The Darkest Black Friday [Archive]

Hosakawa Tito

11-29-2008, 03:27

For those unfamiliar with Black Friday; it is the kickoff to the Christmas Holiday shopping season that traditionally starts the Friday after Thanksgiving. Stores open early, around 5am, and offer some of the best deals in limited quantities to those willing to wait in line half the night. It's a mob scene that I never participate in, my wife does on occasion, but after today that might change.

A Walmart in Long Island, NY suffered a real tragedy today due to shoppers running amok (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081128/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_death;_ylt=Aqk8aWXsXQQxCEjPxlXDUKEuQE4F). A man lost his life today, trampled to death because some :daisy:'s wanted to be first in line to buy HDTV's on sale. Listening to some of the customer interviews on the video makes one :shame: & ~:angry: at such depraved indifference. Hope they enjoy their :daisy: tv's.

Lord Winter

11-29-2008, 05:07

Part of me wants to start talking about moral decay and the rise of materialism but the other part is saying so what. Yes its horriable and shows many things that are wrong with our culture, but its one shop out of thousands. Of course when we line up theres a chance that it will happen. The real question is so what? What can this show us that we didn't know already and how do we fix it?

GeneralHankerchief

11-29-2008, 05:48

I sympathize, but on the other hand am shocked this incident hasn't happened before. Memory serves, we usually hear about this sort of thing every Black Friday.

rasoforos

11-29-2008, 06:22

What does a life matter when you can purchase a Hulk DVD for $9?

There are limits to everything. One might think that consumerism is the best thing ever and one might think its the mother of all evils...but to not stop to help the guy you just trampled and then to refuse to leave the shop even after a man is dead...

I don't think there is a penalty for that. People with such a way of thinking are already in their own personal hell. It doesn't have anything to do with economic or social views, it has to do with what kind of person you are.

Tribesman

11-29-2008, 08:27

What a sad bunch of no lifes .

people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

So when normal people are spending time celebrating with friends and family some losers choose to stand all day and night in a queue in the freezing cold to save a few bucks on a pile of junk they don't need .
BTW Hosa does The Pig & Whistle on West 47th, Connolly's or Stout's have a sale on for the holidays ?

naut

11-29-2008, 10:27

Bought all my presents last month. Beat the rush I say. :2thumbsup:

Husar

11-29-2008, 17:15

Barbarism. :thumbsdown:

InsaneApache

11-29-2008, 18:06

I read in the Gruniad that there was a gun battle between bargain hunters. Crazy.

Lemur

11-29-2008, 18:41

I wish a sincere good luck to the boys in blue on this one ...

Police Seeking Wal-Mart Shoppers Who Trampled Employee (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/29/police-seeking-walmart-sh_n_147069.html)

NEW YORK — Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify who trampled to death a Wal-Mart worker after a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down.

Criminal charges were possible, but identifying individual shoppers in Friday's video may prove difficult, said Detective Lt. Michael Fleming, a Nassau County police spokesman.

Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries. The store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening. [...]

Items on sale at the Valley Stream Wal-Mart included a Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $798, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.

ICantSpellDawg

11-29-2008, 18:47

Husar

11-29-2008, 19:18

I know that white people can storm stores in similar ways, whether they ever trampled anyone to death I do not know however, maybe they're just lucky. But property damage certainly isn't a factor that would stop them anyway.

Lemur

11-29-2008, 19:34

Playstation 3 stampedes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhp1ElO4MiA)

White trash fighting over computers on Black Friday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehSkxg7wvyk&feature=related)

2007 Black Friday stampede (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeSgBL7gpAk)

Marshal Murat

11-29-2008, 19:54

A person is intelligent. People are stupid.

Crazed Rabbit

11-29-2008, 20:03

Two men shoot each other to death after their wives start fighting in a Toys 'R' Us in Palm Springs Cali. (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081129/D94OJDJ80.html)

:shame:

CR

InsaneApache

11-29-2008, 20:23

Yup that's the one I read about. Couldn't find the link though. Thanks CR.

Jolt

11-29-2008, 21:40

Barbarism. :thumbsdown:

:yes: Yet another proof corroborating my argument that the USA is one of the most barbarian societies of the West.

Hosakawa Tito

11-29-2008, 22:25

Two men shoot each other to death after their wives start fighting in a Toys 'R' Us in Palm Springs Cali. (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081129/D94OJDJ80.html)

:shame:

CR

From what I've read about this one it's quite possible this was a gang related confrontation.

These incidence aren't race specific and can happen in any neighborhood. Stupidity & indifference to others is where you find it. A large part of the problem can be laid at the retailers feet. They foment this "gotta gets mine" consumer frenzy and provide minimal safe crowd control mechanisms & procedures to protect their employees or customers. Shopping shouldn't be like participating in a WWF cage match, but unfortunately that is what it is coming to. The families of the tragedy should sue Walmart for millions and demand better crowd control safety measures. It's a shame you have to treat people like cattle and herd them along, but it's better than this.

Me, I'm shopping online.

ICantSpellDawg

11-29-2008, 23:31

Who are these people?

seireikhaan

11-30-2008, 03:07

Yet more proof that this country has lost its way. I don't care if we're in a SUPER-DUPER GREAT DEPRESSION. This sort of greed is inexcusable. It reeks of the very culture that's put our economy in such a :daisy: fix. I'll bet most of those folks probably just charged the :daisy: HDTV's to their credit card, even if they can't really afford it without paying mountains of interest, just because their regular, ordinary TV just WON'T cut it anymore, they GOTTA have that 50 inch 1080p tv. And hey, its only $1,100 instead of $1,500! WHAT A :daisy: BARGAIN. MUST BUY MUST BUY!!!

:thumbsdown:

Husar

11-30-2008, 06:28

Well, if you can live with DVDs...

Just today I mentioned how important it is to give HD TVs to everybody on the planet so they all become lazy watching Blu-Rays, effectively ending all wars and the poverty they cause. :2thumbsup:

CountArach

11-30-2008, 06:30

These people should be forced to watch the funeral of this man on their new HDTVs.

Utterly sickening.

AlexanderSextus

11-30-2008, 10:47

Husar

11-30-2008, 15:22

and end up just like all the fat people in WALL-E

I'm not fat, I'm closer to underweight. :sweatdrop:

Jolt

11-30-2008, 20:47

These people should be forced to watch the funeral of this man on their new HDTVs.

Indeed. The whole lot.

TevashSzat

11-30-2008, 21:07

Very, very, sad.....

Thats why I only go to the less popular stores when they open. I have no intention of waiting all night to save some money which is why I don't go to Best Buy or those really really popular stores that always end up swamped....

Papewaio

12-01-2008, 06:24

People still demand their bread and circuses.

Jolt

12-01-2008, 14:14

People still demand their bread and circuses.

IMO, nowadays there's too much circus and no bread whatsoever.

yesdachi

12-01-2008, 15:17

I have no desire to get up early and deal with thousands of people just to save a few dollars. We went out Saturday, still got good deals and didn’t have to deal with all the lunatics. I also ordered online and got the Friday door buster deal on a TomTom!

I know a few people that just love the thrill of being there with all the crowds – Black Friday Danger Junkies. I don’t get it.

Seamus Fermanagh

12-01-2008, 22:29

I know a few people that just love the thrill of being there with all the crowds – Black Friday Danger Junkies. I don’t get it.

Same crowd are the first out on the roads after a snowfall too, to "see how bad it is." Often, they can get the typical snow crunched down into truly dangerous ice even before the plows swing by! :wall:

Huge refinery fire? Let's head closer so I can get a good picture with my cell phone and prove I saw it live. :wall:

Darwin was clearly wrong -- too few awards are handed out.

HoreTore

12-01-2008, 23:24

or is there a serious problem with African American culture that people keep trying to sweep under the carpet because of political correctness?

Oh. My.* God. You did not just blame it on that. Seriously. Someone slap him, I just lost my will to live.

*actually yours, me being an atheist and all that, but you get the drift...

Seamus Fermanagh

12-02-2008, 01:43

Oh. My.* God. You did not just blame it on that. Seriously. Someone slap him, I just lost my will to live.

*actually yours, me being an atheist and all that, but you get the drift...

TSM is correct in that there are several folks who have argued that black urban culture has some inherent problems built into it that may serve to limit chances of success for members of that sub-culture. Some of those who take this view are, themselves, black.

Now, as to linking that debate with this incident.....:inquisitive:

HoreTore

12-02-2008, 07:03

TSM is correct in that there are several folks who have argued that black urban culture has some inherent problems built into it that may serve to limit chances of success for members of that sub-culture. Some of those who take this view are, themselves, black.

"Black urban culture"? Are you referring to what we usually call "poor urban culture"? Which is basically the same in every country?

Well... Except the hip-hop, I guess...

CountArach

12-02-2008, 07:20

"Black urban culture"? Are you referring to what we usually call "poor urban culture"? Which is basically the same in every country?

Well... Except the hip-hop, I guess...
And the bling.

Beefy187

12-02-2008, 07:24

I guess the general opinion is as there are too many people now days, who cares if they die? Those rare TVs on the other hand...

Value of human life is on the fall and value of goods are on the rise.

RIP to those who died

HoreTore

12-02-2008, 07:45

And the bling.

What? Ever seen a Romani? And i don't think I've ever seen someone on steroids without a big, thick gold necklace to go with it...

EDIT: Or the norwegian specialty: bbq suit, gray hair, hockey hair, unshaved facial hair, no shirt + open suit on the chest + gold bling.... And a healthy dose of xenophobia and low intelligence, as well as crappy musical taste(google "Ole Ivars" if you don't believe me)...

Yoyoma1910

12-02-2008, 08:24

Would this not have happened in another town simply because of population density, or is there a serious problem with African American culture that people keep trying to sweep under the carpet because of political correctness?

Does poverty really cause desperation in trying to find a Hulk DVD for 9 dollars? Food is one thing, but these people weren't foaming at the mouth in front of a Wallbaums. Lack of self-control and contempt for the suffering are at fault here, supported by the moral cultural dearth of certain communities.

You can demean the culture without demeaning the human, and the culture is corrupt.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize everyone in the crowd was African American. However, the man trampled to death was.

All I know is they were all in Long Island.

I live in a majority black city, with an exceptionally high crime rate, extreme poverty, ridiculous levels of lead poisoning, and a literacy rate that is laughable. Nobody here was shot or trampled because of early Christmas shopping.

CountArach

12-02-2008, 08:35

What? Ever seen a Romani? And i don't think I've ever seen someone on steroids without a big, thick gold necklace to go with it...

EDIT: Or the norwegian specialty: bbq suit, gray hair, hockey hair, unshaved facial hair, no shirt + open suit on the chest + gold bling.... And a healthy dose of xenophobia and low intelligence, as well as crappy musical taste(google "Ole Ivars" if you don't believe me)...
It sounds like the average Australian... we just add beer.

CrossLOPER

12-02-2008, 15:06

Now, as to linking that debate with this incident.....:inquisitive:He's been going out of his way to establish those kind of links for a while now.

HoreTore

12-02-2008, 19:02

It sounds like the average Australian... we just add beer.

Yeah, you can add both beer and cheap wine you get in carboard boxes too. Bought in either Sweden or Denmark, of course...

Yoyoma1910

12-02-2008, 20:06

(google "Ole Ivars" if you don't believe me)...

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

That's funny. It's Norwegian country music.

Seamus Fermanagh

12-02-2008, 21:17

What? Ever seen a Romani?

Would us yanks use the term "gypsy" for Romani?

CrossLOPER

12-03-2008, 00:48

Would us yanks use the term "gypsy" for Romani?

Yeah.

Evil_Maniac From Mars

12-03-2008, 02:53

What? Ever seen a Romani?

Bling + Romani does sometimes happen (https://img518.imageshack.us/img518/2874/gypsygoldac4.jpg), of course. I think every culture in the world has at least someone with a tasteless amount of fake gold danging from the neck, arms, fingers, teeth, and sometimes nipples.

Banquo's Ghost

12-03-2008, 08:02

I think every culture in the world has at least someone with a tasteless amount of fake gold danging from the neck, arms, fingers, teeth, and sometimes nipples.

:yes:

Some worse than others.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/aslanngrae/200652414453_MTnew_ceremsym_crownje.png

:wink3:

InsaneApache

12-03-2008, 09:31

Who's that? :inquisitive:

:laugh4:

Yoyoma1910

12-03-2008, 16:18

I pity the fool who calls me tasteless.

The words that come from such a mouth are baseless.

EDIT: Removed hotlinked picture of Mr T. Please host pictures yourself. BG

Seamus Fermanagh

12-03-2008, 23:06

:yes:

Some worse than others.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/aslanngrae/200652414453_MTnew_ceremsym_crownje.png

:wink3:

To be fair, I don't think much of that was faked. Though pulling a Katie Price might have added to the "luster" of the royal family back then....

:smartass:

drone

12-03-2008, 23:37

This thread now demands a link to an I'm Gonna Git You Sucka clip, but I can't find one without language. :gah2: I'll just leave you with the obligatory quote:

How did he go to the bathroom with all this stuff on?

Evil_Maniac From Mars

12-04-2008, 00:21

EDIT: Removed hotlinked picture of Mr T. Please host pictures yourself. BG

I found that sort of funny, don't ask why.

Hooahguy

12-04-2008, 01:21

:weirdthread:

BigTex

12-04-2008, 02:01

So much hate for Black Friday.. Honestly is there a more interesting non-holiday holiday? Me and my friends make it every year early in the morning that friday just to watch the circus. It's like going to the zoo, except you get to watch insane people foaming at the mouth for the last narnia dvd on sale at walmart. Instead of tigers foaming at the mouth for a taste of antelope. My god I love black friday...