ljs Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I couldn't believe this wasn't already discussed on ES. This has become a firestorm of controversy, mostly through Twitter (at least that is where I've seen it). There are a lot of articles on this, but I chose to post one from BET. Cursious to see what your thoughts are on this. Stupid? Racist? etc... Many are linking the "face-down, feet-down" stunt to the way our ancestors were forced to lie on slave ships. But should they?For the past couple of weeks there has been a lot of talk about planking. Famous names from LeToya Luckett, Dwight Howard and Rosario Dawson to Evelyn Lozada, Amber Rose, and Flava Flav have been captured in the act in which you lie face down on an unusual location and balance yourself in a completely flat, zero-degree angle with your palms to your thighs, feet pointed to the floor and face faced down. (Related: Planking photo gallery) Though it’s gained a lot of popularity, many are complaining that planking is very offensive. Why? Because some claim that it has ties to slavery. They say that it is too similar to the position in which African slaves had to lie on wooden boards for months during the 16th century “Middle Passage.” The trick was allegedly started by two Australian men 14 years ago. Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon performed in public places. With the amusement of onlookers catching on, in 2007 a Facebook group was created and, years later, planking has become a phenomenon. Needless to say, the amateur stunt, popularized by social media sites and mainly on Twitter, has become an Internet craze, but should people continue to plank if it really does have ties to slavery? According to USHistory.org planks were used as beds for slaves. Placed two-by-two, men and women were forced beneath the ship deck of slave ships. The more slaves a boat could hold, the greater a profit the captain would make. When the planks were lifted, it provided holding collars for five slaves, and then the plank was chained down. “The captives lay down on unfinished planking with virtually no room to move or breathe. Elbows and wrists will be scraped to the bone by the motion of the rough seas,” the history website reads. more at link...http://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/07/06/planking-what-s-all-the-controversy-about-.html.html Here some examples Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 The act of planking seems a bit dumb, and the accusations that its racist is even more stupid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONAWARPATH Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 The writer of this article is reading something into this that doesn't exist. Is planking foolish? Perhaps. Is it racist? Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Excuses Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Planking is hilarious. People need to stop whining. Gilbert Arenas planking a toll booth. John Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Yea, i dont get it. Why do they do it? Is there a point? :whoknows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus71 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 WTF is the purpose of this stupid act? I do planks at the gym... But why do it in public? I need to read more social media crap because I am really lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Planking is hilarious. People need to stop whining. I'm missing the humor in it? What makes it funny? (I know, Im probably just a clueless old fart!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 This should be an Onion article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 The act of planking seems a bit dumb, and the accusations that its racist is even more stupid Pretty much my take on it. It's just something people do when they're bored and have nothing else to do. I don't see the link to slavery at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 Robert Henson (ILB Redskins) was really angry about this, via his twitter. I've seen a lot of people get really pissed about its racist connotations. Then you have guys like Leonard Hankerson who was planking allover the place and posting pics, but now has seemed to remove all of those pics from his twitter. I'm confused about those who think its racists, yet will not hesitate to use the N word. Doesn't make sense to me, but I'm white/Native American. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Excuses Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I'm missing the humor in it? What makes it funny? (I know, Im probably just a clueless old fart!) I'm not really sure. It looks so stupid, it makes me laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Planking is hilarious. People need to stop whining. This is where we part ways buddy. I kept seeing the term planking being used and I was wondering WTF it meant. Now I know. And yes, it's even dumber than I imagined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 I'm missing the humor in it? What makes it funny? (I know, Im probably just a clueless old fart!) google planking pics, "planking McDonalds" is good too. some are stupid, others are fascinating. some are funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endzone_dave Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Whatever trips people's triggers. Everything can be linked to slavery, no big deal there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I don't get it. And no, it's not racist ... unless you consider lying down racist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Excuses Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 It's a harmless act, unless you are that Australian kid who planked the 7th floor balcony and fell to his death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattFancy Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 As long as its not causing problems, who cares. And I never thought of it as being racist. Most of the people I see doing it are black: Gilbert Arenas, John Wall, Dwight Howard, Hankerson, etc. So I'm not sure why someone thought of it as racist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiLfan Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Yea, i dont get it. Why do they do it? Is there a point? :whoknows: I don't get it either...before i would've thought your sig offered the best explanation of what "planking" is...now i'm just confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 It's a harmless act, unless you are that Australian kid who planked the 7th floor balcony and fell to his death. Now THATS funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/16/planking-a-brief-history For its first 10 years planking spread at a snail's pace, from Clarkson and Langdon to their friends at school and, after a while, on to other kids from the neighbourhood. Then, in 2007, when the pair created a Facebook group for their game, the pace accelerated. Soon, they had a few thousand followers. Photographs of plankers trickled in from all over the world: American plankers on the tops of their televisions, British plankers in trees, and Europeans on country roads and the banks of fjords.The craze began to garner its first major press coverage in September 2009, when a group of seven accident-and-emergency staff were suspended pending disciplinary hearings for playing the game while on a night shift at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon. They had been planking on resuscitation trolleys, ward beds, floors and even the helipad. They might not have been caught had they not then posted the photos to Facebook, under the slightly self-defeating name The Secret Swindon Emergency Department Group. An employee of the hospital's governing body told the press: "It reflects badly on the department and some people may lose their jobs." People really need to relax. It's goofy and makes for funny pictures, no need to over think it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 It's a harmless act, unless you are that Australian kid who planked the 7th floor balcony and fell to his death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins24 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Planking it harmless (well, in terms of being offensive or not. ^^ falling 7 stories is very harmful) and many times funny. Any links to slavery are beyond ridiculous and stupid. And the people who try to link the two need to be beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Excuses Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Albert Haynesworth trying to plank in the middle of a game. Damn racist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKINS@THEGOALLINE Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 MSNBC's Tamron Hall planking . . . now that's a plank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Another obvious racist: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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