Black Friday Blues

I saw a disturbing photo today. I'm sure it's quite accurate. So, what makes it disturbing? Well, in spite of the quiet uprising that is happening all over the country, people are still choosing to spend their money at Wal Mart. This...is disturbing.

My friend, Jen, explained the Wal Mart phenomenon a few days ago. She was telling another one of our friends why one should not give their money to Wal Mart. (Forgive me, Jen, for paraphrasing. I will not be quite so eloquent.)

Think of Wal Mart as a microcosm...a world unto itself. 

Wal Mart makes life so easy, doesn't it? I mean, it is truly one-stop shopping! YAY!

You can get your banking done, grab a bite to eat at McDonald's or Subway, have your nails done at the salon, grocery shop, purchase electronics or home goods. If you need an oil change, they've got that. Yup! 

So, you have your average Wal Mart employee. Two-thirds are either senior citizens, college students, or second income providers. I'd also argue that they are minorities. Employees have to cover 33% of their insurance costs, according to that same site (the story is from 2004 so my apologies), higher than most corporations. In addition, Wal Mart actually encourages their employees to file for social welfare benefits, because, you know--they don't actually pay a living wage. Want some more astoundingly-sad data? Read this.

Now, when you make a shitty wage, what do you have to do? You have to spend wisely so what's the first place you think of when you think "low-budget"? Wal Mart, of course! So after taxes, SSI, and insurance, you take your 48% of your income and give 24% of it right back to Wal Mart. Isn't that convenient? 

You're left with 24% of your income to take care of yourself and/or your family. 

Is that so bad? Since Wal Mart rarely employs anyone full-time (hey!), what it means is, you have $273 a month to take care of business. 

[By the way, I don't endorse anything I link to; I'm merely supporting my findings.]

THAT SUCKS. 

I would argue, too, that if you walk through a Wal Mart, it's downright depressing. Women with too many mouths to feed, meandering down the frozen foods aisle to provide their families with way too many preservatives. 

Ever heard of meat glue? Thrombin coagulants are regularly used at Wal Mart. It's a neat-o way of taking scrap beef (all FDA-approved, so no worries!) and mixing it with transglutaminase to create a solid piece of meat, which is then sold as "top dollar cuts at bottom dollar prices"! What a fantastic idea, right? 

Sure, if you're a miser. But see, they don't have to include transglutaminase in their ingredients list. Have you ever tried to cook a Wal Mart steak? I have. Many months ago, before I made the conscious decision to stop giving them my money, I found a ribeye at Wal Mart that was a steal! I brought it home and gave it the treatment. What this means is, on a hot grill, no more than 4 minutes per side. But...it didn't look cooked. I mean, it still had this really blood-red appearance that made me check the internal temperature. Yup, about 135 degrees, F. So, I pulled it from the grill and plated it. I cut into it and well...it cut weird. It was as if the grain was gone. Then I tasted it. And it was horrible. It tasted like salt. And no matter how long I masticated that meat, it never broke down the way a steak is supposed to break down!

I suspected meat glue immediately, and I was right. Look, I can't prove it directly but I'm a Texan and we know beef. And frankly, I don't want glue in my meat. 

The whole point is, when will we stop deceiving ourselves by giving our money to companies that aim to deceive us? 

Wal Mart: Low Prices. Live Better?

I fear I could go on too long about this. Let's wrap this up now before it gets out of hand. I  leave you with a snippet of lyrics from the Dave Matthews Band's Too Much:

I told God, I'm coming 
To your country 
I'm going to eat up your cities, 
Your homes, you know. 
I've got a stomach full. It's not 
A chip on my shoulder. 
I've got this growl in my tummy 
And I'm gonna stop it today. 

I eat too much.
I drink too much. 
I want too much. 
Too much. 

See you soon,

~Beth