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Greed Gone Wild
November 30th, 2008 | Stephen Bailey
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
I wasn't sure if this was an appropriate post for this site. But as we discuss life, the question of how people act in a financial crisis is bound to come up. Searching for new work or changing careers. Struggling to pay the rent or keeping up on medical bills. These and more always come into our discussions.
With the coming Christmas holidays, talks often turn to saving money while having a fulfilling holiday. One thing that would always come up is how Wal-Mart has been the only retail outlet to see an increase in sales since this new depression began.
The reasons for Wal-Mart's success at this point in time are the same as always. Simply, they sell everything cheaper than everyone. So it's obvious why folks want to shop there. But what happened at the Green Acres Mall on Sunrise Highway in Valley Stream, NY at 5:00AM on November 28, 2008 is inexcusable.
The combination of the usual Black Friday hysteria and the need to save stirred an early morning crowd into a horrifying frenzy. They pushed, shoved and squeezed against the glass doors, all desperate to be the first thru.
Jdimytai Damour (Jimbo to his friends) was a temporary worker looking to make a few extra bucks. He stood strong, trying in vain to hold back the greedy surge. sadly, an hour later he was pronounced dead. Trampled under the broken glass and feet of empty-headed assholes. I'm sorry, but there is no other way to describe this mob.
People have tried to blame Wal-Mart. Did they have enough security? Did they prepare for this excitement? And so on. But the blame falls squarely on the empty-headed assholes pushing thru the glass doors.
Was that toaster oven or shirt or television or some other crap really worth the life of Jdimytai Damour? It's sickening. Each and every one of those people should be brought up on manslaughter charges. Maybe then they'll wise up and the next time this need to buy something comes, they'll stop … breathe … relax.
So as I struggled to put this act of mass lunacy into perspective, I realized that it very much fit into my 'trip'. My search for a better life and better people. It's a scary thought that the next person who could be trampled in such a moronic surge could be me, you or anyone simply going to work.
See Also:
Mourning a Good Friend, and Trying to Make Sense of a Stampede (NY Times)
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Stephen Bailey | 2 Comments »
Greed Gone Wild
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
December 4th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
What a sad story. Our hearts go out to Mr. Damour's family.
December 6th, 2008 at 4:17 am
A truly unfortunate event. Where has the Christmas spirit gone?