Another American Tradition Crosses the Atlantic

[Lomax]

No, not Thanksgiving, though that's probably only a matter of time. What happens in America does tend to happen here at some stage. Trick or Treat and the High School Prom were totally unknown here when I was growing up. Now, kids look on them as a birthright.

But yesterday we had a new one. Black Friday. And I, numpty that I am, didn't know what this meant, and went to the shops in all innocence....

Oh dear.

[nachtjaeger]

I used to laugh at the countries trying to ban/suppress "Western Culture." Now, that looks like a pretty good idea.

IIRC, the term "Black Friday" meant that the Friday after Thanksgiving was generally the day when retailers broke even for the year, and went into the "black" (meaning black ink on the ledger page instead of red.) Everything after that was profit.

As to "Trick-or-treat", you Brits can't blame us Yanks totally for that one. Wassailing, Souling, "Guising" in Scotland- all these were from your side of the pond.
Folks forget this verse of the Gloucester(shire) Wassail:

Come Butler, come fill us a bowl of the best,
Then we hope that your soul in heaven may rest.
But if you do draw us a bowl of the small,
Then down shall go butler, bowl and all.

As to "Prom", I suspect that it has its origins in the "Debutante Ball" where high-society girls who had reached marriageable age were paraded in front of potential suitors like horses at an auction. And, since every generation of Americans has made it their goal to live like the rich of the previous generation, this custom got transplanted to the Great Unwashed Masses. Bit of a competition to see who can afford the most elaborate dress, the finest jewelry, the fanciest hairdo, the largest limousine (or most expensive- somebody showed up at my daughter's prom in a vintage Rolls Royce.) And of course having the prom in a decorated school gymnasium is now considered tacky, so they all have to show up at the school for "walk-in" with photos taken, then they all get picked up by luxury buses and limousines and taken to dinner and dancing at a suitably expensive venue.

No, not Thanksgiving, though that's probably only a matter of time. What happens in America does tend to happen here at some stage. Trick or Treat and the High School Prom were totally unknown here when I was growing up. Now, kids look on them as a birthright.

But yesterday we had a new one. Black Friday. And I, numpty that I am, didn't know what this meant, and went to the shops in all innocence....

Oh dear.

[BSink42]

No, not Thanksgiving, though that's probably only a matter of time. What happens in America does tend to happen here at some stage. Trick or Treat and the High School Prom were totally unknown here when I was growing up. Now, kids look on them as a birthright.

But yesterday we had a new one. Black Friday. And I, numpty that I am, didn't know what this meant, and went to the shops in all innocence....

Oh dear.

As an American who loathes Black Friday, I humbly apologize for us inflicting this tradition on your country and leaving you caught unaware.

[Duncan Edwards]

As a former retail employee who both dreaded and loved Black Friday I would like to congratulate you and offer my sincere apologies. There is no greater hallmark of capitalism nor more miserable time of the year than Black Friday. It is true that this is the time of year when most retailers made half of their profits for the entire season. We would work 16 hour days seven days a week raking in the cash and then nothing until tax returns begun coming in sometime in March. What next ?Groundhog Day?

[Nessie]

But yesterday we had a new one. Black Friday. And I, numpty that I am, didn't know what this meant, and went to the shops in all innocence....

Oh dear.

I am sorry that this foolishness has spread over the sea to you, like a deadly fungus.

I have always detested Black Friday and five years ago now, the entire Nessie Clan ditched Christmas shopping. There was job loss amongst more than one in the Clan, and so for some, the annual enrichment of retailers was nothing but an expensive, stressful burden. For those who had cash, there was agreement amongst all clan members that the food shelf was the most deserving recipient.

I cannot tell you how much better I feel knowing that during every Christmas season from that fateful decision going forward into eternity, my money will stay in my wallet if I so desire, my family won't return or throw away anything I spent valuable time choosing for them, and that my efforts to thin out my possessions won't be sabotaged by yet more junk that I don't even want.

Not in the mall on Black Friday
And happy,
Nessie

[Uwelix]

Black Friday, that we have in Germany too. It was EMP, a mailorder company.

[Mynock]

Two words: Cyber Monday. You get all the same deals but at home in your underwear drinking coffee instead of bumping into idiots and waiting in line at the checkout for 3 hours. I can't remember the last time I went to a mall.

[Lomax]

As to "Trick-or-treat", you Brits can't blame us Yanks totally for that one. Wassailing, Souling, "Guising" in Scotland- all these were from your side of the pond.
Folks forget this verse of the Gloucester(shire) Wassail:
Then we hope that your soul in heaven may rest.
But if you do draw us a bowl of the small,
Then down shall go butler, bowl and all.

Come Butler, come fill us a bowl of the best,


Well quite. I do admit to demanding "A penny for the Guy" in my youth (it's complicated) in the run-up to Bonfire Night (November 5th. It's complicated again), though this practice seems to have died out. But but buttity but - note that you quote a Gloucestershire rhyme, not an English one. Local, not National. My point (I THINK...) being that a myriad of local customs are being forgotten in favour of one all-pervading one, provided to us by imported American TV programmes. I don't have anything against Trick or Treat per se (which I first heard of when watching an episode of Peanuts as a drink-addled student...), nor to importing foreign customs in general. Hell, we imported the idea of the Christmas Tree from Germany in the 1840's. But I would like to retain a shred of local identity sometimes.

As to "Prom", I suspect that it has its origins in the "Debutante Ball" where high-society girls who had reached marriageable age were paraded in front of potential suitors like horses at an auction. And, since every generation of Americans has made it their goal to live like the rich of the previous generation, this custom got transplanted to the Great Unwashed Masses. Bit of a competition to see who can afford the most elaborate dress, the finest jewelry, the fanciest hairdo, the largest limousine (or most expensive- somebody showed up at my daughter's prom in a vintage Rolls Royce.) And of course having the prom in a decorated school gymnasium is now considered tacky, so they all have to show up at the school for "walk-in" with photos taken, then they all get picked up by luxury buses and limousines and taken to dinner and dancing at a suitably expensive venue.

No sure abut the Debs thing. Schools have been holding year-end celebrations since forever. In my day there WAS the leaver's disco. In the school hall, but hey... But we dressed DOWN, not up. I went in ripped jeans and a T-shirt boasting the logo of a rock group whose name I am not now prepared to divulge. Had someone suggested I went in suit and tie, I would have been outraged. "I've had to wear a sodding blazer and tie every day for six years at this school and I'm not wearing them now...." Hell, I can hear myself.