Black Friday brings out the blackness of humanity

Black Friday is supposed to be an accounting term. It’s when the company becomes profitable for the year. That is scary in and of itself.

Black Friday means something else entirely to the people who actually have to work in the stores. It means the beginning of long crazy hours, and hoards of rude, overwhelmed and frustrated shoppers.

And this year, one was killed. Trampled to death by people so focused on beating each other to the 5 available TVs, or whatever – that they couldn’t even stop to help a person up.

In years past, the violence was limited to shoving people out of the way, or even grabbing the item right out of somebody’s hands. Many times you would see people actually sitting on their treasure just to keep someone from trying to get it away from them.

But as our world continues to get blacker, it’s really only a matter of time before people will be shooting each other over the coveted item. There was a shooting in a Toys-R-Us store, but it was apparently gang related and had nothing to do with the merchandise.

You wonder how things got like this.

It’s getting harder to care. It seems that no matter what you do, you’re screwed.

You work hard all your life, only to get laid off a few years before retirement with no hope that anyone will hire you at your age, or

You’ve worked hard, and you’ve been successful. You’ve socked away money in your retirement accounts, only to watch it evaporate – poof., or

You’ve always been a hard worker. You’ve been willing to do practically anything to make a living for your family, but now you can’t find a job to save your life.

Not enough experience, too much experience, too young, too old…

People find comfort in food, and escape in the TV.

No one really wants to be fat and sick, but they don’t really care enough to come out of the comfort place.

The thought of death? I don’t think it has such a hold anymore. What the heck – Life isn’t that grand.

As people care less and less about themselves, it’s not likely they’re going to take much thought about anyone else. Everyone is concerned about protecting what they have left, or just trying to survive and find a way to pay the next bill.

But if we’ve sunk so low and gotten so desperate that we are willing to overlook someone suffering just to get a deal – what’s next Christmas going to be like?