Superstition Present

Superstition in the modern day time still exist as my own mother is always pulling me out of the way of a black cat or if i break a glass she shouts at me and say’s quickly throw some salt over your left shoulder three times.

At times it’s amusing but sometimes I do wonder, why people still believe in these superstitions in a modern day time when science has advanced to a stage where superstition and folklores are being analysed and proven to be false most of the time.

I mean programmes like “Myth busters” on the discovery channel are challenging different myths around the world and trying to show what is myths and what has truths to it.

Here is a small summary on what the show is about:

“Hosted by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage -- and co-hosted by Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara -- the MYTHBUSTERS mix scientific method with gleeful curiosity and plain old-fashioned ingenuity to create their own signature style of explosive experimentation.”

(Mythbusters. 2011)      

                                                      

Here is a picture of the crew of myth busters:

(http://www.computersphonesaccessories.co.uk. 28 September 2010)

Phobias can act in forms of superstitions, in several cases people will have different types of phobias from numbers to certain foods that they will not go near or try and I think that this can be called modern day superstitions.

(meye1536. 2011).

Instead of trying to explain what these phobias mean by using methods of writing, I wanted to try and use a mix of pictures and simple definitions to bring my point across. 

 “Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words.

(RGS. 2007).

(wordotheday10.. 2010). 

 

( maldita speaks.  2011). 

Logo phobia- Fear of words

(RGS. 2007).

(MochaBear20. 2010).

Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body.

(RGS. 2007).

(Quiet Lunch.2011).

Geliophobia- Fear of laughter.

(RGS. 2007). 

(weirdphobia.com. 2011)  

     

 ( Factfanatic. 2011).

Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge

(RGS. 2007).

(weirdphobia.com. 2011).   

         

 (Meghan Casserly. 2011)

Panophobia or Pantophobia- Fear of everything”

(RGS. 2007).

(unknown. 2008). 

 

(weirdphobia.com. 2011).

Some people might think that some of these are made up but as unusual as it sounds they are serious phobias that people deal with every day.

There are videos on the internet that try and help people with these phobias, like giving helpful advice to people. So once again we can say that these are like modern day superstitions, and knowledge and most of all understanding can be a very useful tool in trying to educate and help people with these beliefs. 

The video that is shown below talks about the top ten common phobias and gives advice on how to tackle these phobias for people who would like to try and eliminate this belief that they have.

It is demonstrated by a “DR. Larina Kase, President, Performance and success coaching” 

Because these phobias are common they share a cultural relevance in today’s society as anyone can be affected by these phobias, and due to them being common, and people sharing the same beliefs, it does not matter what religion or region you are from, it could affect you no matter what. 

(Dr. Larina Kase. 2008).

(http://www.videojug.com/interview/top-10-phobias-2)

After reading this it makes you wonder if superstition beliefs still occur in the world today, as in actual superstition not forms of superstitions.

Well an incident in America certainly revived this for some people; it involves witchcraft and has been taken as far as to become an actual lawsuit according to the site I read this from. 

(halloweenweb.co.uk. 2010 ).

The story goes as follows.

 “TULSA, OK--In a case reminiscent of the Salem Witch trials, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma today filed a federal lawsuit charging that school officials violated 15-year-old Brandi Blackbear's rights when they accused her of casting a hex that resulted in a teacher's illness.” 

(jones cynique. 2009)

This right here is to me a sign of illiteracy as how could it even cross somebody’s mind that a girl could cast a spell to make someone sick. That thought to me is just complete nonsense and for a school to go ahead with such accusations is quite disturbing if I am completely honest.

“In its legal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, the ACLU said that school officials not only suspended Blackbear for 15 days in December 1999 for allegedly casting spells, but also violated her religious freedom when they told her that she could not wear or draw in school any symbols related to the Wicca religion.”

(Unknown. 2000). 

(WiccanO . unknown).

Suspension for such an accusation, and then on top of that not being to express your religious side in the fear that she might be doing something that they think could be witchcraft is simply silly.

“Before these incidents, the ACLU complaint said, Brandi Blackbear had no discipline problems and had a perfect attendance record. Since being accused, she has "suffered continuous ridicule and humiliation," and "become an outcast among her fellow students," according to the complaint. She has also fallen behind in her school work because of the suspensions.”

(Unknown. 2000).

This for a young girl or even a young boy to go through at this age could possibly change their perception of people and could lead to other social problems, some may argue that its over exaggerating but you would be surprised how little it takes for people to change their opinions and ways of socialising due to something minimal in somebody else’s eyes.

“Although today's case may well be the first in which a student has been accused of actually using witchcraft against a teacher, the ACLU has defended other students who have professed interest in Wicca. In March 1999, a Michigan school settled a lawsuit brought by the state ACLU on behalf of a Wiccan student who was not allowed to wear a pentacle, a symbol of the Wicca religion.

The Wicca religion has been recognized in United States courts and by the United States Army Chaplain's Handbook. It stresses individual enlightenment and celebrates the seasons and the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Proselytizing is forbidden.”

(Unknown. 2000).

(Lady Raven Moon.  2011).

Even though this might just be one case you have to wonder how many other cases like this has happened all over the world but just not made into the media, whether that be a simple school article or an actual news report by a broadcasting channel.

Now to hop into something that is not so serious, I do apologise if you are in a serious mood after reading all of that, it is only because to be able to understand something you need to consider all of the angles. 

There are games all over the internet that have superstition as their main theme.

One of them include hangman the word game, which incorporate themes to do with superstition, anything from days of the week to the actual word superstition. Here is the link to the game why not have a go and see how good you are with superstitions.

http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0311182/games.htm

Not only are there internet games but also board games when it comes to superstitions. 

This one is ironically called superstition, here are the instructions on how to play the game.

Moving on from board games, apparently food also have a high value when it comes to superstition.... see what I did there, high value because food has high value of nutrients in them... you get the point. So anyway, carrying on with the food part when it comes to superstition, there are many things considered lucky to eat during each month. Here are some examples from a website I found:

 

“January - Black Eyed Peas 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(Rosh Hashanah. 2011)

February - Noodles (for the Lunar New Year) 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(unknown. 2011)

 March - Seeds (like Sunflower or Pumpkin) 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(streetendfeeds.2009)

April - Eggs in any form, even raw 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(ashgroveinn. 2011)

May - Yogurt or Cheese 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(wombourneshopping. 2011)

(wethink. 2011)

June - Wedding Cake 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (perfect wedding day. 2010)

July – Watermelon

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (admin. 2011)

 August - Corn on the Cob

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(David Loftus. 2009)

September - Oysters or Fish 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (rasamalaysia. 2009)

(INKANATURA. 2011)

October - Pumpkin Pie

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (Anthony Worrall Thompson.2011)

November - Turkey

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (ferrebeekeeper. 2011)

December – Fruit”

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(fruitsbenefits. 2011) 

All of these types of food are considered to bring luck when you eat them. I guess this is one way of getting your nutrients every month.

(http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111801/inside/Superstitions/Foodsuper.html) 

But there also foods that are meant to tell your future or events that may occur in the nearby future, I am pretty sure we all have heard fortune cookies.

Here are some facts about the fortune cookie taken from the food website:

“Fortune cookies were invented by Americans and they were made by hand until just a few decades ago. Back before the 1960's each cookie's fortune got placed inside it individually, until Edward Louie, who wanted to find an easier way to add the fortunes into thousands and thousands of cookies. For nearly twenty years, they used chopsticks to flip and turn the cookies, until 1967 when Louie invented a machine that automatically inserted the slips of paper into the cookie. Would you believe that fortune cookies come in different flavours like barbecued, nacho-cheese, and chocolate dipped?! An example of a fortune cookie would be "You have a Friendly Heart and are Much Admired". An example of an unfortunate cookie is "You are Well Liked despite Your Table Manners" 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

 (clickthecookie. 2010)

Conclusion:

From the research I have found in the present era of superstition, some schools have been very discriminative when it comes to people’s religion or belief, for example the girl who was bullied and accused of witchcraft, just because she belonged to the Wicca religion.

Even though that the Wicca religion forbids the practice of witchcraft from what I read and understood about the religion when I researched about it.

Also I found that even everyday things like food can have some connection with superstition, like for example that you are meant to eat certain foods during certain months.

I conclude that superstition in the present era has a popular interest amongst people even though it might be on the grounds of discriminative behaviour or on the grounds of health when it involves strange phobias, to go as far to believe in manmade and manufactured fortune cookies with the thought that it is some form of Chinese culture and somehow tells you something that might happen to you, when it is in fact an American made culture.