First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for the wonderful, supportive and loving people I am lucky enough to call friends and family. The list of things Im thankful for is much too long to try and count, and for that fact alone, I am incredibly grateful. Now, the following is going to be a longwinded rant, so if you dont want to read it, tune out now. On this Thanksgiving, a day that has historically been set aside to take time and reflect on the blessings you have and be grateful for them, we all need to take a moment and recognize what is happening this year. Giant corporations, in their tireless race to the bottom, have set new rules for employees and consumers this year. As Im typing this, thousands upon thousands of low wage workers are being exploited and denied access to one of the only holidays throughout the year that ALL retailers used to be closed. Sure, grocery stores have always stayed open til early afternoon, but theyve traditionally paid holiday pay and often times are staffed on a volunteer basis. This year, K-Mart opened at 7am and will remain open until midnight tomorrow night - 41 hours straight, and multiple retailers and consumer service providers like Starbucks have followed suit. It might not seem like a big deal, but its important to recognize what this means on a larger scale. Holidays have become a luxury afforded to only certain classes of our society. And American consumers need to stand up and vote with their dollars (the only real vote we have these days) and tell corporate America that this treatment is unacceptable. Refuse to participate in their exploitation of workers, and spend your dollars in your local economy where they benefit small businesses and the community around you. Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Best-Buy, Macys, Target, Nordstrom, Old Navy, etc. drain local economies and funnel profits to the wealthiest of the wealthy while shipping more and more manufacturing, and now even customer service jobs, out of America. If you dont like higher taxes, more takers and shrinking wages, stop supporting these companies that are bankrupting the American people. Participate in Small Business Saturday, buy American made goods, and be a conscious, careful consumer this year. It might seem like a great deal, but that big screen TV you get for half off comes at a high price whether you see it or not. If we don’t stop this continual push for more profits with less and less social responsibility, we’re going to end up with a society we don’t want. It’s not just ‘Black Friday’ taking over Thanksgiving, it’s about denying Americans their right to time with their families and valuing consumerism over gratitude. Maybe you think I’m overreacting, but put yourself in their shoes. It’s only going to get worse next year, and all we have is our voice and the power of the all mighty dollar to stand up against this war on the working poor.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 18:41:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015