Nascent Drama

[The Dork Lord]

Beliefs, religions and superstitions

 

[The Dork Lord]

In the Maasai tribes of Kenya and Tanzania, the color black is associated with rain clouds, a symbol of life and prosperity.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The medieval Christian sect known as the Cathars viewed black as a color of perfection.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The Rastafari movement sees black as beautiful.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Native Americans associated black with the life-giving soil.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The Hindu deity Krishna means "the black one".

 

[The Dork Lord]

Economy

 

[The Dork Lord]

To say one's accounts are "in the black" is used to mean that one is free of debt.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Being "in the red" is to be in debt—in traditional bookkeeping, negative amounts, such as costs, were printed in red ink, and positive amounts, like revenues, were printed in black ink, so that if the "bottom line" is printed in black, the firm is profiting.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Black Friday (shopping) occurs the day after Thanksgiving and is, statistically, the largest shopping day in the US.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The idea is that the shopping that begins on this day can put a company into the black (i.e., make a profit) for the year.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Fashion

 

[The Dork Lord]

In Western fashion, black is considered stylish, sexy, elegant and powerful.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The colloquialism "X is the new black" is a reference to the latest trend or fad that is considered a wardrobe basic for the duration of the trend, on the basis that black is always fashionable.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The phrase has taken on a life of its own as a snowclone, and has been stretched and parodied as a rhetorical device and a cliche.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Negative symbolism

 

[The Dork Lord]

Black can also carry negative connotations.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The reasons for this are various, but the most widely accepted explanations are that night is perceived as dangerous.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Especially before electric lights, darkness was potentially threatening.

 

[The Dork Lord]

A secondary reason is that stains are most visible as dark additions to pale materials.