There is no excuse for working-class and poor people to participate in the cultural depravity that is, Black Friday. Others have argued differently, such as Luke O’Neil, a writer from Boston who recently penned an article in the Washington Post, entitled “Black Friday Brawl Videos are How Rich People Shame the Poor.”

In the article, Luke concludes, “And we, the advantaged, sit at home in front of our computers and tablets and phones, all of which we’ve already purchased at non-bargain prices, and delight in the spectacle.” How are the people whose lives are filled with electronic distractions, “advantaged?” To me, this is a sad understanding of what privilege truly is. Surely it’s not the ability to become addicted to electronic devices.

Undoubtedly, whites own a privileged status in US society, as do males, the rich, etc. In light of events in Ferguson, some whites are beginning to understand that their chances of being arrested, jailed, killed, robbed or unemployed, are far less than their black or brown counterparts. There are those who still disagree, to be sure. But the numbers are dwindling as the baby-boomers die.

Yet, conceptually, we’re stuck in an awkward position. On the one hand, whites are privileged, as mentioned above. On the other hand, many whites in US society have been fully metabolized into the capitalist system, gorging themselves on consumer products, racking-up gigantic portions of debt and surrendering their senses to mass-media garbage and suburban-hell. Indeed, this can’t be considered a privileged position.

In like manner, the same dynamic is at play when people speak about gays in the military, or women in the infantry. Are straight males really privileged to be able to serve in the world’s most violent empire? To be clear, I’m not arguing that gays or women can’t kill as efficiently and masterfully as men; I’m asking why would they want to?

Is military service truly progress for the gay community? Does allowing women to serve in the infantry, 33% of whom already report military sexual assault during their time in the service, honestly represent feminist thought, activism and ideals? I don’t think so, and neither do my female friends.

Many who live and organize in black and brown communities are terribly disgusted when they see people from those same communities assaulting each other for a flat screen TV or video game system. My friends who organize in poor white communities feel the same way when they see images of impoverished whites battling over objects. Mindless acts are not inherently justified simply because the working-class, poor, or disadvantaged engage in them.

This is where the nuance is important in one’s political analysis and activism. Do progressive activists really think Ella Baker, Malcolm X, Frida Kahlo or Emma Goldman would apologize for Black Friday shoppers? Would the Black Panthers, SNCC, or the Wobblies apologize for Black Friday madness?

At a time when working-class and poor communities around the world are being attacked, killed, imprisoned, tortured and impoverished, decent-minded people are looking for answers, as opposed to easy scape goats such as the poor. I think that’s a great thing. However, we must always remain critical of one another, even if that means occasionally getting into heated discussions or disagreements.

Dr. King significantly challenged the white community, but also the black community; Malcolm X and Ella Baker did the same. Today, our leadersencourage us to shop, compromise, forget and consume. It is an obvious sign of moral decay and cultural bankruptcy that Thanksgiving is a holiday, let alone a shopping extravaganza.

From a different angle, but with the same logic, the left has already played this game with Obama. Since there’s a powerful right-wing that continues to defame the President, many liberals and leftists have kept their mouths shut about Obama’s crimes, hoping to quell some of the illegitimate attacks. This has resulted in disastrous policies being swept under the rug for fear of being perceived a racist.

It’s important for the left to distance itself from liberal-ideology while simultaneously providing alternatives to the right-wing and centrism. To put it differently, just because FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh badger Black Friday shoppers, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a kernel of truth in their denunciations. While leftists won’t do so with racist terms or reactionary messaging, we must still denounce materialism, consumerism and capitalist culture.

Sometimes, it’s true that the right-wing’s commentary should be ignored, as in the case of Ferguson or Climate Change. On the other hand, when it comes to Obama, Democrats or Black Friday, the left should pay closer attention. There’s a reason people gravitate toward these messages, and it’s not simply due to their simplicity.

Obama has failed poor-black communities. The Democrats do not provide an alternative to GOP insanity. And Black Friday is the symbol of a morally bankrupt and banal culture. It makes no sense for leftists to apologize for the unforgivable. But it makes plenty of sense for leftists to provide alternatives to the status quo.

As Gail Dines reminds us, just because the right-wing opposes pornography, that doesn’t make it a wonderful thing. The left also needs to apply critical analysis to the porno-industry, or, as Gail says, “Industrialized Sex.” There’s nothing liberating about long-term psychological and physical damage, economic exploitation and social alienation. In a lot of ways, the left needs to stop gravitating toward easy-to-digest answers.

Britain recently banned several “sexual acts” in their pornography film industry. Leftists and liberals throughout the US went nuts on Twitter and Facebook, posting quotes from “New Atheists” and a slew of uninspiring diatribes aimed at the right-wing. Obviously, these people didn’t realize that a good portion of the coalition that led the fight against these acts were women who had been abused while formerly working in the industry.

With regard to Black Friday, I think a lot of these misunderstandings stem from an oversimplification and glorification of the “working-class” and “poor.” Sure, we should always err on the side of the oppressed. Nevertheless when oppressed communities participate in behavior that reinforces their own oppression and alienation, we must reject such acts and simultaneously provide real-world alternatives.

For example, just because my union friends are in unions doesn’t make them progressives. Plenty of people I know leave union meetings only to bad-mouth blacks and immigrants at the local pub. How is this progressive? On the contrary, I’ve been in Latin American communities where I’ve heard Muslims discussed in a negative manner. In both cases, I offer my reflections and judgements.

All in all, these issues are extremely complex. Simply saying, ‘Black Friday is an activity working-class and poor people disproportionately participate in, so let’s not criticize it,’ is morally inadequate and intellectually lazy. We shouldn’t diminish our potential allies, but we also shouldn’t apologize for terrible behavior.

We should be educating people and informing them that the very objects they’re purchasing have been made by women and children of color in sweatshops throughout the Global South. I don’t find that sort of criticism offensive, and neither should those in the US who are interested in creating a less hierarchical, oppressive and exploitative world.

Yes, we should try and better understand and engage people who camp outside big-box stores in order to purchase consumer goods with debt-laden credit cards. Meanwhile, organizers and activists should offer free community-entertainment, handmade crafts, pot luck dinners or neighborhood concerts on Black Friday. Alternative cultural activities would greatly help, as many people feel lonely and isolated during the holiday season.

Now, more than ever, we need working-class and poor people to be critical of not only the institutions of power, but of ourselves. We need more people to stand up and ask each other: Why should we continue to consume? Why should we continue to be slaves to objects? Is there not more to life than shopping, buying and having?

Shopping might fill a momentary void, but it ultimately leads to more despair, debt, anguish and alienation. To me, there’s nothing radical, moral or reasonable about allowing our fellow brothers and sisters to participate in such toxic behaviors. Again, I agree that we should reserve the vast majority of our vitriol for those in power. Yet we must remain critical of each other—always with respect and in solidarity.