Our Views: Thanksgiving best and worst

The Island Now

Each year we are impressed by the outpouring of generosity on Long Island during the holiday season. That was never truer than it was this Thanksgiving in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

The caring was in evidence in every corner of Nassau County. Churches and synagogues, scouts, schools, soccer teams and every type of civic organization collected food, clothing and supplies. Volunteers gave up enjoying Thanksgiving in their homes in order to serve turkey dinners to people who no longer had a home.

The generosity reached far beyond the metropolitan area. The Father Ryan High School Band from Nashville, after marching 33 blocks in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, hopped onto  their bus and headed to the Rockaways where they held a second parade for the people there.

The generosity that the area witnessed on Thanksgiving Day stands in sharp contrast to the nation’s largest retailers that allowed the unbridled greed of Black Friday to stretch into Thanksgiving Day itself.

Despite the protests of their workers, the Walmart Supercenter stores stayed open all day on Thanksgiving. Target stores opened at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Faced with a storm of criticism, the company said it reached out “to all of our store leaders and ask them to have discussions with their team members and seek volunteers wanting to work.” How thoughtful.

Sears was open from 7 a.m. until noon. The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy opened at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

Shame on all of them.

These stores showed no respect for the tradition of Thanksgiving, a distinctly American holiday that, until recent years, had avoided crass commercialization. They also showed no respect for their “sales associates” and their families and for their customers.

Thanksgiving used to be a time when families and extended families would gather around the table to share a meal and be thankful for their blessings. That tradition is at risk.

We are annoyed that the inspiring stories of people serving meals to the poor and homeless now compete on the nightly news with stories of stampedes and violence at the nation’s largest retailers. We are not impressed that hundreds of people crammed Walmarts for a good deal on sheets or a 50-inch T.V. or that only a few people died looking for a bargain.

The real spirit of Thanksgiving brings out the best in us, the greed-inspiring Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sales bring out the worst.

It is embarrassing that some Americans would choose to spend the day at Wal-Mart rather than enjoy a special day with their families. And it is sad that employees making minimum wage would be asked to leave their homes on Thanksgiving Day, even if they make double-time on the holiday.

 The greed of the nation’s retailers is killing the Thanksgiving holiday. Enough is enough. If they had remained closed on Thanksgiving, there were still 30 shopping days till Christmas.

 To be sure, the generosity of hundreds of volunteers on this holiday far outweighs the intrusion by Wal-Mart, Target and the others. We think islanders might want to consider whether they want to continue patronizing stores that show such disrespect for their families. There are most likely better deals online.

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