On the eve of Thanksgiving, there's a lot I have to be thankful for in my personal life, and even more that we all need to be thankful for as Americans. However, some have distorted priorities this holiday season, demonstrated by the arrival of the PlayStation 3.
Now, I'm not fond of video games, so perhaps I make an unfair and biased pronouncement when I say the hysteria related to the new game system is unfounded and ridiculous. And there's nothing wrong with wanting something. However, when want for material items escalates to acts of violence, it goes too far.
The pervasive materialism typical of American society has now come packaged with blood and violence, much like the media. When the much awaited and acclaimed PlayStation 3 hit stores, a wave of violent crimes rolled across the nation.
In Connecticut, a man was shot while waiting in line, during a burglary. In Indiana, a man was stabbed while attempting to steal the system from a pair of customers who had been waiting in line for 36 hours. A teenager was robbed at gunpoint in Pennsylvania.
There were also incidents in Virginia, including a riot at a Target where the masses were subdued with talcum powder.
These reactions are indicative of twisted priorities, to put it lightly. No doubt the PlayStation 3 is an impressive piece of technology, but in the end, it's still just a game system.
Waiting 36 hours in line demonstrates some overkill in fan fervor, but this is still acceptable in our society.
It is arguable that the degree of effort and energy placed in obtaining one of the game systems may be due to a person's excitability, but the line clearly must be drawn before such behavior degrades into rudeness and treating other human beings with a lack of dignity.
It's quite ironic when people say that the United States is a very "Christian" nation. It's hard to come to that conclusion when one of the major tenets of Christianity is "to love your neighbor as yourself."
In light of the materialism present in our consumer-capitalist society, the holiday rush comes as an affront to that value.
As Americans, there is so much to be thankful for: liberty and freedom of expression, to begin with. In addition to our rights, there of course is an overabundance of food, resources and choice.
The United States constitutes approximately 6 percent of the world's population, but utilizes some 36 percent of the world's energy.
Americans get more than their fair share. Even the worst day in the Land of the Free is better than the best day in many other places you could name.
When taking into account the wealth and richness of life in the U.S., it certainly puts into perspective childish and selfish squabbles over toys. Especially when coupled with the hardness of life in other locales.
For example, the North Koreans continue to starve under Kim Jong-Il's regime. Refugees in Sudan's Darfur region continue to flee for their lives. There are so many places where people just struggle to survive, but are at least thankful for their lives.
This Thanksgiving, I put things in perspective. Sure, a new iPod for Christmas would be nice, but materialism is not fulfilling. There are so many things to be thankful for: friends, family, freedom and prosperity.
The love for fellow man will always outweigh the love for material and temporal things. We must learn to be truly grateful for what we do have, because we have so much, especially when compared to others who have so little.
Rick Beitman is a political science and French senior. He can be reached at richard.beitman@asu.edu
