Splashes from Beyond the Ocean: Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally called “Black Friday,” although no one really knows why (there are a few versions of the story). What is more interesting, however, is that one of the funniest — or perhaps most repulsive, depending on your viewpoint — manifestations of human irrationality can be observed on that date in the United States.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people spend the night waiting in front of each of the big stores in the country, ready to rush in to take advantage of the traditional sales. The stores open at 5 a.m., and sometimes even at 4 a.m. The discounts are really good, but not worth waiting for all night and then fighting with fierce fellow humans over the goods. Things often get out of control. Blows are exchanged in the crowd. Some fall injured. Two years ago, a sales assistant at Wal-Mart, America’s biggest chain store, was trampled to death by the dashing crowd. And it’s not even like you can’t find half-price offers online at any other time of the year.

Black Friday, however, is a tradition — or just a mass psychosis, again depending on your viewpoint — that is used as a criterion to assess the buyers’ enthusiasm at the beginning of the holiday season. You see, the demand for goods is considered a key economic indicator. Do you remember how President George W. Bush encouraged the Americans to continue spending their money and thus stimulate the national economy after the attacks on Sept. 11?

Speaking of irrationality and terrorism, the authorities have tightened the security measures at the U.S. airports ad infinitum. The general public almost silently accepted the extra requirements until not too long ago. On the one hand, people are just generally afraid. On the other hand, there is some actual terrorist activity taking place that we need to protect ourselves from, of course. A number of serious attacks were barely evaded.

Last Christmas, a Nigerian almost exploded an airplane over Detroit. Just recently, bombs sent from Yemen to Chicago were found aboard two cargo airplanes. How many other cases don’t we know of? For nine years already the American people have been insisting on being guaranteed their safety — and the politicians have been pretending to be doing everything in their power.

But, as they say, be careful what you wish for, since it just might happen. After years of procrastination, each American airport is now supplied with a scanner device that “peeks” underneath one’s clothes and draws the body contours on a screen, to make it obvious if anyone is hiding a weapon or explosives that the usual metal detectors cannot identify.

If you refuse to go through the scanner, you receive an enhanced patting down by a female official if you are a woman or a male official if you are a man. I don’t know if any real terrorists will be caught this way. In any case, however, the potential attacks so far have been prevented only by means of either internal information or sheer luck. The terrorist in Detroit, for example, was simply unable to ignite his bomb on the plane.

Nevertheless, the newly implemented security measures have caused waves of protests. Photos of scanned bodies leaked on the Internet — just contours, but with discernible anatomical details notwithstanding. Worries surfaced that the scanners may not be safe health-wise. The inevitable videos of young children, elderly people and pilots being diligently felt up were uploaded.

As for the media, the new security measures and people’s disapproval of them has been a major news topic all week long. The media, of course, have their own financial reasons to glide along the surface of and trivialize such news to make it more interesting for a maximum number of citizens. The idea to collectively boycott the scanners on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is gaining popularity online. This would lead to massive patting down. The aim is to cause congestion in the travelers’ traffic at the U.S. airports. I can only imagine how this would get on people’s nerves at the busiest traveling time of the year — yet another American tradition.

I don’t know if this display of civil disobedience will take place. Regardless, however, I expect a growing number of crushed people in the march toward the counters of Wal-Mart on Friday. And on the Thursday before that, the president — like all of his predecessors — will pardon the turkey chosen for the celebratory meal in the White House.

Such are the traditions in the United States.