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I met the following sentence while I'm reading book.

... And as Patriotic Americans, we know how vital it is to support Our Retail Destiny. ...

What does this sentence mean? I've googled and tried to find it in dictionary, haven't got any help.

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1  
In the future, you should include a reference to the book you're reading. (Some factors, such as if it's a fiction or non-fiction work, or if it's written by a humorist vs a historian, might affect the correct interpretation of a such a short excerpt.) – J.R. Nov 30 '12 at 0:50
Was the capitalization of Our Retail Destiny in the original? – Kris Nov 30 '12 at 5:50
@Kris Yes, it was. – ntalbs Nov 30 '12 at 7:15
Capitalization should have alerted you to the fact that it was not literal. That make it a non-Q. – Kris Nov 30 '12 at 9:38

closed as general reference by MετάEd, tchrist, Kris, Mitch, Robusto Dec 1 '12 at 21:07

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

It is saying that as Patriotic Americans, we know we must shop, shop, shop. And presumably should Buy American.

That is, it is referring in an ironic way to a stereotypical image of Americans as acquisitive, materialistic persons.

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Of course, this can be applied to every "developed" country. That's all anyone in Taiwan does too: shop, shop, shop. – Bill Franke Nov 30 '12 at 0:23
up vote 2 down vote

This is probably irony. Think about the phrase "Manifest Destiny". Think about how things have changed in America since the old days. All we do now is shop. Shopping is buying things retail. Our retail destiny is too many goods and personal bankruptcy because all our credit cards have been maxed out.

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