'Tis the Season to Give Thanks

Thanksgiving has to be the oxymoron of all holiday names. Jdimytai Damour must have thought so as he lay on the floor of Wal-Mart breathing his last while a herd of 2,000 human elephants stampeded over him and crushed the life out of his body during their 5:00 a.m. rush to show their thanks in this season of friendship and brotherhood and sisterhood.

What is it about holidays and "stuff" that makes people develop a deadly herd mentality? If a bunch of urban red necks from Queens can pulverize a 270 pound man for a cheap television set, or have the stamina and excitement to camp out for two nights in the freezing weather, imagine what these people can do for their country and their fellow human beings. They did something alright; they KILLED a man and all 2,000 of them are getting away with it, every single one, bloody boots and huffy attitude and all. Many were inconvenienced because the store workers needed to move the shoppers in an attempt to help their fellow employee.

This is literally the century of "shop till you drop," (or till someone else drops). The economy is sinking, no affordable health care, homelessness, war, poverty, no ethics, greed, gluttony: no problem, an hour at Best Buy will take care of the life blues, et voila, life is beautiful again, till that thing you bought no longer feeds that addiction.

Someone must know what they are doing during this "holy" season; and they are laughing all the way to the bank. Damour is an acceptable casualty. He gave his life for economic prosperity (not yours or his of course, y'all are just sheep, and if you're dumb enough to stampede a man for a television set, you're dumb enough to jump over a cliff for the right price) and the capitalist consumer lifestyle.

Maybe we should remember the Damours of this world who have given their lives so we can feed our apathetic greed. This is no longer the season of giving thanks but of taking till there is nothing left to take and then we are left alone with ourselves. What a frightening prospect THAT must be for many.