Death of a salesman

A worker at a Wal-Mart in Long Island was killed yesterday, trampled to death by a mob of shoppers. Truly, it was Black Friday.
Although I suppose the title of this post is somewhat silly, this is a rather serious matter. Aside from being tragic, I read a BBC article that pointed out that it could be considered deliberate. Not that those shoppers meant to kill someone, but that they meant to rush into the store, meant to be a mob, meant to try to beat everyone else. It is a cultural phenomena. We are in a recession, and yet somehow people are still getting the idea that the best thing they can do is spend. Rather than advising people to make smart choices with their money, companies and advertising agencies tell them to spend wantonly. And worst of all, they do it under the guise of economic security and fiscal responsibility.
The doors of the Wal-Mart were damaged and crushed inwards by the people. What a tragic, ridiculous, and preventable event.