Hidden History of Thanksgiving among other things

[Tim]

Happy Thanksgiving.

[Kyle]

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. Family, food, and appreciation are always a nice combination. It would be nice to have it more often.

[Tim]

‎"Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often." -- Johnny Carson

[Ry]

[Ry]

bump

[Muckraker33]

For the last few years, I have refused to celebrate Thanksgiving, much to the chagrin of my mother. Sorry, but I refuse to participate in the whitewashing of history. I don't care if people come to me telling me that it doesn't mean the same thing it did before and that we should just "give thanks." Bullshit. I would rather pick any other day for that. "Thanksgiving" day should be a day of fasting, not feasting, if anything. Most importantly, it should be a day where we commemorate the true dark history of what this nation was built upon, and strive to change, not the history, but the future of our nation. May it be a day where we compare the plunders of old to what is going on under our noses today. May it strengthen our resolve to both identify and to put an end to colonialism, privateering, profiteering, and any kind of religious or other idealogical kool-aid that fuels it.

[R4F1]

Some people bitch about Black Friday and how it takes away from Thanksgiving. But its the celebration of American "Thanksgiving" that i find disturbing, not Black Friday.

Black Friday is completely voluntary, and whether it is good or bad, people can willingly partake and abstain, and it isn't pushed down upon anyone. Thanksgiving however, is a fake holiday and for people complaining about the zombie-like tendencies of Black Friday, they should be having similar complaints about Thanksgiving. You don't need a DAY to "give thanks" [for whatever the fuck Thanksgiving is designed to give thanks for], you can do it every and any other day of your life/year.

I don't participate in Thanksgiving, but I've gone shopping most Black Fridays.

[Ry]

i'd never heard of black friday and didn't know what it was until like 2006

[Muckraker33]

i'd never heard of black friday and didn't know what it was until like 2006

Thank you. I'm not the only one. In fact I'm pretty darn sure it was a recent invention, but if anybody can pull some black friday ads from the 80's, I will concede.

I can't believe people get into fist fights over useless shit to buy. It must actually be entertainment for the neocons to watch the footage of the brainwashed, hyperconsumerist, riff raff, dwindling middle class scuffle about.

[R4F1]

i'd never heard of black friday and didn't know what it was until like 2006

Thank you. I'm not the only one. In fact I'm pretty darn sure it was a recent invention, but if anybody can pull some black friday ads from the 80's, I will concede.

I can't believe people get into fist fights over useless shit to buy. It must actually be entertainment for the neocons to watch the footage of the brainwashed, hyperconsumerist, riff raff, dwindling middle class scuffle about.

Yes, it is a relatively modern invention.... which is why i have much more respect for it, since it is its own unique event as opposed to a bastardization of an otherwise religious or cultural event such as Christmas/Easter/etc.


I really don't care either way about people participating or not-participating in Black Friday shopping. If you don't wanna buy something, don't buy it. If you wanna buy something, pay for it. But if you don't wanna buy something, stop trying to stop others people from buying.

Black Friday is a gimmick, but companies make money off it as a way to build up hype and sales over deals. It wouldn't exist if people didn't go out and buy stuff. The people who want to ban Black Friday or want to mandate Thanksgiving a holiday where companies cant ask workers to work that day – are not trying to control the shops, they're trying to control the shoppers. Its basically one [small] group of people trying to control another [large] group of people.

I do agree people buying crap, or the commercial bastardization of otherwise religious or cultural holidays is a bad thing. But going out to find a "deal"/bargain isn't bastardization, its merely rational self-interest. Of course, we would rather buy a TV for $300 than $500. Of course, I would rather prefer a day when all products are on "sale" than merely a small section being on sale any other day. Its not remotely similar to the bastardizations of other holidays (like Christmas/Easter/etc), thats cuz Black Friday didn't hijack anything, it is its own unique event.


If you look at the amount of sales companies have during this event, it makes up a significant portion of their quarterly and yearly profits. That's a lot of money, creating a lot of jobs. Furthermore, for most companies the people who choose to (or pressured to) work that day are paid higher than they get paid any other day – and given that it usually involves working over-time, they get paid even more... People who work in retail generally get paid by the hour (unlike govt employees), and its much better to be working that day (and getting paid extra $$$) than staying home celebrating a fake holiday [Thanksgiving] and wasting money on tasteless Turkey and some other ritualizations that have no significance whatsoever [whether you're religious or an atheist].