Black Friday

Well, another year and another Black Friday in the books.  Me, no I didn't go shopping.  I have broken free from zombie consumerism (though I did not get away completely free, I did go up to Blue Jacket Books in Xenia).  However, because I currently work in the wonderful world of retail, I got to be up bright and early to greet the consumer sheep hoard.

Don't get me wrong, customers are great, especially when you depend on them to spend money so that you can have money.  I like it when my family has food.  Full bellies is a plus in my house.  However, the problem is, to me, that (I think) people don't really think about why they are shopping.  They just seem to do it as if it is an innate drive like sex.  And I suppose the Black Friday shopping venture is much like sex: not everyone is interested in doing it at the same time, especially if it's very early in the morning; sometimes there is ton of work, but not everyone walks away satisfied; rarely does anyone want to cuddle afterwards.

On a positive note, in spite of many of them being up since midnight, the customers were quite pleasant this year.  I mean, no one got pepper sprayed in our store, unlike at a Wal-Mart store in California.  Oh well, maybe next year.  Until then, have a happy and safe holiday season.

D

Living in the End Times

I have of late become a big fan of Slovenian philosopher Slovoj Zizek.  His book First as Tragedy and then as Farce is an excellent read; in it, he tackles the idea that ethics is now a highly profitable commodity for capitalism; what is particularly interesting about this phenomenon is that ethics have, to this degree, never been profitable.  However, it is a great selling point now, for instance, to say that your product or company is "green." Zizek draws very much from Marx, Hegel, and Lacan, to formulate his arguments.  He draws especially heavy on Lacan.    

So below you will find another video that you must watch.  It is basically the TV version of parts of his new book Living in the End Times, which is also an excellent book.  But don't get confused by the title.  The book is not an apocalypse.  Well, for capitalism it might be...

D