The microscope: Fridays – the good, the bad, the black
Hi, readers of the “this is no jive” column, by the time you will be reading this week’s presentation, you would have given thanks (Thanksgiving), you would have spent your hard-earned cash to exact a deal in the Black Friday extravaganza – of furniture deals, clothing and textile deals as well as on your favourite foods and restaurant deals., But who have Fridays been good to or for? When has any of the Fridays been for the dark and coloured skinned people of the globe. This write is not intended to spoil your buying pleasure, our pen this week is to give us a mirror or better yet a microscope to view our actions while we dance with the oppressive freedoms.
Taking advantage at your favourite store
In my 11 November 2021 column, I highlighted the meaning of the word black according to the dictionary. However, this week I’ll only put under the microscope ‘Black Market’ as well and Black Friday. For obvious reasons this piece will be published Sunday 29 November 2021, after the Black Friday three-day sale. I don’t want to bombard you with the negatives unless the negatives affect the people subconsciously reflecting in their behaviour and attitude, as it relates to their social ills and outlook on life. Black Friday, a day of bad luck, is now a question of who would be out of luck on this November Friday. For many, Black Friday means capitalizing on deals at favourite stores, and in many cities across the world persons are waking up early to stand in long lines to buy discounted items for their loved ones. On the other hand, with all of the confusion that backgrounds this shopper’s favourite day, have you ever questioned Black Friday’s genesis? It is now known as the busiest shopping day of the year.
Even though the concept “Black Friday” is associated with shopping currently, this was not always so. The axiom was first formulated in 1869 to illustrate the financial emergency after the United States’ gold market crashed. It then became correlated with the need to put up for sale after suppliers were “in the red” for the whole year. It was a sign of meagre sales. The day after Thanksgiving, merchants were “in the black” after the flood of consumers spent their money on low-priced commodities. So good it was for some, or all in my view, the day represents a merchant’s dream, a spender’s delight; but who laughs all the way to the bank.
Black dollar power
Despite the negative connotation associated with the word black such as the “black listed” as well as “Black Friday”, one could look at Good Friday in the same pessimistic way as the Black experience, some are hobnobbing for a good deal while others simply have nothing else to do. Men are more likely than women to procrastinate, Black Friday suggests to the psyche of hoards of bargain-hunters to shop, shop, and shop. In the list of the top 31 countries Germany Chile, Brazil and the US are the top four to mark Black Friday Sales. Sadly, Black Friday turned deadly at a Long Island Walmart in 2008. Eager shoppers forced to open the doors five minutes before opening hour at the same time as the doors fell off the hinges, the crowd rush forward. Supposedly, workers used their bodies as a blockade to slow down the rush, but, in the process, an employee was trampled. yet when law enforcement and paramedics arrived at the store to lock the doors, bargain hunters kept pushing to enter the store.
In conclusion the origins
In my closing, in keeping with the dictionary meaning of the word black, Black Friday was the day the US gold market crashed – Bad Luck. Financiers Jay Gould and Jim Fisk wanted to cheat Wall Street investors. They bought as much gold as they could, driving up gold prices. On Friday 24 September 1869, the government flooded the marketplace with millions of dollars’ worth of gold. The price plummeted; investors went bankrupt – Bad Luck
The origin of Black Friday as it is known today began in Philadelphia during the 1950s and ‘60s. Scores of people came to its urban area the day after Thanksgiving for the yearly Army-Navy football game. Streets and stores were always packed. This was great for business but made simple pickings for shoplifters. Local law enforcement officers called this “Black Friday”.
David R. Muhammad is a former morning host on Visions Television and a former member of the Palace Amusement Media Movie Review Committee. He is currently the Student Protocol Officer of the Nation of Islam’ study group – Jamaica.
