How important is the “shopping season” in context with the Christmas season? By Julie Peller, Ph.D.

Green Junction

The Thanksgiving weekend became a major holiday shopping weekend in the US. This change occurred in the 1940s or 1950s, according to historical accounts. Businesses operated most of the year at a loss (“in the red”). They would earn a profit (“the black”) on the day after Thanksgiving. On this day, holiday shoppers spent more money on discounted merchandise. Other accounts point to the 1950s events in the city of Philadelphia. Suburban shoppers and tourists flooded into the city before the big Army-Navy football game held on that Saturday after Thanksgiving. Decades later, Black Friday was rebranded with a more positive tone to motivate consumers. Now the term is used to lure consumers even before the Thanksgiving weekend.

Black Friday purchases have followed the overall rise in consumerism, which began with the industrial revolution of the early 1900s. Buying oodles of unnecessary stuff in society has led to ecological destruction. This is particularly true when the mind perceives “bargains” as wins. It has caused even societal breakdown, according to neuroscientist Dr. Dan Goyal. He explains in his recent column, “convincing us to buy something is fine, so long as it is actually good for us.” He follows with “convincing us to buy stuff that adds little or nothing to our lives is entirely different. Inventing cheap plastic toys or something that portends to solve a problem that doesn’t really exist is not ok. It is not worth the raw materials, the ecological impacts, the depletion of our finances.” In his opinion, “there is no talent worthy of promoting in the ‘meaningless crap’ industry.”

Dr. Goyal also explains other effects of overconsumption on peoples’ minds and society.  “The constant stimulation through both passive and active advertising serves only to keep consumers uninformed and less able to think critically. What use is a consumer base that can see through the (marketing) falsehoods and recognize worthless products as a waste of time, money and resources?” “How can you sell millions of something that’s relatively useless unless you can convince the masses that they are like everyone else and need it to feel happy or accepted?” 

How important is the “shopping season” in context with the Christmas season? Is Dr. Goyal correct when he says, “Christmas is now about presents and feasts, not about generosity and community?” 

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column called The Green Junction for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action forward. Her Research Interests are advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, Lake Michigan shoreline challenges (Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.