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Two topics. one about sales, the other is about being charitable.
Firstly, it is not only the Black Friday sales supplanting Christmas, Boxing Day sales and New Year's sales it is other 'specials' that occur throughout the year.
I will illustrate with two examples. I subscribe to regular emails from JBHiFi and do "window shopping" on ebay.
With the JB emails, there are regular sales of "...prices crashing down...." on appliances and electronic goods as well as a regular reduction of 20% for dvds, blu-rays and 4k videos. There are always clearance items to make way for more updated items and hard-to-sell items.
Then there are those specials on ebay with all kinds of excuses for price reductions and coupon codes. Even items you are interested in, the vendor may offer a 10% discount.
Furthermore there are vendors who will price match with other vendors throughout the year.
You wonder what is the point of waiting for the Boxing Day sales when there are frequent occasions for price reductions through the year.
The days of seeing hoards of shoppers camped outside the city DJs and Myers and crashing through the front doors on the news may well be over.
Finally, a remark about being charitable towards one another is a grest ideal. How we treat one another by "...doing unto others as we want done to us..." may make people comfortable and result in reductions in distress.
Yes I know it is a broad statement and what I am about to write is also a broad brush.
My response would be too long to write.
Essentially the lack of charity has to do with the people and leadership at the top who promulgate these aphorisms of love one another but don't practise it.
It may be from evil leaders in politics and also include Popes who by dint of being members of noble families such as the Borgias used their office for their own benefit of holding and preserving wealth and power.
Similarly in recent times we've seen religious teachers use their power to offend and violate innocent children.
We can also see the hyporcrisy in the secular world where organisations promoting equality for all, yet practice racial discrimination.
Here are examples at the ABC
https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/it-s-failed-us-stan-grant-blasts-the-abc-amid-racism-review-delay-20230831-p5e0vc.html
https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/how-the-abc-s-betrayal-of-stan-grant-exposed-its-racism-problem-20230523-p5dalw.html
Looking at top tier law and accounting firms proclaiming that they believe in equal opportunity, look at the photos of graduates and you'll have an extremely hard time finding mature-aged gradiates amongst the entry level jobs.
In essence the people at the top promulating and promoting charity and social justice don't practise it.
You know them by their fruits.
Thank you
Anthony, Strathfield South, in the land of the Wangal and Darug Peoples if the Eora Nation.