Time for our "It's a slow news day so here's a ludicrous story vaguely connected to videogames" moment. Today is Black Friday, a day in which shoppers confirm that they are mindless cattle to be milked by capricious corporations by shedding their dignity and acting like barbarians to get discounted goods. This year's Black Friday has already been home to pepper spray attacks.
Videogame consoles bore the brunt of the madness in a Porter Ranch Walmart, where people were fighting, screaming, and ripping at the plastic wrap intended to section off the gaming goods until a set time. Eighteen-year-old Matthew Lopez was pepper sprayed in his face by a woman said to be "competitive shopping", and soon after the entire area began to cloud with eye-watering fumes.
"People started screaming, pulling and pushing each other, and then the whole area filled up with pepper spray," said one shopper. "I guess what triggered it was people started pulling the plastic off the pallets and then shoving and bombarding the display of games. It started with people pushing and screaming because they were getting shoved onto the boxes."
At least five people had gotten a vicious blast in the face, ending the evening with swollen visages and nasty coughs. Just ... wow. No matter how jaded I get about this nation's general population, people still manage to find a way to shock and disgust me on a whole new level.
America, ladies and gentlemen. America.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
11:00 AM on 11.25.2011 | 
Don't forget about boxing day! Jooooooy.
Why do people do that midnight bullshit still? Do they not have computers? I can't tell you how many adults I've talked to that do Black Friday Sales because "they've always done it", and talk about how miserable it is: some people even go into work in the morning.. So sad these people have no identity.
Anyway, I was at a Black Friday doorbuster last night at Target. Stood in line in 30 degree weather for an hour and a half to snag a good deal on a couple of things for the gf and the daughter. The mood was downright festive. People were laughing and having fun with total strangers, no one pushed or shoved, and it was overall, except for the cold of course, a fun experience. AAAAAA+++++ would shop again.
BTW, TONS of game consoles were being sold. PS3 bundles and 360+Kinect bundles were flying off the shelves like they had wings. I smiled inside.
I'd say "Humanity,ladies and gentlemen, humanity."
It's not that bad, I go out on boxing day around 8am or so and usually buy some games/movies and I have yet to see or hear of anything like this.
Also, today is "black friday" for a lot of stores in Canada because 1 in 5 Canadians plan on shopping in the US this holiday so I guess the Canadian retailers want a piece of the pie; however, our deals are pitiful compares to the ones in the US.
NOBODY tell them about Amazon.
I don't actually want an answer to that question.
We planned our route ahead of time and waited for about two hours. Got in, got our shit before anyone else even tried, got out. It was nice.
"I think people are buying shit, just to buy it."
A lot of people who have no personality identify with shopping.
There are plenty of normal people out there who enjoy these things, like Tristrix, but there are also a ton of people like Ms. "Competetive Shopper" - it's all they know.
Some people, like my fiancée, went out to find a television for our new place, because we're low on funds, and she was able to find it, SHOCKINGLY, without shanking someone or getting trampled!
Not only that, but she went with my mother and my sister, who just went to experience it. They didn't even buy anything, they just wanted to see it.
Again, I like your writing Jim, I do, but just like how every gamer isn't a 12-year-old loudmouth who's been sexually involved with every matriarch in the world, not all Black Friday shoppers are mindless barbarians.
Sorry for the rant. Carry on.
While I was at it, I took a leisurely stroll to the electronics department where I saw the PS3 Bat-Man:Arkham City double pack which I then picked up with no struggle, turned around without bumping into anyone, then walked to the front check-out counter to buy it for $30.31. There was no having to fight through the crowds like Bat-Man beating down packs of thugs in the game at all.
After all of the hype surrounding Black Friday disasters, I'm almost disappointed.
I actually saw people kayaking, taking power walks and fishing on the way there!
It seems that this is one area that Texans are actually less foolish about than people in the rest of the states in the union for once.
Laharl-KOTNW: Not sure where I said it was the fault of corporations. I did, in fact, blame the individuals for *validating* the attitudes corporations have. You should re-read the post.
I know that, but you are essentially implying that that the reason the they acted the way they did was because of those damn evil corporations that everyone loves to hate.