals, once again (clearly like they do on Black Friday). It seems like there should be rules regarding Black Friday, perhaps only a certain amount of people can be allowed into the store for a certain amount of time, etc. It seems like yes, everyone wants to have the same "cool" stuff, and everyone is going to fight for it, but let's face it, property DOES create inequality. Not everyone can be equal. It's just not the way life works out.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post and you bring up numerous thoughtful points that I had never given thought to. I view Black Friday as a tradition. An event that always takes place the day after Thanksgiving, and an event that many people look forward to. I think it's a great occurrence that allows people to save on great deals. With all of that being said, I completely agree with your point that it is getting out of control. The video you post is absurd and, to be completely honest, sad. These sales and deals really do turn some people into ruthless animals the day after we give many thanks for all the things we're grateful for. The thing is that you really can find just as good, if not better, deals throughout the year, such as semi-annual sales, clearance events, anniversary sales, post Christmas sales, etc. I think that it is the event itself--and the fact that it is so hyped up--that produces this chaos. Furthermore, similar disorderliness and ruthlessness occurs during big limited sneaker releases (http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/24/disturbances-prompt-cancellations-of-some-nike-releases/). I agree that it is the thought of losing out and need to "win" that drives all of this. The last thing someone wants after waiting hours in line at 3am is to go home empty handed. As Sari also mentions, I believe the best way to fix the issue is to implement additional rules and regulations. This would keep things under control and orderly. For example, for some big sneaker releases, Nike now has a new system of not announcing the release date ahead of time. Instead, they tweet when the shoe will be released at the very last minute, which reduces the traffic flow and helps prevent chaos. Innovative systems like this should also be used during large Black Friday events to prevent future similar occurrences to that of the video posted.
ReplyDeleteI think you have summed up the issue revolving Black Friday really well! This is actually my first time experiencing Black Friday in the United States and I would say that it is a really interesting tradition. The 9GAG picture illustrates the paradox nature of it all. I would say that from my own experience, the shoppers were relatively more civilized unlike the more extreme Walmart experience. It really strikes me on how people can behave so savagely just to fight for "good deals". It makes me wonder why people fight so hard during Black Friday while there are plenty of other opportunities all year round- a similar concern that has been brought up in the previous comments as well. I would like to address the last question mentioned in the post about the underlying reason why you are willing to queue up for so long. I think most of the time, it is not merely about the price of the product, but also the sentimental value attached to it. I think most people do so not only because they would like to purchase an item at a good price, but also because all the waiting and "fighting" their way to own it makes it all the more worthwhile. Most often than not, you are more likely to feel more satisfied with your purchase if you feel that you have worked hard to earn it.
ReplyDeleteSara-
ReplyDeleteI believe that you have brought up a very controversial topic within the UNited States of America. I; being from Canada, have never experienced Black Friday. I have seen thousands of videos and heard numerous news stories about the tragic incidents that happen on this god forgiving day. It is a great opportunity for people to get great deals, but like you stated in your writing, there are great sales 365 days a year in every store. It is the smart shoppers who avoid Black Friday and spend their time wisely throughout the year focusing on the gifts that they need to buy. I understand that this day is a great experience but along with this holiday comes stress and often times death. In Canada, we have the holiday titled; Boxing Day. It is the day after Christmas where there are large electronic sales. It is equivalent to Black Friday, but it is most definitely not as insane. Overall, I thought you have brought up a great concept in the "savages", but I would have to say that on the day of Black Friday, all human beings who are participants act as animals. These people are simply out of control and for incidents such as people to die and fights to break out, I would 100% state that these individuals act as animals within society for the day.
-Kyle
I was struck by the conclusion of your analysis, that black Friday is a way for shoppers to compete against one another to elevate their statuses. I know a lot of people who have stigmas about sales. If you have to buy when prices are lower, you are probably not as prosperous as those who purchase items at full price. Many of my friends disdain black Friday shoppers who wait in line and trample each other because they do not think they are civilized enough to enjoy their real holidays and because they use physical violence to fill their shopping carts. I think that from the perspective of the shoppers, you're right Sara. Those who participate in black Friday feel good about competing and come away from the experience feeling better about their statuses. However to many on the outside, the shoppers seem like savages who do not possess a respectable status. The differences in perspectives make me wonder what's worse, fighting over a flat screen or judging those who rarely get the day off to buy their kids affordable Christmas presents. If the upper classes don't feel compassion for the mobs of shoppers then aren't they just as far removed from the state of nature as the shoppers who act purely in their self interest? Black Friday shows that all classes are guilty for imposing inequality, whether we brawl over a bargain to reassure ourselves of our superiority, or we look down on others for doing so.
ReplyDeleteHilarious! I was just thinking of the same thing this year on Black Friday as I sat on my couch watching the madness that unfolded in front of me after Thanksgiving dinner! I thought your point that Black Friday occurs the day after Thanksgiving, the day for appreciating what we have, really epitomizes peoples innate nature to want more rather than appreciate what we have. (Not to mention that some stores actually opened Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving) I was shocked to see that people were out shopping and camping outside stores rather than spending the holiday with their families. The comparison you made to Rousseau was very accurate as on Black Friday I often see people buying things that they don't even need or want just for the sake of buying something on sale and having more than someone else. I also think Black Friday is a testament to Hobbes view of the state of nature of people. As Sari suggested that rules should be put in place for this day, the fact that people act so savagely and animalistic in the absence of rules and order reveals the innate sense of humans to fight one another to win. As Hobbes predicted a society that was "nasty, brutish, and short", I think his description also accurate represents the chaos that is Black Friday.
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