Orlando Magic star Gilbert Arenas and Dwight Howard recently released pictures of them ‘planking,’ a fad that has swept the entire world in just a few years and has somehow reached the U.S in the last few weeks. Though there is much argument on how the craze began, it was reportedly “invented” in 1997 in England, and became popular in 2009 when a group of doctors and nurses in England were fired for playing while on duty. Other reports claim it was originated in Australia, the country that claimed it’s first ‘planking’ death recently when a man fell from a balcony and Brisbane while his friend photographed him.
To play the ridiculous game, you lay down straight, face down, with your arms at your side in public on or around a random object. The more unusual the better. You then upload the photo to the planking facebook page or a social network and let the commenting begin. Be aware, not everyone is thrilled about the so called craze with some pegging it offensive and racist. Some sites credit the origination of planking to slavery, when slaves were placed side by side on a boat with their wrists chained to their side by slave masters.
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