"We had demonstrated on the very day we shouldn't have: on 'Black Friday.' That day, there were so many killed in one of the neighborhoods that a rumor spread that Israeli soldiers were responsible for the slaughter." (Satrapi, 39).
September 8, 1978, known as "Black Friday," was the beginning of the end of the Shah's regime and the Pahlavi Dynasty. It was a day that irrevocably changed the course of history in Iran and the Middle East. Many cities were under martial law by decree of Mohammad Reza Shah. Many citizens defied the Shah's orders and took to the streets in protest, a common occurrence throughout 1978 Iran.
In the United States, among other places, “Black Friday” is
known as the day after Thanksgiving. It is a day when all or most stores have
sales online or in store for the purchase of Christmas, or other holiday,
gifts. Is the term “Black Friday” used too lightly? Past research talks about
Black Friday having to do with slave trade, but even so—the term is labeled
from two bad times in history, yet we use it to label discounts and clearences.
Isn’t that insanity? Before reading Persepolis and seeing how tragically awful
the Black Friday massacre was, I had no knowledge of it. To me, I feel insulted
each time I hear the term anymore.
The lack of knowledge of this war is sickening. A government
against its people that resulted in many murders is something that should not
be slept on by us and is something that a little girl, like Marjane, shouldn’t
have endured. Respect is lost and I believe this could be a major ongoing
conflict for the book’s main character and many others who survived that day.
I think the term "black friday" we americans use is in some relation to these events of insanity. I don't necessarily think it is used in an offensive way- but in comparison to how crazy and chaotic people act. In this case the two differences are very drastic. I also had no idea that black friday had any other meanings besides the day after thanksgiving before reading this book. I also agree that the loss of respect could be an ongoing theme in this book.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I never thought about that aspect but it truly opened my eyes. Sure, past American black fridays have been hectic and insanity, just as the black friday mentioned in Persepolis. However, I still believe that it could be insulting. Like, the people of Iran would have rather fought for a Christmas gift than been killed by their own government. But I agree that the ideas are similar.
DeleteI only knew the term Black Friday as the day when everything is on sale after Thanksgiving. I never heard of the Black Friday mentioned in this book. After reading about it I learned about a new Black Friday and it was a pretty bad day.
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