Thursday, November 24, 2011

Giving thanks for what?

I guess I'm supposed to get behind this whole "Thanksgiving" gig and relent to it being some sort of family style pseudo-religious holiday where commercialism is tossed out the window and we are left with what is supposed to be a pure holiday, devoid of crass association with anything capitalistic.

Phooey.

Thanksgiving, for all its alleged non-biased glory, is yet another corrupted holiday.  Families all over America have just finished gorging themselves over a kitchen full of food.  They have collectively fallen asleep over a television full of football and are secretly planning their assault on "Black Friday" sales at their local shopping mall.

And if I see one more reference to tryptophan and its sleep-inducing effect I'm going to strangle someone.  There  is more tryptophan in cottage cheese than in turkey.  You want to sleep because you eat an ungodly amount of food.  The turkey isn't your problem.  You are.

Is it necessary to cook a 20-pound turkey, stuff it with bread and serve it with accompanying casseroles, sauces and pies?  What are we really honoring?  Are we giving thanks or just cooking a huge meal?  As I watch news stories of families celebrating their holiday I think about the gorging that goes on and wonder if it's all necessary.  If the idea is that we are celebrating something with our family, why do we need to cook more food than would feed a batallion?  To me, it seems a waste and regardless of your ideals, I think you're feeding into (pun) the idea of mass consumerism that you profess to hate.

There, I said it.

2 comments:

junior alien said...

The kids want it big though.
But in a person's life one should be able to grow up and realize the madness of mass consumerism.

Maybe you're just jealous of lusting-for- life families who have a lot to share?
As human beings we are a threat to what is called nature anyway.

Anthony said...

I don't think "growing up" includes the appreciation of mass consumerism - quite the contrary.

I'm not jealous of the lust for life. What I am is abhorrent of extravagance. I'm not interested in the biggest house, fastest car or any of life's extremes.
I find it odd that some people can relish in making something so huge that it consumes us.