Black Friday (hoax) explained

The Black Friday hoax is an internet hoax about the origin of the term "Black Friday." The term denotes the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, a day that traditionally marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.[1] A post shared on social networks since at least 2013 makes the false claim that the name derives from a day when slave traders sold slaves at a discount. The term actually originates from a 19th century financial crisis.

The hoax

The hoax claims that the term Black Friday was originally used for "the day after Thanksgiving" when slave traders sold slaves at a discount for the upcoming winter. One of the posts was accompanied by a "1904 photo" claiming to show African slaves in America, but which actually depicts Aboriginal prisoners in Wyndham, Australia from around that time.[2] [3] The image dates from at least 2013, and appeared on Facebook in 2018[4] and 2019.[5]

It is one of many "fanciful" claims that have surfaced over time due to the term's distant and convoluted historical provenance[6] but it caught on and remains a viral phenomenon[7] that regularly appears around the time of the eponymous holiday,[8] on various social media platforms, including Twitter.[3]

The claim has been debunked as a hoax by experts and the media,[9] [10] [2] [3] [8] including African online media and fact-checking websites,[11] [12] but remains popular.[13]

The term “Black Friday” was first used in relation to a 19th-century financial crisis,[14] and became associated with a specific social disturbance, and indirectly with retail finances. In the late 1980s, the term was re-invented and promoted by retailers to denote the discounts offered to the seasonal shoppers and it spread nationwide across the United States.[14] Through the years, discount-offer days using the "Black Friday" moniker were used for additional dates of the year, such as Amazon's "Black Friday in July" of 2015.[15] Additionally, the use of the term for discount-offer Fridays spread beyond the U.S.[16] It remains the prevalent use of the term.[17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Swilley . Esther . Goldsmith . Ronald E. . 1 January 2013 . Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Understanding consumer intentions on two major shopping days . Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services . 20 . 1 . 43–50 . 10.1016/j.jretconser.2012.10.003 . 0969-6989. 28 November 2023. 2097/15213 . free .
  2. News: The legacy reverberates: how a repulsive image reminds us of our ugly past. Daley. Paul. The Guardian. 19 June 2019. 28 November 2023.
  3. News: Dupuy. Béatrice. 30 November 2019 . How Black Friday became associated with sales. Associated Press. APNews . 28 November 2023.
  4. Web site: Black Friday. 1 December 2019. . 28 November 2023.
  5. Web site: True?. 24 November 2018. Facebook. 28 November 2023.
  6. Web site: How Did 'Black Friday' Get Its Name?. David. Mikkelson . 30 November 2013. Snopes. 28 November 2023.
  7. News: Serino. Kenichi . 24 November 2017 . Africans obsessed with Black Friday. . 28 November 2023.
  8. News: Black Friday rumours and the truth about how it got its name. Butterly. Amelia . BBC. 28 November 2014. 28 November 2023.
  9. Web site: Black Friday did not originate with the sale of enslaved people . Monique. Curet. 1 December 2021. PolitiFact. 28 November 2023.
  10. News: Murphy Marcos. Coral. 21 November 2021 . How Black Friday Got Its Name. subscription . The New York Times. 28 November 2023.
  11. News: 27 November 2019 . No, 'Black Friday' did not originate during American slavery. Namibia Fact Check . 28 November 2023.
  12. News: 27 November 2018 . 'Black Friday' did not originate from selling slaves. PesaCheck. 28 November 2023.
  13. News: Johnlee. Varghese. 30 November 2019 . Thanksgiving Fact Check: Who said 'Black Friday' is about selling of slaves?. International Business Times. 28 November 2023.
  14. Web site: What's the Real History of Black Friday?. Pruitt. Sarah . 23 November 2015. 17 November 2023. . 28 November 2023.
  15. News: Just how good are Black Friday in July sales?. Jespersen. Courtney. USA Today. 29 June 2016. 28 November 2023. 3 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160703062712/http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2016/06/29/just-how-good-black-friday-july-sales/86491196/. live.
  16. News: Bird. Joe . 20 November 2023 . Le Black Friday: How An American Tradition Spread Around The World. Forbes. 28 November 2023. none.
  17. Retailers have tried to avoid the "negative" adjective "Black" and tried for "Big Friday" but the name did not catch on. See BBC (2014)

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