they were idiots, walmart should have locked the doors, and all should have been charged with murder.
Who are those shoppers who broke down the doors and trampled to death a Wal-Mart employee early last Friday in New York?
We'd like to think they were aliens from some other planet, but they were not. They were Americans, seemingly ordinary "bargain hunters," looking to get the best Christmas buys they could at the store's early-morning sales specials.
Authorities are investigating the ugly incident with an eye toward prosecuting those most responsible for the worker's death. Good luck with that; it's hard to assign individual blame in the midst of a herd of out-of-control elephants.
It's become a cliche for critics to point out each year how at variance our consumer culture is with the true meaning of Christmas.
But the thing about cliches is that they contain brilliant bits of truth. And certainly what happened in that Wal-Mart store Friday is a perfect example of our consumer culture run amok - and is as far removed from what Christmas stands for as you can possibly get.
What could those "bargain hunters" have been thinking as they crowded in, fighting and knocking each other down, oblivious to the man they were trampling beneath their feet? Or, perhaps like wild animals in in full charge mode, they didn't notice or didn't care. Some shoppers stepped over or around the body. None showed any interest in trying to stop the stampede - much less trying to save his life.
Even when the authorities finally got the mob under control, and ordered people to leave the store, there was no letup in the crowd's greed and callousness toward human life. Many shoppers complained loudly that it was unfair to throw them out of the store when they'd waited for so many hours to get in.
No, they were not aliens from another planet. They were just alien to what the Christmas spirit really means. Shame on them all.
Comments
they were idiots, walmart should have locked the doors, and all should have been charged with murder.
Location, location, location. I've noticed this hasn't happened at any of the local Wal-Marts.
In today's society this is a strange occurrence? What seems strange would be the folks that believe the complete lack of empathy for one another with violent tendencies to be strange...Now that is strange....
PT are you saying we are better down here? Our Walmarts were open 24 hours. They made people line up inside, but they did not have people standing outside. If our Best Buy had not opened on time I imagine some people would have rioted. They were waiting outside of there since Thanksgiving morning.
Momma always said,"Stupid is as stupid does." Now that is the epitome of Stupid. Yes, with a capital S. These are some of the same people who overwhelmingly voted for the Obam. I wonder if there were any Electoral College members in the stampede. If you could freeze a moment in time...........The best thing to do in an avalanche is to swim with the tide. I guess they are going to have to give mob training at Wal-mart from now on. No sense in trying to civilize the masses. They are free...at last.....Hmm.
This is why I don't go near a mall or store the day after Thanksgiving. Tried it once and I was shocked at how people can act over saving a few bucks. They are like savages. It's not worth it to me. I'll spend a few extra dollars and keep my sanity and stay out of jail for not killing some idiot out there grabbing something out of my hands. LOL
agree. These people have forgotten what the Christmas spirit is REALLY all about. I was very thankful that almost nobody from Williston was shopping on Friday. And that was because of the Class A Division II state championship game (which we lost to Scott's Branch).
I've always thought that anyone that would live in NYC was sub human. This only proves it. Shopping on line is the way to go and save money too!
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