"Why Planking Is Ok"

Every once in a while our culture comes up with a new trend, fad, or event that is the cool thing to do at the time.  Most fads fade over time, but some things "stick" and become a part of our everyday lives and the culture that we live in today.

Unless you live under a rock, or are never on Facebook, Twitter, or Blogs (which is the equivalent of living under a rock), you have seen or heard the new craze of "planking".  Now, just in case you haven't seen it, I will explain.

  Planking is an activity where you lay face down in an unusual or remote location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the internet is an integral part of the game.  Players compete to find the most unusual and original location in which to play.  The term planking refers to mimicking a wooden plank.

But recently, planking has caught a lot of flack by people who say it originated from slaves being stored in slave ships in the manner of being shelved like wooden planks in rows.  While this is true that slaves were stored in this manner, I believe that everything is a matter of intent.

While researching this topic, I found out that the game of Planking is claimed to have been invented by two guys named Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon in 2000, first becoming popular in North East England. However, comedian Tom Green claims to have invented "planking" as early as 1994.

No matter who started the trend, like I said before, it is a matter of intent.  People are very critical of something that reminds them of slavery, but let me tell you why I think that Planking is ok.

The "Christmas Tree" is found in millions of homes all over the world during the Christmas season.  Little do people know, that the Christmas tree originated from the Pagan religion, and was part of rituals. Most people don't know this fact, and their intent is for the tree is to decorate and be part of all the holiday cheer.  

The Easter bunny has nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, the Easter bunny is a very ancient pre-Christian symbol of fertility due to its highly visible activity in Spring also coinciding with the arrival of eggs. The bunny or hare, was used in Hellenistic, Celtic and Germanic cultures. The Hare and eggs were fertility symbols of the Saxon moon goddess Eostre, after whom the festival takes its English name.  But during Easter, you can find bunnies in churches, homes, and baskets all over the world.

And last but not least, there's the wonderful "N word".  Now the word Nigger can be certainly traced back to slavery, discrimination, and overall disrespect of the African American race.  But by a slight change of spelling and pronunciation, "Nigga" has become a term of friendship and brotherhood in the African American community.

So if the Christmas Tree, the Easter Bunny, and the "N Word" is ok, then planking is ok.  If it is not your  intent to mock slavery or slaves ships, then Plank your heart out.  Plank on rooftops, plank on land.  I think we are too caught up on symbolism, imagery, and conspiracy theories right now.  Life is too short, have some darn fun!