During my last semester of college, my friend Kayla and I were having a discussion, and the word "soapbox" came into the conversation. I then proceeded to ask myself (and Kayla) a series of questions. For example, Why do people say "She/he is on a 'soapbox' about ......."? What does the word "soapbox" really mean? Is it supposed to be taken literally or metaphorically? If you had something important to say, why would you want to stand on a "soapbox" to say it? Wouldn't you rather stand on a "soapcrate" which would be more sturdy and make you several inches taller? These were just some of the questions I asked myself. So, then I realized that I was on a "soapbox" about "soapboxes". (Oh, the irony.) After this realization, I promised myself to look up the origin of the word "soapbox". I was actually quite intrigued with the information I found out. And, to save you from "googling", here are the two best explanations I found:
"Throughout the 19th Century and into the 20th, prior to the invention of corrugated fiberboard, manufacturers used wooden crates for the shipment of wholesale merchandise to retail establishments. Discarded containers of every size, surprisingly well-constructed and sturdy, were readily available in most towns. These "soapboxes" made free and easily portable temporary platforms for street corner speakers attempting to be seen and heard at improvised "outdoor meetings," to which passersby would gather to hear often provocative speeches on religious or political themes."
"A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. The term originates from the days when speakers would elevate themselves by standing on a wooden crate originally used for shipment of soap or other dry goods from a manufacturer to a retail store.
The term is also used metaphorically to describe a person engaging in often flamboyant impromptu or unofficial public speaking, as in the phrases "He's on his soapbox", or "Get off your soapbox." Hyde Park, London is known for its Sunday soapbox orators, who have assembled at Speakers' Corner since 1872 to discuss religion, politics and other topics. A modern form of the soapbox is a blog: a website on which a user publishes one's thoughts to whomever reads the page."
I mean, who knew?! I hope you found this information to be interesting. If you didn't, perhaps you can get on your very own "soapbox" and tell me why. I wouldn't mind hearing an opposing argument. :)
p.s.-I love looking up information and discovering the origin and meaning of words. For those of you who don't know, the study of words origins is called etymology. :)
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