In China they don't like the number 4, and throw in foreign superstition about the number 13 for good measure. I lived in a 26 floor apartment building China that didn't have floors 4, 13, 14 and 24. They do like the number 8, which is why the 2008 Olympics started 8/8 at 8 PM.
The REASON behind the number 13 being OMMITTED from elevators comes from an incident that happened in the 20's or 30's when a newly constructed hotel BURNED due to a FIRE that STARTED on the 13th floor.
@AMilitantAgnostic Well, i live in the Netherlands and i've never seen the number 13 missing around here. But i'm sure there are buildings like that, since there is so much reference to it. I think it's awkward though :P
But what these building designers dont relize is that pretending the 13th floor is the 14th just infuriates it, increasing the magnitude of evil emitted from the number!
It's often not the owners or designers of these buildings which are superstitious, rather they realized that many people they service are superstitious and found an increase in business by catering to these superstitious lunatics. However, as a business model, one must applaud thinking outside of the box to grab such a niche market, those who followed did so because they wanted to capitalize on that market share, which apparently isnt so niche after all since so many businesses follow this.
The people who do this are just stupid. If I were rich enough to build my own skyscraper, id fire the guy who designed the elevator controls should he do this to my building.
In the immortal words of Mitch Hedberg, "People on the 14th floor, you know what floor you're really on. Jump out the window and you will die earlier!"
In asia, many buildings dont have floor 44 because nr. 44 means death in theyr culture. So i at least heard. So US is not only country, that is messing with the numbers.
@cyberdaemon Yep I have seen that in China, but with the number 4. In Chinese, the number 4 is 'si' (四，4th tone), but the word death is also 'si' (死, 3rd tone). I've been in some buildings that went from 3 to 5. Of course it is still the 4th floor, they just don't like to use the number. Even though Chinese people aren't that religious, they do have some superstitions with numbers and colors. 8 (八, ba) is their lucky number, hence they wanted the olympics to start on August 8, 2008 at 8 o'clock.
Not only 13, I've met people who wont play 666 during Lotto or if their grocery bill is $6.66 they freak out and will either put a item back or but one more item. People can be soo crazy sometimes..myself included, but afraid of numbers? common...
IN the 1990's I worked on the 13th floor of a building in San Francisco, which began construction in 1905 and finished in 1908. IDK where the superstition came from, but this dotcom I worked at lasted long enough to pay for a house in Berkeley. Bad luck? GTFO.
13 is the number of months in the pagan calendar. 7 days/week X 52 weeks = 364 days. It is a symbol of religious intolerance. How surprising? Not even. America is lead by unquestioning people and we are headed for a cliff.
it come from when king philip of france decide to erradicate the templar and kills most if not all of them. it was on the friday 13 that s where the myth of the friday 13 came from see your history
@mystisme Friday the 13th is bad luck because 13 is the months in the pagan calendar and Friday is named after Freya. Friday the 13th is considered bad luck by the Christians as a symbol of their religious intolerance and their hatred of women.
@pynic29 I don't know if the 13 superstition is really CHRISTIAN in origin, or if it's European and just later became justified and spread by Christianity. (In fact, I'd say religions are all just organized systems of older superstitions.) Britain and India have had a hundred years of influence on one another, but I wonder if that's enough to ingrain deep seated things like superstitions.
So I get my airplane ticket with seat reservation "#13" and I make an arrangement to change it because I'm afraid that the plane will crash. But there is a 100% chance that someone else will take the seat 13. Will the plane still crash because of that someone else's bad luck seat?
What's even sadder is that a high tech company like Microsoft subscribes to the same irrational nonsense. Anyone else notice that Office 2007 is listed internally and stored in folders on your hard drive as Office12, and the very next version, Office 2010, is listed and stored as Office14?
lol went on an airplane a guy would not sit in seat 13 i told him look at the bright side if something happens seats 14,15,16 and rest would follow along so no worries :)
China is even worse than we are, many buildings there not only lack a 13th floor but any floor whose number ends in 4, so buildings often go from the 12th floor to the 15th. Also, and this is only tangentially related but I think the Computer Science at my school should start at 0 and the basements should be -1 and -2 not b1 and b2.
People on the 14th floor, you know what floor you're really on... jump out the window and you will die earlier! Thumbs up if you know where that quote is from
@clearmenser sorry, I was busy not being on youtube listening to attention seeking cry babies like you. I'm done talking to someone who thinks they can define their life by thumbs though. loser....good one, maybe you can get some thumbs for that comment and make yourself feel better.
@TheDouchesupreme Silly Douchetard, your skills for ascertaining context are limited and your troll-fu skills are poor. I know full well that the thumbs up only "matter" in the arena of comments. I said as much in my 1st response to you when I quoted an ersatz Darwin. And then again in my 2nd response to you "It is important in the ecology of the youtube comments..." If you're done talking then why are still talking dude? Trying to set up a cognitive dissonance, eh? Say one thing & do another?
@alexandermccarthy Truly, but I don't think we as a species would have gotten where we are now without magical thinking. And according to some studies on rats, pigeons, and chickens, associating random events with magical behavior is deeply ingrained in the brain.
do you think that if he did scratch out 14 and put 13 that someone would scratch that out and put 14 i mean. or would they run away from the elevator screaming. that is if they truly are afraid of the number 13
To quote the great Mitch Hedberg: "My hotel doesn't have a 13th floor because of superstition, but people on the 14th floor, you know what floor you're really on."
Floor 14 is still Floor 13, you really think the ghosts or the devil can't tell the difference, that they'll just walk past the floor because it's not label, 13? They still gon git ya, BOO!!!
@TheSirJecht Most superstitions seem to have the assumption that demons are essentially retarded. The Chinese apparently used to believe that demons were scared of mirrors, loud noises and the color red. Cambodians used to think that giving their children names that translated to "shoe" or "cooking pot" would confuse demons, and then there's the logic behind gargoyles: demons are scared of statues of demons.
@yerk3 Thats why I am not religious, I know all demons want is cupcakes and someone to clean the doodoo out of their pants, so I don't need an all powerful god to protect me.
@TheSirJecht What you don't understand is, we goblins cannot actually count above 12 (3 fingers and toes on each hand and foot), so we depend on humans to label things 13. And we resent you for being able to count that high, which is, of course, why we plague mankind with tricks in the first place. Now you know-- And knowing is half the battle!
@TheSirJecht I guess you would have to make sure there were no bathrooms on the Northeast side of any of the suites or apartments or whatever, paint the walls and support columns red and paint the windowsills "haint" blue. Either that or find a way to make leprechauns live there, because leprechauns will mutilate demons for fun.
@yerk3 The Notre Dame Fightn' Irish dude is a good pick, the part they always forget to draw are the spatters of demon blood all over his clothes and tiny fists, but even that hopeless cereal addict Lucky, the one whose always getting pwned by children, has a necklace of demon teeth underneath that green turtleneck of his.
@FeelOfFriction he's not saying numbers are worthless. He's saying numbers don't have an extra meaning. 4 is the same as 6 is the same as 9 is the same as 13. The only number thats different is 69...
the reason is because we are constantly reminded of why we should be afraid. people in powerfull contrling positions perpetuate this mindless fear tactic, because it serves them well. fear is used to sell. fear is worth money. and we are programmed everyday to be fearfull of various threats that do not exist.
There are fears and there are fears. You can't blame all of people's irrational fears on evil corporations and "people in powerful controlling positions". Superstition has its origins in stupidity, which comes from lack of education, poor parenthood and religion.
Fear of terrorists who are "gonna getcha" is perpetuated by opportunistic and self-serving politicians and the military-industrial complex. But they wouldn't get very far if people were only marginally more intelligent.
Sorry, no. We all share the same biology. We don't all share the same stupidity. Biology is _not_ the reason for belief in superstition any more than having arms is responsible for committing murder.
@kossmikham Good on ya, sir. If some of us can overcome our biological need for irrational explanations, why not others. And I was superstitious, despite having an education, until I abandoned religion.
Still, the more important question is what are you going to do about it.
And good on you, mate. That makes two of us. For me, what it took was someone to challenge the beliefs I had always held but never questioned, despite being educated. I found my beliefs to be indefensible. But what made it possible for me to honestly and objectively question my beliefs was in fact having an education. Ten years prior you probably would not have been able to separate me from my beliefs with a crow bar. Having an education was not sufficient, but very necessary.
There's 4, 13, and 666. For me the number 666 is the number between 665 and 667, nothing more. I'm amazed at the superstition, and the fear otherwise normal people have of a perfectly fine number. I once saw a bumper sticker: 667: the Neighbor of the Beast ;-)
In parts of Asia, Particularly China, Japan, Korea and Singapore, the number 4 is considered unlucky, since it sounds like the word for Death. (Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages all being of related origin) As such, some buildings' elevators lack the number 4. Some even lack 4 and 13. So strange...
Then for buildings the real danger is on floor 14 !!!
jorgecalivalle 6 days ago
he should of done stand up
iTitanium 1 week ago
In China they don't like the number 4, and throw in foreign superstition about the number 13 for good measure. I lived in a 26 floor apartment building China that didn't have floors 4, 13, 14 and 24. They do like the number 8, which is why the 2008 Olympics started 8/8 at 8 PM.
banestyrelsen 1 week ago
He's gonna cross out all the number 14s? Watch out, We got a badass over here!!!
mcgalgatron 1 week ago
This has been flagged as spam show
The REASON behind the number 13 being OMMITTED from elevators comes from an incident that happened in the 20's or 30's when a newly constructed hotel BURNED due to a FIRE that STARTED on the 13th floor.
blackbirdmarkvii 1 week ago
That's the thing though, the 14 is just a label, too funny though, i've seen this in many many elevators.
TheAngeltoDemon 4 weeks ago
Wait, is there really a building with the 13th floor missing, or is it just a joke?
I hope it's a joke.
TheDigitalStone 4 weeks ago
@TheDigitalStone There are many real buildings that omit the number 13.
bigninja27 4 weeks ago
@bigninja27 Unreal man. I didn't know.
TheDigitalStone 4 weeks ago
@TheDigitalStone It's true.. In Hong Kong i stayed in a hotel, no floor nr 13...
davydekemp 3 weeks ago
@TheDigitalStone It's common
AMilitantAgnostic 2 weeks ago
@AMilitantAgnostic Well, i live in the Netherlands and i've never seen the number 13 missing around here. But i'm sure there are buildings like that, since there is so much reference to it. I think it's awkward though :P
TheDigitalStone 2 weeks ago
@TheDigitalStone I think it's kind of a fun thing - some people take it somewhat seriously but the vast majority of us respond to it like a game.
AMilitantAgnostic 2 weeks ago
@TheDigitalStone Many buildings also don't have rooms that end in 13, so no room 213, 313, and so on. Certainly not 1313! :P
jbrains762 1 week ago
"I stayed at a hotel recently. C'mon man!!! People on the 14th floor??? You know what floor you're really on!!!" -Mitch Hedberg
TheNarcMan 1 month ago 12
@TheNarcMan "If you jump out of a window on the 14th floor hoping to kill yourself, you will die earlier."
capellamidlight 4 weeks ago 3
It's not just the US actually. I have been on international flights with non-American carriers where there is no row 13 on the plane!
Astonyshing 1 month ago
As a matter of interest, when people are growing up why don't they skip a year and go from age 12 to 14?
lewisner 2 months ago
Stupid religious americans
Typho0n86 2 months ago
Niel deGrasse Tyson and a Mitch Headberg joke. Never thought I'd see the day. Funny shit though.
Carternaut 3 months ago
But what these building designers dont relize is that pretending the 13th floor is the 14th just infuriates it, increasing the magnitude of evil emitted from the number!
infintiyward 3 months ago 31
@infintiyward Couldn't have said it better myself.
PseudonyIVI 3 months ago
silly degrasse, floor number 13 is where the architect of the matrix lives, only the one can go there, uh-duh lol
BryanChelseaFan 3 months ago
wtf peeps, 13 is just a freaking number! Grow the fuck up! How can you be scared of a number? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
allaboutmath 3 months ago
Tyson once again debunking inconsequential superstitious garbage!
deeppurple28 3 months ago
What's in a name?
9b8 3 months ago
i lol'd. tyson is always fun to listen to
eatingtacos000 3 months ago
He is the "cool" version of Carl Sagan, what he lacks in Sagan's elegance, he makes up for in style.
christo930 4 months ago
the only solution to this problem is by keeping building heights below 13 storeys, and yes no basements.Deal with it.
sushanalone 4 months ago
It's often not the owners or designers of these buildings which are superstitious, rather they realized that many people they service are superstitious and found an increase in business by catering to these superstitious lunatics. However, as a business model, one must applaud thinking outside of the box to grab such a niche market, those who followed did so because they wanted to capitalize on that market share, which apparently isnt so niche after all since so many businesses follow this.
cskog001 4 months ago
The people who do this are just stupid. If I were rich enough to build my own skyscraper, id fire the guy who designed the elevator controls should he do this to my building.
LotusDragon09 5 months ago
In the immortal words of Mitch Hedberg, "People on the 14th floor, you know what floor you're really on. Jump out the window and you will die earlier!"
JustOneEarth 5 months ago
C'mon guys, all you people on the 14th floor...you know what floor your really on. Jump out the window, you will die earlier!
drizel462 5 months ago
In asia, many buildings dont have floor 44 because nr. 44 means death in theyr culture. So i at least heard. So US is not only country, that is messing with the numbers.
cyberdaemon 5 months ago
@cyberdaemon Yep I have seen that in China, but with the number 4. In Chinese, the number 4 is 'si' (四，4th tone), but the word death is also 'si' (死, 3rd tone). I've been in some buildings that went from 3 to 5. Of course it is still the 4th floor, they just don't like to use the number. Even though Chinese people aren't that religious, they do have some superstitions with numbers and colors. 8 (八, ba) is their lucky number, hence they wanted the olympics to start on August 8, 2008 at 8 o'clock.
OhReallyNoWai 5 months ago
@OhReallyNoWai il buy the whole 4th storey for 100$ deal? what? whos gona buy the 4th floor..common 100$ it is.
sushanalone 4 months ago
So we know Neil was a Hedberg fan
MrWrldpce 5 months ago
What about Apollo 13 o . 0
AroundSun 6 months ago
it's past 13 in the morning. im going to sleep
Quetzalcoatl3p14 6 months ago
Heck, there ain't nuthin to fear about the number 13. It is the 19 boxcutters that ruined our country that we need to fear.
I am not scared of a boxcutter. Are you?
crazy8sdrums 6 months ago
Not only 13, I've met people who wont play 666 during Lotto or if their grocery bill is $6.66 they freak out and will either put a item back or but one more item. People can be soo crazy sometimes..myself included, but afraid of numbers? common...
misinglink15 7 months ago
i was born on Friday the 13th...never was a bad day for me.
concord327 7 months ago
neil degrasse is ranting on youtube! >=D
IncrediblyStupidName 7 months ago
IN the 1990's I worked on the 13th floor of a building in San Francisco, which began construction in 1905 and finished in 1908. IDK where the superstition came from, but this dotcom I worked at lasted long enough to pay for a house in Berkeley. Bad luck? GTFO.
grayaj23 7 months ago
13 is awesome
AdvancingOverTime 7 months ago
@AdvancingOverTime
You need a red hot branding iron to brand your arse & forehead with the number 13, then be flogged publicly.
...because you like it so much.
johnyringoz 7 months ago
13 is the number of months in the pagan calendar. 7 days/week X 52 weeks = 364 days. It is a symbol of religious intolerance. How surprising? Not even. America is lead by unquestioning people and we are headed for a cliff.
menthol5 7 months ago
it come from when king philip of france decide to erradicate the templar and kills most if not all of them. it was on the friday 13 that s where the myth of the friday 13 came from see your history
mystisme 7 months ago
@mystisme Friday the 13th is bad luck because 13 is the months in the pagan calendar and Friday is named after Freya. Friday the 13th is considered bad luck by the Christians as a symbol of their religious intolerance and their hatred of women.
menthol5 7 months ago
Yeah, people on the 14th floor, you know what floor you're really on.
scotchlouis 8 months ago
Add Stand-up Comedian to Mr. deGrasse's resume, please. ;)
Anfmethodjor 8 months ago 2
@pynic29 I don't know if the 13 superstition is really CHRISTIAN in origin, or if it's European and just later became justified and spread by Christianity. (In fact, I'd say religions are all just organized systems of older superstitions.) Britain and India have had a hundred years of influence on one another, but I wonder if that's enough to ingrain deep seated things like superstitions.
GoblinXXX 9 months ago
All lectures should be like Neil´s. So fun and enlightening :D
hellhammerz666 9 months ago
where can i find all the lecture?
longulbogdan 9 months ago
I'd like to make one where every floor is labelled '13.' I'd tell people that's where they all went.
StatueOfMike 9 months ago
I was born on 3/13. I've also found that the number 13 seems to be GOOD "luck" for ME.
mowgli2071 9 months ago
I live in the UK. My house number is 12, my neighbour's next door is 14
BrettSmith92 10 months ago
@BrettSmith92 Is 13 across the street from you? Evens down one side of the street, odds down the other?
PaHsia 9 months ago
This guy is a scientific comedian. A factual funny man.
FrostyTheSnowball 10 months ago 49
@FrostyTheSnowball He's the Sinbad of Astrophysics!
GoblinXXX 9 months ago
It's almost like a stand up routine. That's how good his lectures are..
SinSeared 10 months ago 4
mitch hedberg has a good bit on this.
cozzy3002 10 months ago
Why is the superstition stupid?
A scenario:
So I get my airplane ticket with seat reservation "#13" and I make an arrangement to change it because I'm afraid that the plane will crash. But there is a 100% chance that someone else will take the seat 13. Will the plane still crash because of that someone else's bad luck seat?
oldpiq 10 months ago
An architect hated his answer.
Crownedson 11 months ago
What's even sadder is that a high tech company like Microsoft subscribes to the same irrational nonsense. Anyone else notice that Office 2007 is listed internally and stored in folders on your hard drive as Office12, and the very next version, Office 2010, is listed and stored as Office14?
I weep for this country.
HyperionCantos 11 months ago
lol went on an airplane a guy would not sit in seat 13 i told him look at the bright side if something happens seats 14,15,16 and rest would follow along so no worries :)
johndebbra 11 months ago
China is even worse than we are, many buildings there not only lack a 13th floor but any floor whose number ends in 4, so buildings often go from the 12th floor to the 15th. Also, and this is only tangentially related but I think the Computer Science at my school should start at 0 and the basements should be -1 and -2 not b1 and b2.
taukid421 11 months ago
People on the 14th floor, you know what floor you're really on... jump out the window and you will die earlier! Thumbs up if you know where that quote is from
supahsekzy 1 year ago 3
Is there a Download link to the entire lecture?
vidic245 1 year ago
haha, i can't believe someone is actually afraid of the number 13..
lion95805 1 year ago
WE LIVE IN ACOUNTRY WHERE PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF THE NUBMER 13. WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY IS THIS?!
clearmenser 1 year ago 94
@clearmenser hey !!! you quoted him using caps...good job :D
TheDouchesupreme 8 months ago
@TheDouchesupreme ... and got 34 thumbs up for it.
"It's apparently a successful strategy." ~ Charles "Monkey" Darwin.
clearmenser 8 months ago
@clearmenser i see your point. thumbs up are really important.
TheDouchesupreme 8 months ago
@TheDouchesupreme It is important in the ecology of the youtube comments, it sure is.
Don't hate the player, bro, hate the game cuz you can't get out of it. That's the first law of Thermodynamics... and you just lost the game.
clearmenser 8 months ago
@clearmenser thumbs mean a great deal to attention whores. "and you just lost the game" is classic dumb.
TheDouchesupreme 8 months ago
@TheDouchesupreme Yawn, that's all you got? Go back to high school, loser.
clearmenser 8 months ago
@clearmenser sorry, I was busy not being on youtube listening to attention seeking cry babies like you. I'm done talking to someone who thinks they can define their life by thumbs though. loser....good one, maybe you can get some thumbs for that comment and make yourself feel better.
TheDouchesupreme 8 months ago
@TheDouchesupreme Silly Douchetard, your skills for ascertaining context are limited and your troll-fu skills are poor. I know full well that the thumbs up only "matter" in the arena of comments. I said as much in my 1st response to you when I quoted an ersatz Darwin. And then again in my 2nd response to you "It is important in the ecology of the youtube comments..." If you're done talking then why are still talking dude? Trying to set up a cognitive dissonance, eh? Say one thing & do another?
clearmenser 8 months ago
@clearmenser Yup, the U.S.A. Sad ain't it.
alexandermccarthy 8 months ago
@alexandermccarthy Truly, but I don't think we as a species would have gotten where we are now without magical thinking. And according to some studies on rats, pigeons, and chickens, associating random events with magical behavior is deeply ingrained in the brain.
clearmenser 8 months ago
@clearmenser Most of the rest of the world is worse.
preemptivestrike20 4 months ago
@preemptivestrike20
Most maybe... But far from all of the world
funkkyzenzei 3 months ago
@clearmenser A religious country :S
Typho0n86 2 months ago
do you think that if he did scratch out 14 and put 13 that someone would scratch that out and put 14 i mean. or would they run away from the elevator screaming. that is if they truly are afraid of the number 13
kouaitu 1 year ago
To quote the great Mitch Hedberg: "My hotel doesn't have a 13th floor because of superstition, but people on the 14th floor, you know what floor you're really on."
Jeepthrills07 1 year ago 3
@Jeepthrills07 "Jump out of the window and you'll die earlier..." Mitch was brilliant....
Bucketheadcheese 1 year ago
@Jeepthrills07 If you jump out the window, you will hit the ground earlier!
sloucho84 8 months ago
Once it gets in the brain, it seems to stick. Religion is much like superstition.
Treyb3yond 1 year ago
Why we are afraid of the number 13 -
The Catholic Church assimilated the crusader army on a Friday the 13th. They burned their own army all at the stake for being 'homosexuals'.
FlyingSpahghettiMan 1 year ago
Floor 14 is still Floor 13, you really think the ghosts or the devil can't tell the difference, that they'll just walk past the floor because it's not label, 13? They still gon git ya, BOO!!!
TheSirJecht 1 year ago 97
@TheSirJecht not necessarily
brush200400 11 months ago
@TheSirJecht Most superstitions seem to have the assumption that demons are essentially retarded. The Chinese apparently used to believe that demons were scared of mirrors, loud noises and the color red. Cambodians used to think that giving their children names that translated to "shoe" or "cooking pot" would confuse demons, and then there's the logic behind gargoyles: demons are scared of statues of demons.
yerk3 11 months ago
@yerk3 Thats why I am not religious, I know all demons want is cupcakes and someone to clean the doodoo out of their pants, so I don't need an all powerful god to protect me.
ephidapoon 10 months ago
@TheSirJecht What you don't understand is, we goblins cannot actually count above 12 (3 fingers and toes on each hand and foot), so we depend on humans to label things 13. And we resent you for being able to count that high, which is, of course, why we plague mankind with tricks in the first place. Now you know-- And knowing is half the battle!
GoblinXXX 9 months ago
@TheSirJecht I guess you would have to make sure there were no bathrooms on the Northeast side of any of the suites or apartments or whatever, paint the walls and support columns red and paint the windowsills "haint" blue. Either that or find a way to make leprechauns live there, because leprechauns will mutilate demons for fun.
yerk3 7 months ago
@yerk3 The Notre Dame Fightn' Irish dude is a good pick, the part they always forget to draw are the spatters of demon blood all over his clothes and tiny fists, but even that hopeless cereal addict Lucky, the one whose always getting pwned by children, has a necklace of demon teeth underneath that green turtleneck of his.
yerk3 7 months ago
so there was no 13AD in the christian calander...whod have known it
sushanalone 4 months ago
There is such a thing as the golden numbers. Who are we to say that numbers have no significance?
andromedadust 1 year ago
@andromedadust Intelligent thinking persons...
And yes, numbers have no significance.
dietermauer 1 year ago
@dietermauer
Then why is mathematics so efficient for describing nature?
FeelOfFriction 1 year ago
@FeelOfFriction he's not saying numbers are worthless. He's saying numbers don't have an extra meaning. 4 is the same as 6 is the same as 9 is the same as 13. The only number thats different is 69...
walterqxy 1 year ago
@FeelOfFriction Context...
read the comment of the person I was responding to.
dietermauer 1 year ago
I was there at that talk, it was great! I got an autographed copy of The Pluto Files. Dr. Tyson has an amazing gift for communication.
JustOneEarth 2 years ago 4
the reason is because we are constantly reminded of why we should be afraid. people in powerfull contrling positions perpetuate this mindless fear tactic, because it serves them well. fear is used to sell. fear is worth money. and we are programmed everyday to be fearfull of various threats that do not exist.
DoNotSubMeAsshoIe 2 years ago
There are fears and there are fears. You can't blame all of people's irrational fears on evil corporations and "people in powerful controlling positions". Superstition has its origins in stupidity, which comes from lack of education, poor parenthood and religion.
Fear of terrorists who are "gonna getcha" is perpetuated by opportunistic and self-serving politicians and the military-industrial complex. But they wouldn't get very far if people were only marginally more intelligent.
kossmikham 2 years ago
@kossmikham "Superstition has its origins in stupidity, which comes from lack of education, poor parenthood and religion."
And biology...
That's kinda a biggie.
jesseshulman 1 year ago
@jesseshulman
Sorry, no. We all share the same biology. We don't all share the same stupidity. Biology is _not_ the reason for belief in superstition any more than having arms is responsible for committing murder.
kossmikham 1 year ago
@kossmikham Good on ya, sir. If some of us can overcome our biological need for irrational explanations, why not others. And I was superstitious, despite having an education, until I abandoned religion.
Still, the more important question is what are you going to do about it.
jesseshulman 1 year ago
@jesseshulman
And good on you, mate. That makes two of us. For me, what it took was someone to challenge the beliefs I had always held but never questioned, despite being educated. I found my beliefs to be indefensible. But what made it possible for me to honestly and objectively question my beliefs was in fact having an education. Ten years prior you probably would not have been able to separate me from my beliefs with a crow bar. Having an education was not sufficient, but very necessary.
kossmikham 1 year ago
There's 4, 13, and 666. For me the number 666 is the number between 665 and 667, nothing more. I'm amazed at the superstition, and the fear otherwise normal people have of a perfectly fine number. I once saw a bumper sticker: 667: the Neighbor of the Beast ;-)
averagebear1 2 years ago 2
In parts of Asia, Particularly China, Japan, Korea and Singapore, the number 4 is considered unlucky, since it sounds like the word for Death. (Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages all being of related origin) As such, some buildings' elevators lack the number 4. Some even lack 4 and 13. So strange...
kev3d 3 years ago 2
thats weird ...so if they left out 4 would they then skip the actual 13th floor or or the one that would say 13???
ohioworststate 3 years ago