"As Americans, we have access to cheap stuff secured through the occasionally-violent exploitation of other people’s labor. But it’s not quite cheap enough. So we’ve made a virtual holiday of trying to get things we don’t need for a few bucks cheaper than the person next to us. Thanksgiving is a one of our better ideas. We, theoretically, reflect on how fortunate we are to have what we have. The day after Thanksgiving would be a great day to start thinking how we might start addressing wrongs perpetuated on anybody trampled in the process of putting together the comfort and security we are so thankful for. Instead, we’ve turned it into a symbolic date for acquiring shinier objects in anticipation of how we can best miss the point of our next major holiday."

squashed