WalMart Worker Dies , Shooting At ToysRUs Have We Forgotten The True Meaning of Christmas?
58WalMart
ToysRus
Our Economy
Today is Black Friday and I have read about a shooting at ToysRUs and a Wal-Mart employee dies as hurried shoppers ran for bargains and the bust down the doors. What is this world coming to? Is that what the holiday spirit is supposed to be about? The day isn't even over for many parts of the country and we are still losing lives. I ask myself what the true meaning of Christmas is and I realize that many have forgotten about it altogether. The recession has pushed many to their breaking points and the rude comments that were made by the shoppers in New York, made my blood boil and my skin crawl. A deal was more important then a human life. Here was a man from Queens who just had dinner with his family yesterday, who left in a body bag from the place he was employed. I am sure that the employees will never look at life the same way again, and what idiot who re-open the store when they should have had it closed due to a person's death?
A shooting at ToysRus is another example of what people are being driven to as their were two deaths and imagine the parents and the children in that store , as the sounds of a gun were imprinted in their minds and will take an eternity to be forgotten. Is a sale that important? I realize that saving money is something that many of us are doing due to the economy, but what about the true meaning of Christmas? We should all step back look around and remember that the true meaning of Christmas is not a bargain or a sale, and life is far more precious then a 50-inch Plasma TV and a Digital Camera or Toy. We should rejoice that we still have a place to live, as many do not, food in our stomach as many do not, and family and friends who are dear to us. When we celebrate this holiday season it shouldn't be about the gifts under the tree, it needs to be about family, friend and the true meaning of Christmas. Is standing in long lines and placing yourself in a position to be trampled or shot worth a sale? I ask that we pray for those families who lost loved ones today, because many Americans forgot the true meaning of Christmas.
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It was appalling heartless and inhumane , karma comes back :) Thanks for reading.
Dr.Jim, Thank you also for commenting and I posted it and I don't know what happened to it, strange it disappeared maybe it will come back, anyway thank you for the positive comment.:)
We got that story up here on our news, too. I have never understood your Black Friday. It makes no sense to me. After what happened today, at least now I know where the name comes from.
I'm glad you wrote about it, hopefully it will give people pause and remember what the holiday season is supposed to be about.
The way this country is, I think it should be halted period and they should have sales like they normally do. Random days, certain hours this would eliminate the mad rush, I would rather shop on line and I do have a store on line then go to the malls. I have the same prices and less hassle. This just goes to show where our country is going, as we need to get back to the true meaning of what it is about and stop all of this nonsense. :)
Obviouly, people are more concerned with getting a good deal on an item than a person who loses his life. I hope that karma bites these heartless people in the ass. As the old saying goes "what comes around goes around".
It amazes me how people behave. I thought we were suppose to be getting better through the years. This just seems like we are digressing as a society if the value of human life does not mean any more than this.
I couldn't agree with you more, as they could have cared less, me personally although I haven't ever placed myself in a store frenzie would have been shocked and devastated. I wonder what those people are thinking tonight? Probably nothing and why in the heck did they re-open, that is my question.
I wondered about that myself. Could it be any more disrespectful to that poor man and his surviving family?
Makes me wonder if they would've closed at all if they weren't forced to.
GodsChild, I think it is sinful and it is certainly sad.:(
Shirley, I think it was a shame and I can only pray for his family as he probably went in there happy to start to the day, kissed his family goodbye and in a matter of moments and a couple of thousand of rude people he was gone. When you uninvited writer said they were calling and smiling for the cameras , that sickened me , as it was ridiculous and childish they acted like a bunch of cattle being unleashed instead of human beings with respect.
I wonder...how these are happening !!
I think there is nothing new about this Julianna. I first came to the country in 1994 fall and was shocked with Black Friday crowds. Pretty much like we had in USSR in mid to late 80s, during worst times of communism agony. But this agony was over by that time, and such crowds were already unthinkable of in Russia... I did have quite a few illusions about USA at that time - I don't think I have any by now...
This is terrible, and another reason why guns should not be allowed. This could never happen in the UK, and never would for such a trivial reason as shopping. I am truly saddened by this tragedy as I had not heard about it before I read your hub.
xtraTiny, People are not thinking as it is the holiday season and so they forget what the true meaning is. Stress, hotheads and the economy make it even more complicated.
Misha, I am certainly glad that the illusions of grandeur are gone as I personally believe that we should not have the day after thanksgiving rush as to many have been hurt in the past years, over the stress.
Misty, We should learn by other countries but of course as always we have to be different and greed rears its ugly head in our country. Now today families will bury their family members and for what? To save a few dollars and a treasured toy, that is insane. :)
Truly it is a waste of life for such an unimportant item.
Misty, I couldn't agree with you more and I hope that some felt remorse and pain for their experience as we cannot put them altogether. But it is very sad.:(
Very well written. I totally agree with you. Although presents are important, we need to think about what Christmas really means
Good hub, Fishingfreak! I truly feel sorry for the Walmart worker and the family. What a tragic way to spend christmas, mourning for your loved one. And to think, every christmas will be stained by this memory. Maybe part of the problem is the economy, but it goes far deeper than this. I have noticed that it seems like my generation, the latter part of the baby boom generation, has an entitlement attitude. Most of us grew up getting what we wanted. Unfortunately, economics has changed, and the American dream is harder and harder to achieve. People's priorities are in the wrong place. Nobody likes struggling, but there are things more important like our relationship with God and our families. If you have the love of a supportive family and your health, what more does a person really need?
It is sad, but revealing. No it not a case for the banning of hand guns. No it is not a case of whether the Spirit of Christmas has been forgotten. It is an illustration hollow empty lives people are living, where they receive validation is predicated on material possessions and not on the things they do to get them.
If one was to look at it these are the People Christ came to Save. "A well person needs no Physician." Atlas Shrugged really is a very good book that puts some these events in perspective, when we forget that it we who give the things value and not the things that give us value.
stupid and senseless people
On Black Friday I was required to check on a store that I service for a video distribution company. I was told to get there between 4:00 and 5:00 AM and make sure three displays from our company were set up and in the right place. I thought that was dumb but I did it because that's what they pay me for. I passed WalMart at 4:30 and every parking place was filled and there was a throng at the door and at the entrance to the parking lot. At 4:30 in the morning! I got to the store I had to check, checked it, and got home as fast as I could. What insanity!
In my family we have scaled our gift giving way back. It's gotten totally out of control in the US, regardless of what religion a person happens to be. You don't have to be a psychiatrist to see that we've all gone insane over buying stuff.
Fishinfreak, Thanks I believe the true meaning is about each other and not about what we spend.:)
seamist, oops I believe you thought it was fishinfreak however it is my hub and I couldn't agree with you more with Americans prioritizing and now they are looking for the shoppers go for them, they should do something as they didn't have any common sense.
hudson liberty, It is sad how hollow some are but i tells you that times are changing and they are coming quickly.
vrajavala, It is senseless and doesn't make any sense at all does it?
pgrundy, I am glad you were able to get out of there as I could not imagine what was going through your head when you had seen that line. I believe it has gotten out of control and the insanity isn't going to get any better.:(
I remember when I was cool with getting a netted stocking with walnuts and candy canes. Oaky, so I wasn't too cool if that was all I got but it didn't bother me to receive something like that. Imagine the consequences of giving a kid that today. You'd get a kick to the shin. Christmas has become way too commercial and last year when I was doing financially better, the wife was out of control on Blck Friday and her friend, apparently was worse. Her friend had somehow cut her leg and ignored it and her sock, shoes were stained with blood but they ended up out all day long. I have to give her a cash budget and that's it, make do.
Hi, AEvans- :)
There is absolutely no excuse for what happened. None. I can't imagine a stupid TV or whatever people were after being so important that they actually crushed a man to death in haste to get to it. If they are shopping at Walmart, frankly, they are not THAT poor, and this is not even an excuse.
This is just another reason (besides poor wages, unfair management practices, and a host of other reasons--I know in an intimate way, as both my sisters worked there in the past) why I'm going to boycott Walmart. I truly wonder how they will handle responsibility concerning the dead employee.
Lita, I could not agree with you more and I am certain that WALMART will compensate the family as in Arizona they compensated the family very well. I know Rob Walton and he is a very kind and caring human being however WALMART is so large, that it is hard to deal with the employees but you bet your bippy that they will get to the bottom of this sad situation. I only wish that somehow some way WALMART would listen to their employees, maybe I will discuss this with him and maybe it will filter down. ")
I had heard that the present day Walmart has really gotten away from the ideal of its progenitor, Sam Walton (correct?).
I don't know-- Another thing is that I don't see this ever happening in say, NYC, because there is always, always security at most stores and crowds are controlled.
Lita, it certainly has gotten away and this a concern for Sam Walton's family and they are sincererly working on trying to iron the entire thing out. We all realize they have excellent prices but for Goodness sake, it should not be at the death of person , so as of today I am certain that the Waltons again are trying to figure it out. It is ok to boycott as it could get the attention of the company as enough is enough and I will definitely let them know my opinion as you can count on that. :)
Insanity. I had not heard about the Toys R US shooting but I was aghast when I saw the headline regarding the Walmart employee.
Remember the absurd bumpersticker, "He who dies with the most toys wins?"
This is just another example of how people in our country do not value life. Whether we are talking termination of a pregnancy, suicide or running somebody down - not just in this instance but hit and run drivers too. Did you hear about the guy who had a live video feed saying he was going to kill himself and people were egging him on to do it? He took a bunch of pills and laid down on the bed and by the time someone decided to call 911, he was already gone.
Thanks for sharing your feelings on this and it's good to see from all the comments there are others here on hubpages who share similar sentiments. Things are sure slow to change....like spending habits even with the economy being so shaky. It would indeed be nice if people would focus more on the true meaning of Christmas.
Great Hub to remind us to be civilized. The materialism seems to be taking over. I was in BestBuy on Black Friday and I camped out with my friends. We do this annually just for fun. But the crowds were well behaved nothing like this behavior. I also do most of the shopping on-line without worries about prices or customer service.
Chrisitinekv, It does make many of us angry and the only thing we can do is spread thr word, that this kind of behavior should not and is not acceptable, thank you for commenting.
cgull8m, I was just discussing this with my sisters in Arizona and I do have to say that people in general are well behaved, but right now I do not know what to say about a handful of New Yorkers who could have cared less. :(
A day of stock market catastrophe. Originally, Sept 24, 1869 was deemed Black Friday. The crash was sparked by gold speculators, including Jay Gould and James Fist, who attempted to corner the gold market. The attempt failed and the gold market collapsed, causing the stock market to plummet.
http://www.answers.com/topic/black-friday
It's all about the money and that's why it's all falling down. Sad to say but I believe we've gone past the point of no return. Before there can be a new beginning there will be a bad ending.
I agree with your sentiments completely AEvans.
ColdWarBaby, I couldn't agree with you more and thank you for the link on the information. I appreciated your article on 09/11 it certainly shed some light again on what we originally believed. :)
I'm glad you found the information of value. It certainly makes it easier to understand a lot of things that have happened since.
My mother-in-law was trampled on an escalator years ago during Black Friday. Luckily, she only suffered a leg injury, but she has never gone out on the day after Thanksgiving again.
Oh, and it's called Black Friday because so many companies make their year's profit (are "in the black") on that day.
KT, That is horrible that she was trampled thank God she survived, another good example of humans who act like cattle, they are worse then 2 year olds waiting to play. :)
I agree that it is ridiculous that someone lost their life for a sale. People are vicious for sales! I was in line at my WalMart at 4:45 a.m. for the laptop I am on right now, but nobody was running over each other to get into the store.
The shooting at the Toys R Us was gang related. Which is even worse!!! What is the world coming to??? Those poor people are going to be scared for life.
Another great hub. :)
NtweetyD, I am so happy that you ended up with your laptop and I am glad that they were well behaved, as for some parts of the country they were shameful and for ToysRUs good grief I am telling you when we lived in LA it was like the Wild Wild West, one would think we were in 1888 and fighting over gold. :) Now both of those ladies do not have their men all over stupidity and I hope the one who started it, feels bad and will learn from her error.:)
I've been thinking about this Hub all day. It occurs to me that these incidents demonstrate with brutal clarity how completely the consumer indoctrination program has succeeded. Some of the first essays I posted here addressed this very issue.
Massive numbers of people are so completely brainwashed that their morality and sense of value is eroded beyond the point where they loose sight of their humanity. They simply revert to the level of a hungry animal fighting for a scrap of food, as if the possession of some piece of junk, made in china, is a matter of life or death.
I’ve known it and seen this coming for a long time. Being proven right is not always something to be happy about.
ColdWarBaby, I side with you on that when it comes to humanity and we are still talking about it today, along with 09/11 I love being American and I love our country but things need to be done, as everyone has gotten carried away and we are going to end up destroying each other, if it continues. :::(
That is so sad. Years ago I went shopping on a Black Friday. Never Again! The stores were so crowded, and the wait to check-out was ridiculous. I don't know what gets into some people.
netters, I don't have any idea either.:)
let those who have never rushed into a store sale blame those who do. for crying out loud!!!...the people in the rear of that crowd had no idea that someone was down on the floor.
pylos26, Who is blaming the rear end, the front end was the cause and if the front end did not act like a bunch of cattle , the man would not have died. Here is my question how do you know the rear end was not a part of the issue, especially when people start pushing and shoving were you there?:)
its called common sense bozo...nobody said the rear end was not part of the issue. i said they didn't realize a person was down on the floor because obviously they couldn't see the floor in front of the mob. no, i wasn't there...but apparantly you were. any fool knows that the front of a stampede cannot stop...because they are being pushed by the rear end. what a ding bat.
Hmm...sounds to me like pylos26 has done some stampeding themselves at one time or another. You can tell if you're stepping on something that doesn't feel like a floor. It's common sense to look down, then stop or make some commotion to let others around you know that there's a problem.
Besides, when asked to leave the store so that the police could do their work, a lot of the shoppers (whether at the front or the rear of the mob) responded angrily that they wanted to keep shopping.
Pylos, Most would probably deny your comment and I can see you don't read anyone's bios you just jump in and comment bless your heart. I do not live in New York ,nor have I ever had the desire to wait in line for a sale it just isn't something that I would personally do. However I do see that you did not read your original comment so who is the bozo? "The people in the rear had no idea that someone was down on the floor". My comment was who was blaming the rear end, etc, etc, and I stated how did you know the rear end was not part of the issue etc. etc? So based on both comments I see you have been one of those cattle who push and shove for a sale, Have you been in the rear or the front? I believe the rear as you are making a genuine a** of yourself by your comment and if you would have read all of the comments, it was a very simple question and no way indeed rude. Why would you defend people who were heartless and would not even leave after they requested it? Someone lost their life to human stupidity or are you not receiving the same information as the rest of the country?
KTpdx, I believe so or they would not run to their defense on the situation without reading their original comment first. If they had an emotion or care they would have listened and left, it shows all of us how careless our country has become.
Events like these shock me. What can anyone say? So many people have lost their way/mind. Maybe hard times will wake people up to how fragile we all are and connected. I hope we can be a positive change in times like these.
the only appropriate answer...what 2 ding bats!
whoaaa...wait a minute!!!...i see where this is headed. dear AEvans...please allow me to withdraw my posts from your hub (if that's possible). i really have no desire to wreck anyone's hub and i do opologise for my intervention. my comments were apparently inappropriate and that is that. sorry...pylos
diggerstory, I hope we can be positive and help change others too, as some will see and others will fight but somehow we will all get through this together. :)
pylos26: I have already forgiven you for your comments and you are entitled to express your opinions. You are a good person I understand and I have read some of your hubs, we are all a little rough around the edges sometimes that is just human nature so we should all learn to think before we write it is just something that we don't always do, you tell me which you would like for me to withdraw? I don't believe your comments being withdrawn are necessary as they are your opinions and like I said I have already forgiven you, please forgive me for calling you an a** .
AE I am appalled by what happened. What a tragic loss of life, for what? A crazy perception that you can get something cheap. I am aghast at how cheaply this life was taken.
Great hub, good to draw attention to this insanity. We a have sales here, at certain times of the year, but they are really civilised by comparison.
sixtyorso, It is appalling and it seems to get worse and worse every year, I don't know why they continue to do this as I realzie many Americans love doing it, but when people begin to lose their lives then enough is enough.
AEvans, although pylos seems to have published a few interesting Hubs in this instance heshe seems intent only on stirring up trouble. Anyone who resorts to name calling right out of the gate doesn't even deserve a response.
Beyond that, the people, the consumer zombies, aren't completely at fault here. WalMart is largely responsible and capitalistic marketing and indoctrination is the real cause of the incident. Capitalism and the indoctrinated greed and consumer delirium it intentionally creates have killed and continue to kill millions globally.
ColdWarBaby, I agree as WalMart is at fault as well , sicne they tend to capitalize on being the most inexpensive and they do drive other companies out of business. I have a kind heart and that is the kind of person I am as some choose to stir up trouble and others just to express valid thoughts and opinions pylos is fairly new, so it is all about a learning curve. Pylos did apologize and I did forgive, thank you however for noting that. :)
I am so glad I don't do Black Fridays anymore. As it is I have really only done two. The first one was easy, I went to the Mills with my Parents, and hardly anyone was there. But When I went to Wal-Mart a few years ago, it was crazy, I myself nearly got run down. I don't even know why we went, we didn't even buy anything. I feel awful for that mans family. Anytime is awful to lose a family member, but this time of the year is worse.
I know about the mills in Arizona and I understand it is very hectic that is why many of us choose to stay away , it is sad that there will not be anymore celebration for him, due to the incompetency and patience of others. Thank you for your comment. :)
very sad news.
As unfortutate and tragic as these stories are, they are merely a symptom of a distorted worldview. -- Greed and selfishness still run rampant in the hearts of man. -- Many of the comments here mimic my feelings of sickness. -- The further we travel down the road of instant gratification (pushing all common sense and morals aside), the further our hearts will be from the creator of all life. -- Life is too fragile to be swept aside in ANY FASHION... be it in the womb or in front of a Wal-Mart door! -- Stories like this sink me!
Rob, It bothers me too!!
Great Hub!!!! Anyone who read this should really be taking a time out this year to think about all that you have said. It is time to wake up!!!
Nayberry, Thank you and I wish they would take the time out as it is so sad.:(
Oh my goodness this article brought tears to my eyes! I was just the other day remembering how much I missed the ole days when the kids were all little and enjoying Santa and everyone shared the holiday spirit together.Do you remember on Xmas morn, getting all packed up in the car and going from house to house to have gift exchanges? lol I'm telling my age here I'm sure, but I remember that! It was a way to share everyone's own individuality and their own unique traditions.
Now my oldest is off in college and and the rest are teenagers and lead there own lives most of the time. I suppose it is wise to come up with new traditions. Hopefully everyone will be safe and come together with lots of interesting stories to tell! Your article made me remember that there are so many reasons to have a family holiday and to remember the good and the bad but to make sure you are appreciating the spirit of Xmas and especially enjoying your loved ones.
Have a SAFE and happy holiday!~ Kasey
Kasey, I do remember gift exchanges and it is sad that this tradition is becoming a thing of the past. I was reading an article this morning about Black Friday and there is a strong possibility that our country is considering making some changes and WAL-MART is being sued again, whihc the family should as opening a door should be as safe as sitting on a couch and watching TV. :)
Merry Christmas to you as well.:)
Well done. I appears you have touched not only me but many of us who feel we have lost our sense of what the spirit of X-mas truly is. I have been telling my rather large family for years that we should scale back and not try to out-do each other with extravagant gifts but they never listened. It was nothing for me to spend 3 or 4 thousand dollars for X-mas. It was insane. But not this year. Great Hub.
Jim : I think gifts from the heart are also nice and very thoughtful as we don't have to spend thosuands of dollars the true meaning of Christmas can lie within ourselves. Thanks for commenitng. :)
Then there are the consumers. No item is worth killing someone over, especially when they only earn minimum wage (I'm assuming). Talk about greed.
Writer Rider, I couldn't agree with you more as it is heartless, what in the world is our entire World coming too.
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Uninvited Writer Level 4 Commenter 3 years ago
Truly apalling. I saw a news report about the Wal-Mart trampling and there were people out there smiling for the cameras talking on their cell phones. They could have cared less that someone died.