While the day after Thanksgiving has always been a high volume shopping event, it's only in recent years that the term "Black Friday" has been used to describe it. Am I the only one who feels the moniker sounds negative?
Describing any day with the adjective "black" conjures up bad connotations.
For example, Black Tuesday is the day the stock market crashed in October 1929. That day was one of the worst in this country's history, so why would we want to assign another day of the week with the same modifier?
The night before Thanksgiving is now referred to as Black Wednesday due to the high number of underaged people drinking, namely college students who are celebrating as they drive home for the holiday.
The only thing "black" about Black Friday is how it symbolizes the greed that permeates our culture. Stores are now open on Thanksgiving.
I propose putting the word "holiday" back into Thanksgiving. Allow everyone a day off. Can all us Americans have one day of the year where we collectively shut down and reflect about how thankful most of us truly are?
Brian Crosby is a teacher in the Glendale Unified School District and the author of Smart Kids, Bad Schools and The $100,000 Teacher. He can be reached at brian-crosby.com.