Editorial Board
Black Friday 2011 Turns Freaky for Economists, Politicians: View
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Happy Black Friday! That’s the name the financial world has given to the day after Thanksgiving, which marks the opening of buying season. A fifth of all consumer purchases this year will be made between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
These weeks may be thought of as the Western answer to Ramadan, which is for Muslims a monthlong period of self-denial, reflection and prayer. For Christians and Jews and Muslims in the U.S., the next few weeks will be a period of self-indulgence and heedless consumerism. Some find the traditions of this holy period -- particularly shopping -- offensive and exhausting, but we should honor the indigenous culture of the West, of which Christmas shopping is a deeply ingrained part.