The Politics of Black Friday

Why do otherwise rational people drag themselves out of bed at 4:00 AM the day after a holiday?

Why are perceptions so important in politics?

The same reason: the bandwagon effect.

It is easier for people to follow the crowd than engage in independent thinking. Thinking, after all, means you must take some time to evaluate a situation, or a candidate, before making up your mind.

That's why most people who are members of a political party, or a particular worldview such as conservatism or the religious right, will automatically adopt all the opinions espoused by the group. Otherwise, they must think about each particular item, and that might take some time, or, God forbid, require some reading and investigation instead of watching another mind-numbing television show.

So, if all the media outlets make a big hoopla about shopping the day after Thanksgiving, and the retail stores join the hype, people will respond en masse.

Thus, everything becomes a game of expectations. Of course, politicians are constantly trying to manage expectations because sometimes, if you do better than anticipated, even if you don't win, it will be viewed as a victory.

And if enough stores run commercials on TV advertising their 4 AM opening, and the news channels cover Black Friday as if it were a major phenomenon (like lemmings jumping off a cliff), the people will show up, almost against their will.

So here's a plea to the public at large. The next time you decide on a seemingly insane course of action, or evaluate a political candidate who will lead our country for the next four-to-eight years, avoid a snap judgement and mull over your options for just a little bit longer.