By Fiza Najeeb
The term “Black Friday” has a variety of meanings in different
countries. For example, in Australia, “Black Friday” signifies the
occurrence of one of the world’s worst wildfires, which took the
lives of 71 people and destroyed almost five million acres of land
in Jan. 1939. In Britain “Black Friday” stands for the day
Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982, beginning the
Falklands War.
While “Black Friday’ typically symbolizes the occurrence of a
negative event, in the United States, it is quite the opposite.
Every year, the day after Thanksgiving has become an American
tradition to wake up at 5 a.m. and spend the day at the mall taking
advantage of all the marvelous sales on what is considered to
officially be the first day of the holiday season.
It seems quite ridiculous to rise at such an ungodly hour and
subject oneself to horrendous traffic, herds of cranky people, and
never-ending lines. Sadly enough I have been suckered into this
tradition for the past years.
There’s just something so mesmerizing about the holiday season.
The flashes of red and green wherever you go, the tunes of catchy
Christmas songs which you simply cannot seem to get out of your
head, and best of all, what attracts consumers the most are those
large red signs with the words “SALE” on them.
And of course, what complements a turkey feast better than
incredible deals, and the illusion of saving loads of money (which
in reality inclines you to spend more) in the wee hours of the
morning?
Even for someone like me, who struggles to make it to her 9 a.m.
class on time, there is a natural adrenaline rush, which gets me
dressed and ready in time to find a prime parking spot.
But it’s not indulging in material goods that makes “Black
Friday” such a hype; rather, it’s the fond memories of past
holidays and sipping hot cocoa with family around a fire which
makes us look forward to that first day of the holiday season.
Fiza Najeeb can be reached by e-mail at opinions@thepolypost.com
or by phone at (909) 869-3531.
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