Monthly Archives: January 2011

Contemporary Legend

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 33
Residence: Essex Falls, NJ
Performance Date: April 10, 2008
Primary Language: English

Urban Legend

“There’s always the “based on a true story” story about the lady who was driving home from work on a dark and lonely road and a truck she had seen at a rest stop came driving quickly up behind her and she saw in her mirror that he was brighting her as he drove up.  She didn’t want to stop because she was in the middle of nowhere, so she kept driving faster, but the truck would drive up behind her and she’d see him in the rearview mirror brighting her again.  So she kept driving and when she got to another rest stop where there were lights she drove in there and jumped out of her car and started running inside.  The truck followed her into the stop and when she turned around to look from the doorway, the driver was just sitting in his truck but just then some guy jumped out of her own back seat and ran into the woods.  It turns out the trucker saw the guy climb into her back seat from the last rest stop just before she left and every time he started getting up from the back with his knife, the trucker would bright the lady so that she’d look in the rearview mirror, at which time the guy in the backseat would duck down again and wait until she got farther away from the truck again.”

I had never heard this urban legend before, but my brother told me that he and his friends used to talk about it all the time.  Apparently the legend is well known where Chris grew up, in Mountain Lakes, NJ.  This story greatly resembles a lot of other urban legends about people driving alone, serial killers, and danger during the evening.  I’ve heard a lot of stories like these growing up, and this one was probably just another version of these typical urban legends.

A lot of rumors tend to go around about serial killers and murders, especially when stories show up on the news all the time.  This story was probably inspired around a time when a lot of crimes had occurred and people were on the lookout for murderers.  People had also probably been inspired by past urban legends involving murder and created their own.  Additionally, a lot of trucks and cars pass through areas in New Jersey that are very desolate and have few rest stops and truck stops.  When people do choose to stop, there aren’t usually many others around- especially at night.  Finally, a lot of negative stories tend to go around about truckers, which probably influenced the creators’ choice to include a seemingly scary truck driver situation in the first part of the legend.

This urban legend was probably really popular because of its suspenseful effect.  It takes place in a scary setting on a desolate road with the factors mentioned above.  By repeating the action the truck driver takes by continuously brighting the woman in front of him, the listener gets gripped by the story and scared by what doom awaits the woman in her car.  When the story finally climaxes as the woman jumps out of her car, the listener is surprised to hear that someone had jumped out of the back seat instead of the truck driver doing something to somehow attack her- quite an unexpected result.  When at the end of the story the truck driver is described as the savior and the brightening of the headlights is explained, the listener is again surprised.  This combination of factors leads to an effective and successful urban legend that has been unsurprisingly been told and retold for a long time.

Urban legends like these are very common, especially in suburbs such as Mountain Lakes, because the settings are very similar to that in the story.  Stories tend to be much more interesting and people are more inclined to retell them when their culture has something in common with the story, or it seems like it could very well have taken place in their area.  These stories are also very entertaining to tell children, especially around traditional activities such as camping and having bonfires.  This is a good example of a particular urban legend that is representative of the many that are exchanged in the New Jersey area.

Contemporary Legend

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 33
Residence: Essex Falls, NJ
Performance Date: April 10, 2008
Primary Language: English

Ghost Story/Folk Legend
“When I was a kid, and we were on camping trips for like cub scouts or some crap, the counselors would always tell some story about Hatchet Harry.  It was a pretty long, involved story about this guy who would come out of the woods at night and terrorize campers and chop off their heads by throwing his hatchets at them.  Then you’d go to bed and in the middle of the night the counselors would start throwing Frisbees around and hit the tents with them to scare us.  Pretty lame.”

My older brother told me this story about when he used to go to summer camp or go on brief camping trips when he was a boy.  Chris grew up in Mountain Lakes, a suburb of New York in northern New Jersey.  In this area, where I also grew up, a lot of kids go away for the summer to camps in the Northeast or go camping with their families in the woods, since there are a lot of those in New Jersey.

Something that is traditionally done at these camps is ghost storytelling.  Groups of campers and counselors or parents would often sit around some sort of bonfire and tell legends that they had heard about people in the area in order to scare the younger kids.  A lot of the stories had to do with outcasts or ghosts of people who had been murdered who still hang out in the woods in order to either terrorize or kill people who venture into that area.  The legend of Hatchet Harry is a perfect example of these stories; it revolves around a man who seems to be an outcast of society and who throws hatches to kill anyone who comes near him, and most likely, to seek revenge (Chris didn’t mention this, but most stories such as this have to do with killing in order to seek revenge of others, and it could probably be assumed that it is part of the back story of Hatchet Harry.)

Stories like this are most successful probably because of the settings in which they are told.  As Chris described, they were told at camp, most likely at night and near a wooded area.  This way, the story has a much greater effect and seems a lot scarier and more believable.  Secondly, by putting the setting of the storytelling in the same type of place that the story is about, it scares the listeners into thinking that the subject of the story, Hatchet Harry, could be roaming the area.  Lastly, when these effects are combined, it makes it much easier for the counselors to scare the kids by throwing Frisbees at their tents.  Though Chris said this was “pretty lame,” it is likely that it did still scare kids who did choose to believe the story.

Stories like this are very common and provide entertainment on multiple levels.  First of all, it gives the kids something to do at summer camp that keeps them excited and engaged before bed.  Secondly, it gives the adults who tell the story a rise and a form of entertainment as they gauge the reactions of the listeners.  Lastly, it provides stories that can be told and retold for ages to come as the kids grow older and then pass it down.   Though almost everyone grows up to realize that there is very little truth to these tales, they are still a key part of entertaining kids and outdoor/camping culture in northeast America.

Folk Superstition

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Fairfield, NJ
Performance Date: March 14, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Superstition

“Lending a bat to a fellow player is a serious jinx.”

“Some players actually sleep with their bat to break out of a hitting slump or stay in a groove.”

George told me that this superstition regarding baseball is really common and that baseball players are apparently very careful about how they treat their bats.  As he stated, there are a couple specific superstitions that players follow in order to bring good luck or play well in a game.  A lot of superstitions, understandably, are related to the items that the players use during the game.  Bats in particular, along with mitts, hats, and uniforms, happen to carry a lot of weight in terms of bringing good luck.

The first superstition is associated with a players unique batting skills on a team.  Each individual is chosen on a sports team because of their abilities and what they have to offer as players.  When a player has a specific bat they play with, or bats, they associate that bat with their strength, power, and ability to succeed during the game.  The bat is also like a token that signifies a player’s ability to help carry the team.  If players were to switch bats, it most likely believed to be bad luck because it carries the significance of another player’s skills.  Though this clearly can’t be proven, exchanging bats would be like trying to exchange vibes or comfort zones.  Additionally, it is probably simply more comfortable to play with a bat that one has been practicing with and using over and over.  If it is a bat that has brought the player luck and has helped them score, exchanging the bat could be believed to be bad luck because it will stop the luck.

This is similar to the second quote which associates winning/losing streaks with bats.  If a player is doing really well and helping his team win games, he might sleep with the bat to try to stay on that winning streak.  However, if the player stops playing well and the team starts to lose, sleeping with the bat might also help get them out of that slump.  Players most likely believe on that having the bat close to them will literally give them extra playing powers.  Also, some players may believe that the bat will send good luck vibes to their subconscious while they are sleeping.  Being with the bat as often as possible makes the player feel more comfortable with the item they will be using on the field later in games.

The reason these superstitions are probably so popular and common is that they may actually have an indirect effect on the players.  Even though technically sleeping with a bat or consistently using the same bat doesn’t actually give the players physical powers or lucky necessarily, it still has a subconscious effect.  If the players believe that the bat is bringing them good luck, it probably gives them more confidence and as a result they perform better during the games.  Though it can’t be proven, these superstitions are widely held on baseball teams and believed to be true on both a conscious and subconscious level.

Proverb

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 21
Residence: New York, NY
Performance Date: March 10, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Proverb

“Six of one, half a dozen of the other.”

My sister uses this proverb all the time.  We come from a family that uses a lot of proverbs, especially my mom who has one for every situation.  This one in particular she uses a lot, and now my sister uses it all the time, too.  The phrase “Sex of one, half a dozen of the other” essentially means that two seemingly different situations will bring about the same result or have the same effect at the end of the day.  It can be interpreted in a variety of ways; my sister uses it for simple activities, for comparing objects, and most often for giving advice when I or her friends get into emotional situations.

I think these types of proverbs are very popular because they are simple and to the point.  While it needs to be interpreted to some extent, it’s not difficult and it is generally very straightforward and easy to understand.  Especially today, when people are running around and often busy, proverbs that are simple and easy to understand tend to be more popular rather than older, more complicated versions.

I think this proverb in particular is also really effective because it simplifies a difficult situation.  I, for example, have really taken it into consideration when discussing certain issues with my sister.  I tend to overanalyze and over think situations and how I should react to them.  When my sister reminds me of this particular proverb, it is effective because I realize that I stress out for no reason and no matter what I do or think I will still be led to the same result.  I know that this is true for my mother and a lot of my sisters’ friends as well because she uses it a lot and says she generally gets a changed reaction if the person she is talking to had been really stressed out.

I also tend to think that this proverb is commonly used in my family because of the humor behind it.  Since my mom uses proverbs so often, we jokingly poke fun at her a lot.  Sometimes, even if it doesn’t make sense, we’ll recite proverbs like this one that she says to joke around and add a little bit of humor to a situation.  Though proverbs are more than often useful and convenient, they can also serve the purpose of holding significance in a family.  Whether it is in a more serious sense, like when my sister gives advice, or in a more joking sense, like with my mom, this proverb proves to be very popular and used often.

Annotation: Jack, Albert. Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of Phrases we Use Everyday. “Bite the Bullet” Harper Collins Publishers, 2005.

Folk Superstition

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Fairfield, NJ
Performance Date: March 14, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Superstition

“During hockey playoffs, a lot of guys grow beards for good luck until the end of the season so that their favorite time will win.”

My manager at the Original Pancake House is a huge sports fan, especially when it comes to hockey.  He absolutely loves the Rangers and goes to as many games as possible every season.  He is a very intense fan, and he and his friends do a lot of different things to try to bring their team good luck.

He said that this superstition is really common, especially with hockey fans.  If a favorite team makes it to the playoffs (and some even do this during the whole season, but it is generally based on the playoffs), a lot of the fans will let their facial hair grow, specifically their beards.  They tend to believe that as long as they keep their hair growing, their team won’t lose.  Of course this isn’t necessarily true, but it gives them something to hope for.  One of the reasons this superstition is probably to common is that it encourages fans to be more involved.  By growing their beards out and doing something that seems to contribute to the team’s success, the fans feel more involved.

The specificity of growing a beard is most likely due to men’s desire to come across as being very masculine.  Since men already tend to love sports because it associates them with masculine qualities, this trend seems to emphasize that.  In growing a beard, which is clearly a trait that is unique to men, they are asserting their masculinity and trying to make a statement that they have the male power to control, or contribute, to a sports team’s success during the playoffs.

Furthermore, growing a beard can be symbolic of the teams success (or lack thereof) because of the fact that bears grow and can be cut off.  As the beard is growing, so is the team as they win games during the playoffs.  However, if the team loses, the fans can easily shave off their beards in order not to be reminded of the downfall.  Growing a beard provides an easy and convenient way of showing support for a team without making any huge commitments, and it still makes a bold visual statement.  When people who are aware of this tradition see a man with a beard during the playoffs, it can serve as a sort of advertisement for the team and for the sport in general.  In many senses, this superstition is a convenient and practical way for men to show their support and assert their masculinity during game season.