Shopping on Thanksgiving.

I've been thinking about the call to not shop on Thanksgiving Day. It is an attempt to show our displeasure at corporations that force their workers to work, rather than giving them all time at home with their families.  But what about those who rely on "holiday pay?"  I have known several people who volunteer to work on these days because they need the money.  Not just the money for another day of work but the time and a half or double time they might make.  I have been one of those waitresses who offered to work the holidays for the money. 

Will not shopping on Thanksgiving make a change in the corporate world? No, probably not.  There are stores who are acting self-righteous, however, in the hopes that you will choose them over those "thoughtless/heartless" other stores.  It's marketing. It's emotional manipulation.

Stay home with your family because you value your family and friends and want to share a meal and give thanks for the abundance that you have.  Go help at a shelter or soup kitchen to share your abundance with those less fortunate. Do this often, not just on Thanksgiving Day.

Remember that there are folks working on Thanksgiving because they need the money. Remember that there is such a pay disparity because we've allowed it.  Somehow the political talking heads have convinced us that raising the minimum wage is a bad thing, even those of us who are making barely above minimum wage.  Is there the same outcry when the CEOs get a pay hike? What about when the Senate and House raise their wages?

Let's stop focusing on the effect and start focusing on the cause. The root cause is greed. Our system oppresses the poor and exalts the wealthy. Jesus talked about how the Kingdom of God is like a number of things - none of those included a capitalist economy that looked after the wealthy and let the poor fend for themselves.  None of those included a society that blamed he poor for being poor. This world needs more humility in the face of these internet memes of outrage. It's easy to click like, feel a moment of self-righteous indignation and move on.   The real question is, what are you going to do to address the underlying systemic issues? 

Apparently it isn't voting...but that's another blog post.