I guess I thought about the shoes again when I wore a new work-out jacket that Robby had given me to the gym last week. It was a great jacket, with a light-weight flannel on the inside. A lady in my yoga class commented on it and asked where he had purchased it. I told her and then briefly glanced down to see what brand it even was. That was when I noticed that it said, "Michael Jordan". Although I really liked the jacket a lot, it briefly turned my stomach to think that I was wearing something with the guy's name on it that caused such chaos and havoc during the week of Christmas.
I know it's sad, but I must admit that I often find out a lot of things from Facebook. So, that is where I first noticed the picture with a link to our local newspaper. As I scrolled down my news feed, I finally decided to click on the link and read the story. It seems that Michael Jordan had just come out with a new pair of shoes that was causing a ripple of disorderly conduct across the country...and MY home town apparently was NOT exempt!
As I looked more closely at the photograph and read the entire article, I was in total disbelief that ANYONE would go to that extent to get a pair of those shoes. Now, I was around during the Cabbage Patch Babies craze, when people were absolutely frantic to obtain one for their children at Christmastime, however, I do not remember people breaking down mall doors or abandoning their young children in cars on the street to do so. People...it is just a PAIR OF SHOES! And I'm sure there would probably be more available at a later date. So, WHY OH WHY would one take the chance of being put in jail (or the hospital; there were stabbings too...) over a pair of shoes?!
The truly confusing part of the article concerning MY hometown was the fact that there had been no arrests made at the time the article was written. WHAT?!...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Now, I'm no law enforcement professional, but I DO believe that I could discern who needed to be arrested. How about the people who were INSIDE the mall after the glass doors had been broken down as opposed to those who were still standing OUTSIDE on the sidewalk? Hmmm...pretty elementary to me.
Putting everything else aside, I must wonder what would ever make someone want a pair of those shoes that much? I just don't understand it. But I also don't go shopping at all hours on Black Friday, either. I suppose that is because people have become dangerous. There are fights that break out and some that actually end in hospitalization or arrests. I don't follow that line of thinking...it's just THINGS. Aren't PEOPLE more important than THINGS? They used to be and still are to many. Does this say something about today's society or this generation? I truly hope not. Because at the end of the day, a pair of shoes cannot make you dinner...or read you a story...or tuck you into bed at night. At the end of the day, you will merely put those shoes on your feet, wear them for a while and then throw them aside. Think about it...aren't PEOPLE and RELATIONSHIPS more important than a pair of SHOES?!
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