When I worked in NYC in the 60's the Jewish retailers were delighted to promote Christmas. The Fifth Avenue storefronts were spectacular. The Rockefeller Christmas tree brought in visitors with American Express credit cards and their unlimited lines of credit.
Money was spent (gift wrapping cost extra). Everyone was eager to participate in this Judeo/Christian tradition. Bloomingdales was an international attraction. A trip to FAO Schwarz was really a trip.
Today the most important shopping period of the year starts with Black Friday at Costco, Wal-Mart’s and Best Buy. You can't even find an independent record store anymore. Our gelt is going overseas to China. Once American Corporations are now international corporations and who knows where our dollars wind up. Christmas Overtime pay is now Holiday Part-Time pay...if you can even find that.
Political Correctness has castrated product marketing and promotion. The result is consumer revolts and boycotts.
And now it has infected Thanksgiving. I got one note from Barak and one from Michelle today. "God" had been redacted. Probably by chief politico Rob "Emmanuel". They just "gave thanks..." To no one in particular; they just threw it out there. "We give thanks".
And that is supposed to mean something? Maybe the pardoned White House turkey doesn't have enough brains to know who to give thanks to, but the White House turkey who wrote the emails should have been able to find something more profound for our President to say...someone to thank. Like maybe the God of our nation's founders-whose praises are carved on all those buildings in our Capitol?
Well, Wal-Mart will be open at 4am on Black Friday. That will make all their Chinese suppliers even richer. Until our dollar crashes and burns.
The "Christmas vs. Holidays" street fights will begin. And Americans will stay home reading unemployment ads and letters advising them their Visa credit line has been reduced or terminated. Maybe sales for this critical retail selling season won't tank. But I think they will.
We Americans seem to be joining the Kamikaze pilots and Muslim suicide bombers in that we have adopted an emotional commitment to Economic Suicide in the name of One-Worldness and Political Correctness. Our bleeding hearts are bleeding our national treasure.
Give Thanks and Have A Happy!
