Consumer of Death

It sickens me that people are willing to forgo any semblance of civilized manner for the sake of material pursuit. Okay, I'm talking about Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when the best deals of the year can be found. One Walmart worker died in Long Island, NY from being trampled at the entrance by the stampede of unruly deal-seekers. There were many cases of people elbowing each other and getting into fights over flat screen TVs or Blue Ray players. There was even news of somebody who got shot at a Toys R' Us store in California. The whole Black Friday ritual is disgusting.

Fine, there were deals to be had, but was it worth the effort to brave the cold weather and negotiate the throng of impatient masses? More importantly, this annual ritual brings out at the very least the shallow materialistic nature of people in general and their unhealthy attachment to inanimate objects. At the most, it turns people into feral beings capable of acting outside of human norms. Sometimes I think even animals have a more genuine sense of empathy and decorum than some of these barbaric, individualistic shoppers!

This post is not an all-out diatribe against crass consumerism and unbridled individualism. I, too, am guilty of being a participant in this feverish consumption of goods, though not to the extent of braving the frigid cold weather to seek a few measly deals. In the recent months I have bought things I shouldn't have bought in the first place--impulse buying, I'd say--especially in light of my currently (un)employed and broke status. I had bought a $400 leather motorcycle jacket even though I don't presently own a motorcycle. I also got a $400 80-gig Sony Playstation 3 complete with eight games (so far), which I don't play very much, though some of friends do put my PS3 to a good workout. In my defense, I do use my PS3 to watch videos I download off the internet and listen to my MP3's since it's connected to a pair of big speakers. And oh, by the way, I did get an iPhone 3G, which I've been salivating for since iPhone first came out July last year. The iPhone purchase I can justify since I've been using my old battered phone for more than five years and it's about time I get a new one. I admit that I do have an irrational attachment to certain inanimate objects, particularly Apple Macintosh's products--I've been a Mac user for the past 16 years, which means I'm not jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak!--and books. I can go to any bookstore and without fail come out with a book or ten! People who know well can attest to this fact.

But my most regretful purchase was yesterday when I somehow got compelled into buying a bunch of female beauty products worth about $90! How did that happen, you might ask? Well, I was literally pulled by this petite saleswoman at the mall who was peddling beauty products made from the Dead Sea salts. She wasted no time in giving me a demonstration by rubbing some of that creamy stuff on my arms. I had to admit that it felt good--the cream and also her caressing my arms. The demo took about 10 minutes, and by then I felt kind of bad if I didn't buy anything. See, I have a weak spot for people who make efforts even if they don't mount to much (that's why my students love me!) and I almost felt unfair and such a jerk if I'd just walk away empty-handed. Hence the purchase. I've been trying in vain afterward to justify my obviously weak-kneed decision and decided that these beauty products will be the gifts for sister's birthday and my parents' wedding anniversary coming up in December. They weren't what I had in mind when I was hunting for gifts but then it's done now.

Okay, the only thing I need right now is a pair of casual shoes, and this will be a highly justified purchase. I've been wearing the same pair of shoes for the past three years and it has served well and loyally but it has now past its expiration date and must be put out to pasture. I'm trying to keep the price of my new pair of shoes to less than $50 and I have been scouring the internet for deals. Tentatively, here's what I like so far. By God, I promise that this will be my last major materialistic acquisition--at least until I'm settled down with a steady-paying job, that is.