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Commentary>The Monitor's View
from the December 01, 2003 edition

Shop 'til They Drop?

Something's socially askew when post-Thanksgiving shoppers in a Florida Wal-Mart rush to buy DVD players (on sale for $29) and knock down a woman, trample her, and leave her unconscious.

This sad incident makes a mockery of Christmas giving. Aggressive bargain hunting for presents, to the point of hurting and neglecting strangers, is hardly in the season's spirit of helping one's community.

What drives a shopping crowd to forget their better angels? If it's a feeling of scarcity, then both Thanksgiving and Christmas can serve as reminders of life's bounty in such intangibles as love. And the ability to rise above a desire for material goods will help in crowd control at stores.
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(Mary Knox Merrill/Staff)
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