Friday's Urban Legend: FALSE
Having a morbid fear of Friday the 13th—paraskevidekatriaphobics—is one of the most widespread superstitious beliefs in western industrialized nations. Believe it or not, there are many people who refuse to leave their house on Friday the 13th because they fear that bad luck will befall them if they venture outside. (Apparently, the bad luck doesn't find them in their homes.)
Personally, I like the attitude of the "eccentric" (rational?) men in the photo.Members of the Eccentric Club of London at their annual Friday the 13th lunch in 1936 – surrounded by objects that are connected with superstitions. Picture: Getty Images [Unlucky roots of Friday the 13th].There is no evidence to support the irrational fear of Friday the 13th, with the single exception of a study published 14 years ago in the British Medical Journal [Is Friday the 13th bad for your health?]. That study showed an increase in accidents on Friday the 13th compared to Friday the 6th.
According to scholars, the fear of Friday the 13th is a recent invention. There is no mention of it before 1900 [Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky]. It seems that people simply combined a fear of the number 13—triskaidekaphobia—with an obscure dead of Fridays. Nobody knows for sure why the number 13 is considered unlucky but there are several popular myths. The most common are a Norse myth about having 13 people at dinner and a Christian myth about the Last Supper.
There is no significant historical record documenting a widespread irrational fear of Fridays although there are plenty of minor examples of Friday avoidance. Some people thought it was bad luck to be married on a Friday or to set sail on a ship. In Christian cultures the day is associated with the fact that Jesus was crucified on a Friday and Friday is the day that Adam was tempted by Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
In Canada, bikers celebrate Friday the 13th by congregating at Port Dover on the shores of Lake Erie for a few days of partying—a tradition that's been going on for 26 years [PD13].
(While searching for information on Friday the 13th I stumbled upon this Greenpeace site [Friday the 13th]. It's a perfect example of why I have stopped supporting Greenpeace after many years of donating to them. I will not support an organization that uses that kind of scare tactic to make a case against nuclear power. It's about as low as you can go. This is what I'm reminded of when I think of "framing." Perhaps the supporters of framing could explain why I'm mistaken; if, indeed, I'm mistaken.)
Although I have no problem with Friday 13th, I did have a bad one in 1996.
ReplyDeleteI was walking to the local café for a game of pool with a friend and a car lost control and hit both of us at about 160km/h.
I broke many bones and went through some dreadful aches. But nonetheless, I still find it crazy to be afraid of a simple date.
Bah, I wouldn't support any organization whose website requires a video player before telling me what it's all about. If you can't give me the gist in plain HTML, and then let me decide whether to view the fancy-mode content, I'm not interested ;-).
ReplyDeleteMore seriously, I decided years ago that GP were producers of manipulative propaganda, when they mailed us a "survey" entitled "Community Toxic Report". The questions were blatantly phrased to lead the respondent to a certain conclusion -- something along the lines of "We're being slowly poisoned, and had better support Greenpeace so they will save us from Big Bad Industry and Uncaring Government!"
I despise propagandists, even when they're (in some sense) on my side.
When you word something about evolution so creationists can't easily misuse it, you're framing. You find that wrong? I don't. Framing can be dishonest, as it typically is in the hands of the rightwing, but it doesn't have to be. If you don't like dishonest forms of framing, don't be dishonest (I support you on that) but the babies and bathwater thing applies here.
ReplyDeleteQrazyQat said...
ReplyDeleteWhen you word something about evolution so creationists can't easily misuse it, you're framing.
Some people do that. I don't.
When they do it they're defending themselves against the worst abuses of framing. That's not the same as framing. What they're doing is recognizing that framing is dangerous and wrong.
Hah! I betcha every person at that meeting shown in that picture is dead! How do you answer that Mr. Schmancey-fancy scientist, huh, HUH?
ReplyDeleteHow much would you like to bet? :-)
ReplyDeleteFriday 13th October 1307.
ReplyDeletePhilip the Fiar (Philip IV) of France seized all the property, and most of the Knights Templar in his reams.
Many were tortured, and some killed, very unpleasantly.
The last grand master cursed Philip in his death-agony, and the "curse" was believed to be very active ..... hence: "les rois maudits"
Which is where the legend of unlucky for some, comes from
That appears to be a myth. Nobody denies that the Knights Templar were arrested on Friday the 13th. It's just that nobody cared. I strongly suspect that most citizens thought it was a lucky omem if they thought about it at all.
ReplyDelete