When discussing finances, it's generally accepted that you made money if you're "in the black." When you're "in the red," you lose money. During the Wall Street crash of 1929, three dates in particular stand out as “in the red”: October 24th, October 28th, and October 29th. Despite the enormous loss of shareholder value that occurred on each of these days, they were known, respectively, as "Black Thursday," "Black Monday," and "Black Tuesday." Perhaps you, like us, find this perplexing. We've developed a theory about this paradoxical naming convention. See, the resulting Great Depression may have been a painful decade indeed, but we suspect that everyone ultimately got richer as a result, if only in spirit. To put this theory to the test, we're leveraging the recurring consumer holiday known as "Black Friday" - another date that, despite the name, puts most people in the red. Here's how we think it will go: we'll offer you some discounts. You'll use those discounts to buy products. Once you've realized how much money you spent, you'll fall into a minor depression. Then, once your products arrive, you'll rebound: feeling richer than you would have felt in the first place. In spirit, at least. |
