Spring Break
The Daily OrangeConsumerism destroys holiday spirit
By Brian Lance
Posted: 12/3/08, 1:36 AM EST Section: Opinion
One day after Damour was trampled, Wal-Mart issued a press release, stating the company had arranged for extra security and barricades in preparation for the huge turnout it expected. Wal-Mart dedicated a mere two sentences of the press release to condolence, and refused further comment on how the incident reflected holiday shopping trends at its stores.
The Commanding Officer of the Valley Stream Auxiliary Police, Joseph Carbonette, said the odds of investigators assigning some kind of guilt to a wild mob are almost none existent.
"It's a really hard thing to do," Carbonette said. "If they do, it would be amazing."
The worst part of this holiday perversion is that the mania for consumerism is unstoppable. Barricades and security failed to stem the material lust, as did the crumbling economy. Now law enforcement agencies in Nassau County are left to sift through the only remnants, footage from a security camera. Without usable evidence and a lead in any direction the mob will run free, taking what little value human life now has with it.
"Everyone was doing their shopping like it was nothing," Carbonette said. "Nobody even stopped to see if he was OK."
No one has come forward to apologize. The situation shows the fear of responsibility Americans have. But there is no one person to blame and no way to corral a long-since scattered mob into confession. The entire system, our idea of the holidays, spilled this blood. All we can do is shake our heads, talk about how terrible the Valley Stream Wal-Mart incident was and ride on this wave of overbearing consumerism until the end of the year. Then we will file it away beyond the back pages of the newspapers and out of memory before it ruins future holiday feasts.
Nothing will ever change unless we all change, and there's a slim chance of that happening. So, spend more and be merry with that blood dripping from your calf leather wallets, your $500 purses and your ad campaigns. Happy Holidays.
Brian Lance is a junior newspaper journalism major. His columns appeared every other Wednesday. He can be reached at btlance@syr.edu.
The Commanding Officer of the Valley Stream Auxiliary Police, Joseph Carbonette, said the odds of investigators assigning some kind of guilt to a wild mob are almost none existent.
"It's a really hard thing to do," Carbonette said. "If they do, it would be amazing."
The worst part of this holiday perversion is that the mania for consumerism is unstoppable. Barricades and security failed to stem the material lust, as did the crumbling economy. Now law enforcement agencies in Nassau County are left to sift through the only remnants, footage from a security camera. Without usable evidence and a lead in any direction the mob will run free, taking what little value human life now has with it.
"Everyone was doing their shopping like it was nothing," Carbonette said. "Nobody even stopped to see if he was OK."
No one has come forward to apologize. The situation shows the fear of responsibility Americans have. But there is no one person to blame and no way to corral a long-since scattered mob into confession. The entire system, our idea of the holidays, spilled this blood. All we can do is shake our heads, talk about how terrible the Valley Stream Wal-Mart incident was and ride on this wave of overbearing consumerism until the end of the year. Then we will file it away beyond the back pages of the newspapers and out of memory before it ruins future holiday feasts.
Nothing will ever change unless we all change, and there's a slim chance of that happening. So, spend more and be merry with that blood dripping from your calf leather wallets, your $500 purses and your ad campaigns. Happy Holidays.
Brian Lance is a junior newspaper journalism major. His columns appeared every other Wednesday. He can be reached at btlance@syr.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
nomadofthehills
John Vanek
posted 12/03/08 @ 10:32 AM EST
Without consumerism, there would be NO holiday season. Food for thought.
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