United States

If you are reading this at home, it means you have not left home to brave Black Friday crowds. If you are reading this on your phone while trying to pass the time in line at a big box store in order to get some crazy deals, then you are brave. Maybe you are home and online waiting for that right moment to click “place order” for that bargain Black Friday deal. Hopefully if you are out shopping, it is at your local boutique because you like supporting your neighborhood business.

If you are like me, you are hiding from it all. A colleague from Japan was asking about Black Friday last week. We told her about crazy Americans who trample each other for discounts on TVs, electronics, you name it. A new bra, toilet paper, a trash can? We are crazy!

A week ago Chris was in Hong Kong and happened to be near an Apple store when the new iPad Air was launching. CRAZY. Take a look at the picture taken from outside, and to think that he actually went inside to check it out from the inside. Look at all those people. It is similar to Black Friday craziness in the US.

In all seriousness though, you have to read this Huffington Post article about Black Friday, capitalism, and consumerism. It is so well written, and a good reminder that we really need to get control of the consumerism that is eating into Thanksgiving. Let’s leave gratitude and family for Turkey Day, and let’s leave shopping to Black Friday. We saw that an outlet mall in Washington opened at 10 am on Thanksgiving and would not close again until 11 pm on Friday night. Why? Why? Why? I agree with the author, if we do not shop for that deal for socks on Thanksgiving, they will stop opening on Thanksgiving. Let their employees be with their families.

#SeriouslyAnnoyedAboutBlackFriday

Unlike Ron Burgundy aka Will Ferrell (see below video), I will not do anything for you so you will go and vote. Why? Because you should go vote because it is a freedom and privilege. (Sorry in advance for those of you that are not in the United States. This is an important and timely topic in the US.)

As many of you may know, I do not like writing about politics. I dislike the separation it causes among friends and family. So I usually keep my mouth shut. However, there is one thing I cannot stay quiet about: voting. You MUST vote on Tuesday. No matter what your political party, or who you are going to vote for (although I do have an opinion on who you should vote for – I will keep that to myself). Today I just want to emphatically ask you to go and vote. Speak up, and cast your vote. And now a message from Will Ferrell himself:

A little comedy goes a long way. What I love about his video is that his message is mostly (until the last few seconds) just about going and voting. There are still countries where both men and women are not allowed to vote. Think of voting as speaking your mind and sharing your voice. We have the freedom to vote that others in the world do not have. So, we should all take advantage of our right to vote. We should not take it for granted. We should use this right to make a difference.

If you do not vote, you cannot be upset anytime in the next four years if you do not like the outcome. You cannot have an opinion about the direction of education, taxes, our economy, etc. if you do not go and VOTE.

Please, please, please go and cast your ballot on Tuesday!