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BlackFriday – how crazy shopping?
In New York, people were lining up in the early hours of the morning to be the first to see the BlackFriday offers. In contrast, the motivation of the climate activists who took to the streets in Great Britain ran in the opposite direction. Supporters of the Extinction Rebellion initiative blocked the access roads to a total of 13 Amazon depots. Black Friday and Amazon as the giant of online retail are an example of excessive consumption, so their argumentation. “We are here today in Tilbury, Amazon’s largest settlement center in the UK, to raise awareness of the company’s exploitative and environmentally destructive practices.” So Daisy Pearson, spokeswoman for the group. “The reality is that we cannot tackle the climate crisis without addressing the culture of greed and exploitation that put us in this position in the first place. COP26 failed because it was not designed to address the economic system that was itself is based on unlimited economic growth that we pursue at the expense of our natural resources. ” According to the group, there have also been blockade actions at other locations in England, as well as in the Netherlands and Germany. The trend to establish Black Friday as a day that gives the retail trade a boost with discount offers originated in the USA, but is now being implemented in many countries both online and in retail. After the Black Friday rush last year in the midst of the corona pandemic, a good buying mood is expected in the USA this year.
For some, the day stands for special offers and bargains, for others it stands for consumerism and destruction. Climate activists used it to block access to Amazon.