The
Shifters was a name of a group of young people who called themselves
that for a few months in 1922. Some considered them a subset of
flappers, but men were welcome to be Shifters. Newspapers covered the
group as if they knew what the culture meant. No one knows who started
the fad, and there was no organization behind it. And, like many fads
among young people, the Shifters died out as soon as the media paid
attention to them. It was a sort of "secret society" of cool, hep people
"in the know," but we still know rather little. One of the fascinating
things about the Shifters was their method of recruiting new members.
Central
to the Shifters’ rapid growth was a pyramid scheme of enrollment and
enrichment that was encapsulated by the Shifter motto, “Get something
for nothing.”
A Shifter would tempt a victim into joining, swear
her to secrecy, make her pledge to “be a good fellow” and demand an
initiation fee of anything from 5 cents to $6. The newly minted Shifter
was then dismissed to find fresh victims and make good her investment.
According
to The Border Cities Star, “down in New York one stenog. cleaned out
1,200 persons in the Woolworth building offices during her membership
campaign, and naturally collected 1,200 dollars.”
As
time went by, established businesses wanted in on the game as well, and
they manufactured Shifters pins, patches, and hats to sell. A lot of
money changed hands, but when the Shifters were seen as mainstream, they
disappeared. On to the next fad! The New York Times Sunday Review has
the story, plus lists of "Shifter slang" terms, which may or may not be
accurate, but it's fun to read.
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