To get ready for this year’s holiday shopping season, The Sofa King Podcast looks at the madness that is Black Friday. We take a look at the history of this unofficial holiday and how it got its name (it may be older than you think). No exploration of Black Friday would be complete without a look at the mob psychology, trampling, violence, and deaths that happen when people get swept up in vapid, violent consumerism.

Finally, this episode explores something called International Buy Nothing day. This is a counter to Black Friday in which people agree to buy nothing at all and refuse to participate in the consumer culture. It is a culture jam concept dreamed up by the founder of Adbusters and the Occupy movement, Kalle Lasn. We also look at some scams and hustles that people do on Black Friday to try and steal your data. So whether you want to punch someone in line to get a cheap TV, refuse to consume, or want to know how to not get scammed, this is the episode for you!