When Shopping Is Like A Rock Concert

It's that time of year again.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

In these short 27 days before Christmas, the American consumerism is at its most rampant. And this year, the season will be exceptionally intense, for its only 27 days as opposed to the 32 of last year.

It's time to listen to the same loop of 10 cheery songs in every public venue.
It's time to hear the mindless debates on what's politically correct for cashiers to say, and what to call that big, decorated fir tree in the center of town.
It's time to smile and be exuberantly happy for no apparent reason.

I am not a Christian; Christmas has never been a holiday I celebrate. Even so, I wonder how much of this is actually religion and not just an excuse to buy more stuff (though I'm sure there's got to be some people out there who see this coming event as the birth of Jesus Christ). Maybe we should just call it ShopFest, the new all-American holiday.

This would eliminate the attempts to make Jews feel included by also commercializing Hanukkah, because it generally falls sometime in December. Hanukkah is not really an especially important holiday in the Jewish religion to begin with. I'd rather more public awareness about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, for example.

To conclude this lovely rant, here is a New York Times article about a Wal-Mart employee getting stomped to death by frantic shoppers. Remind anyone else of 80's rock concerts? Hopefully there'll be laws to prevent more incidents like this soon.

I think I need to move to Zimbabwe, or else watch my remaining sanity evaporate.