Merry Christmas, Suckers

We frequently hear or read that 1% of the population of the United States holds 95% of the wealth of the United States. I often hear the question, “How much do you need?” in discussions about the 1%. We may like to think of the 1% as greedy bloodsuckers, but we don’t make it very difficult for them to take our money. Christmas provides a good example.

The term “Black Friday” comes from accounting jargon. Before they had electronic spreadsheets, accountants recorded debts and losses in red ink and recorded gains and profits in black ink on paper ledgers. Historically, many retailers operated at a loss until the day after Thanksgiving, when we all started our Christmas shopping. So, the day after Thanksgiving became known as “Black Friday” because that is when the retailers finally started showing a profit – or started operating “in the black” - for the year. Imagine that. A store stays open all year long just so that we can spend money during the last month of the year.

We can count the family that owns Walmart among the 1%. Walmart has helped us to start a new Holiday tradition: recording our neighbors brawling with each other over merchandise on Thanksgiving Day and posting those videos on social media. We do not brawl with each other over bread because of hunger, we brawl with each other over a bunch of junk that we don’t need. We camp out in front of BestBuy in order to get a place in line so that we can buy electronic devices that we can’t figure out how to use. We trample each other to get shoes that bear the name of a retired professional basketball player. We pay huge premiums for clothing with huge logos of professional sports franchises so we can have the privilege of becoming mobile signs for private businesses.

We give our money to the 1% all year long at the gas pump. We drive around in outrageously large vehicles and drive them much faster than necessary. We think public transportation is for bums and bicyclists just slow us down. We urge each other to “support our troops,” never thinking that if we didn't demand so much gasoline the oil companies wouldn't have the power to put our boys and girls in harm’s way.

I could go on about other rackets such as makeup, TV and food. We pay more for branding and attractive packaging than we do for the actual food. We helped banks become too big to fail by accepting loans from them for more house than we need.

I have heard complaints about the commercialization of Christmas my whole life. My question to you this Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. 99%: How much do you need?

Happy Mother's Day

I grew up with a rather cynical attitude about Mother's Day.  I learned that the person who founded the observance became disappointed in how commercialized it became just a few years after she started it.  I saw it as a marketing device for furniture stores, restaurants, florists and greeting card companies.  I love sending and receiving Christmas cards, so I don’t begrudge greeting card companies the opportunity too much.  They have to make a living from one Christmas to the next.  I became a little annoyed this year because 1-800-FLOWERS sent me at least two emails a day over the past week.  I used them to send flowers to my late mother in past years.

Mother's Day may be commercial, but it is still an opportunity to express gratitude.  I am grateful for the woman who gave me life.  She not only gestated me for nine months, but also gave me survival skills.  She made sure I learned how to tell time and learned how to swim.  She taught me some manners.  I am also grateful for the woman who bravely bore me a fine son.  She continues to provide our child with care and attention.  She works with me to teach our child the skills he will need to survive and thrive.

As a male, I probably cannot completely comprehend what women go through in pregnancy and childbirth.  I appreciate all they do to teach and nurture the children.