Priorities

Americans have become a populace driven by sound bites, desire for instant gratification, and an impatience only increased by the connected age in which we now live.  Thanksgiving a unique United States holiday.  It recognizes a meal between pilgrim settlers and Native Americans. Yet, this American holiday is undergoing a fundamental change in the way it is celebrated. Its changing status says a slew about our common national priorities. The day is becoming more and more about the start of the Christmas shopping season than about spending time with family and friends.  Although, people at work say you can have it both ways, the males stay home and watch football, and the females go out shopping.  Have these attributes become so commonplace ther are now inherent in our DNA?

Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate with family and friends and to give thanks for what we have been given. Yet it should be more than our thanks for the material goods, or our financial well-being. Having sufficient resources to purchase required goods is important. After all, few make the clothes they wear, the food they eat or the shelter in which they live. Specialization is a product of civilization. Yet, this special American holiday is being transformed.  Our common culture continually changes, and Thanksgiving presents just one case.

The day after Thanksgiving became known as Black Friday, because that is said to be the day of the year in which stores begin to actually make a profit. The Friday after Thanksgiving is, or was, the champion shopping day for the year. The term Black Friday, however, is thought to have begun as a derisive term from the 1950’s or early 1960’s and was used by police in Philadelphia in dealing with large amount of shoppers. At that time, many workers called in sick in order to get Friday off work, and that likely led to the four day long holiday for many corporations and businesses—at least non-retail. The kids were off school, and the parents wanted to be home.  The day before Thanksgiving is also the peak travel time of the year. It beats out Christmas, likely because Christmas travel is spread over more days. Time off of work led to more shoppers, which led to retail success in one day, this led to competition to start even earlier than a normal retail time of 9 or 10 am. It did not take a genius to figure out the next move—stores opening on Thanksgiving.  At some point in the past generation it seems this has become a reality. Some stores such as drug, gas stations, and grocery stores have long been open on Thanksgiving, but clothing, electronic retailers and the like were closed. In the past several years the stores began opening on Thanksgiving in the mid to late evening, but now that has turned to afternoon. Gordmann's advertises a 2 pm opening.  Perhaps next year it will be noon. Retailers would not be open, however, if there was not such a demand.  At some point, if trends continue, perhaps stores will be open all day on Thanksgiving. And, if it ultimately replaces Black Friday as the choice shopping day of the year, it would be with a certain irony, as Black Thursday in American history is associated with the large stock market drop in 1928 which is what helped precipitate the Great Depression.

Consumer culture has helped drive American growth. In a past blog, I wrote about how this affects both our built and social environments.  Our purchase of plastic toys from China, or clothes from Malaysia help drive the economy.  Although, not as much as when we bought toys or clothes made in the United States. The economic principle of the multiplier effect would grant more money to the US economy when the added value of goods occurs in the United States. In that sense, the nation help support itself. The Wisconsin farmer who bought overalls made in the mills of South Carolina helped the factory and cotton workers in the US, and the merchants in all those local communities. Likewise, a car made by GM in Janesville, helped not only the GM worker, but the local suppliers that provided parts to GM, and others who would benefit by their spending. Spending is important to the economy, but so too is strong support. Workers are often the strength of a business and a happy worker is likely a more productive worker. When a business decides to require their workers to work a shift on Thanksgiving in the hopes of increased sales they may negatively affect their personnel who may actually prefer time with their family than being forced to work on a national holiday. The large retailers may have an upper hand over the local merchant who chooses to stay home with his or her family.

Times in our nation have changed as we have moved from downtowns with many local merchants to power centers and big boxes dominated by national chains. The nation is often considered to have been settled by persons with a strong individualistic streak. The thinking goes that the democratic-capitalist system best supports those who support themselves. Yet, Alexis de Tocqueville commented in his seminal work Democracy in America about the importance of social groups to the development of the United States.  These societies or groups offered support to members. Local grange and farm groups would offer support to local farmers.  Church groups would offer support in non-rural areas. Sewing and quilting circles have been rebadged as scrapbook and stamping groups.  While the sense of individualism runs strong in the nation, the paradox is that in a good many cases the ability to draw on support from family, local clubs and societies helped to make the individual successful. Community and family support was essential to success for many persons.

The Pilgrims are often thought to be the first to set the theme of individualism for the nation. However, these early settlers were dependent upon their group, and ulitmately the sharing from the Indians during that first Thanksgiving celebration. While Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for what we have, it is also about thanking those who have supported us. Support is manifested in a variety of ways. It is accomplished when one offers prayers for another. It is accomplished when a person is there to listen. It is there when encouragement or advice is provided. It is also there in promoting success for a family member or friend. It is also present when giving monetarily to a cause in which you believe. A few examples can be used to indicate the importance of support. Some persons create non-profit charities to help gain a tax advantage, while some are created out of pure genorisity to assist others. The Triumph Fund, created to assist with advancing cancer treatment and cures at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is an example of the latter. Family members who passed away in the past few years due to cancer benefitted by prayers—their cancer may not have been healed, but they both enjoyed a level of travel even with a debilitating disease.  Also important is the way their struggles helped benefit the healthy. Yet, support does not always have to be about such heavy matters.  It is in a level of commitment to encourage success for an individual. This was shown by family support to one young member who came up with a recommendation for a beer.  That beer would have to earn first among many submitted types to be commercially produced. His idea was so supported by family members, and friends that his beer was not only successful in becoming the top beer, but it had one of the largest differentials between first and second place beer for the MobCraft Brewery. Support and care is what Thanksgiving is all about.

We should be thankful for what we have been given, but also for the support and care provided to us. Yet, I think it also then demands us to be use our talents and gifts to support others. There is always someone in need of support. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is noted as saying that whenever you do to the least of my brothers you have done unto me. Thanksgiving is not about the kickoff to the Packer-Bear game, or the kickoff to the Christmas shopping season, or Black Friday, or even Cyber Monday.  It is a day in which we should reflect on what we have done to help and care for others, and to thank those who have supported and cared for us.  Fr. Eric Hollis, OSB concluded a recent blog post by saying: “God creates us all to be gifts to one another.”  What a wonderful definition of humanity.  That is what being human is all about.  Thanksgiving is a reminder that as much as our action may be due to our individual talents, there were others who provided support, care and encouragement. But, also remember to enrich yourself by providing care and support to others in need.  As the consumer culture starts to take over yet another holiday, let us recall what is of importance, and that it is practiced on a regular basis. And if you do go shopping on Thanksgiving, please remember the workers who are there serving you and perhaps would rather be watching the Packers at Lambeau Field, if not having pumpkin pie with their family.

Images found through Google Images