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A couple days ago Xzibit tweeted, “planking was a way to transport slaves on the ships during  the slave trade”. X is making a spurious correlation between slavery and planking.  There is absolutely no correlation between the two; planking comes from a different origin.  At best, it is simply a coincidence. How did Xzibit even come up with this idea? Let’s get educated.

The first plankers were Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon who in 2000 started lying down in public places around Taunton, United Kingdom. They called it “the lying down game”. When asked why they lie down in their pictures the group says that it’s, “because it’s utterly ridiculous, if you go on a holiday, you take a photo of yourself in front of the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We thought it would be hilarious if you’re not interested and lying down instead”. In 2007 co-founder Daniel Hoppin started posting their  “lying down” pictures online.  To date, their facebook page titled “The Laying DownGame” has over 100,000 members.

Tyga planking on a $400,00 Maybach

The term “planking” originated in Australia, not Africa or the Southern United States. Australian carpenter Sam Weckert is credited for coining the phrase. “Planking was a term myself and two other mates came up with roughly in the summer of 2008 or 2009″, Weckert says. Notice where the term “plank”  comes from; you lie down mimicking a wooden plank. Get it? You’re not mimicking a slave, you’re mimicking a plank! Educate yourself. Planking has nothing to do with slavery.

Slaves were transported on specially designed slave ships. People lied on their back, chained down at the wrists and ankles.  If they were forced to stand they would probably collapse on the floor, and things would get even more messy. Plus it is much more efficient if slaves lied on their backs instead of standing. Sometimes up to 500 slaves were crammed into these ships. Once again there is no relationship between the slave trade and planking.

Joe Budden pulling off an uncomfortable plank

People have been lying down for thousands of years, nothing new. Xzibit is just some old geezer who has no friends to plank with, and is trying to ruin planking for the rest of us. Planking has nothing to do with the slave trade! All you people have to stop connecting planking to slavery. There is no correlation.

Xzibit You’re Killin’ Me! Get educated.