Black Friday ?

Having Black Friday sales does not detract from the Black Friday fires from the 30s.

It’s a similar lack of knowledge of things like Ash Wednesday. Something that the current generation is almost completely unaware of - because it’s rarely taught.

We are a global community and have been since the Web opened up peoples view of the world and global markets became accessible to everyone.

What is more erosive of our history is cancel culture and poor educational curriculum not passing on knowledge and history of our past.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday and that one that happens in China are great opportunities to purchase inessential items at better prices, nothing more.

If an individual is unable to discern an event in Australian history from a sale day - I would suggest they are lacking in knowledge. Not victims of marketing.

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Originally Posted by Tombie

If an individual is unable to discern an event in Australian history from a sale day - I would suggest they are lacking in knowledge. Not victims of marketing.

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I'd suggest that a large percentage of the population have little knowledge of Australian history and are constantly the victims of marketing.

My point was that I find it disappointing that we have to copy an American idea for retailers & marketing people to generate revenue. In the process a large part of the population (especially the younger generation) will now know Black Friday as a 'sale' rather than a tragic event in Australian history.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that you shouldn't take advantage of 'sales'



Colin

I agree with Gromit & have noticed this year some of our friends have started celebrating Thanksgiving as well. I think a lot of this is to do with Facebook which is mostly US based & promotes the US holidays & traditions.

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Originally Posted by 1950landy

& have noticed this year some of our friends have started celebrating Thanksgiving as well.

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But why? I would understand, if they are U.S. citizens?

Yes, I think farcebook and other social media have to a large extent displaced Hollywood as the source of American influence in Australia as it was when I was growing up, not something new, but probably even more pervasive.

But even in my parent's childhood in the early 1900s it was there through books, popular songs, sheet music, stage performances etc, although the British influence was almost as strong. To a large extent 'traditional' Australian culture is a meld of British and American cultural influence shaped by the influence of the physical environment, with increasing non-English speaking influences from western Europe as immigration picked up after WW2, and non-European influences from more recent immigration after about 1975. But overall, I see the major external influences on Australian culture as British and American, the same as it always has been, but probably with more American influence relative to British than in the past, but also with a uniquely Australian meld being stronger.