Author Archives: Carly

We Like to Drink With…

Nationality: British
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

Main Piece:

Participant “Okay so when you want somebody to finish their drink quickly or like you just want them to get drunk…legally… we have this chant where it goes, um… ‘weeee like to drink with Amy cause Amy is our mate, and when we drink with Amy she gets it down in 8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1’ and then they have to finish it within that song”

Context:

The participant always sings this drinking song when her and her friends go out, everyone was unfamiliar with the song but quickly caught on. I asked her to explain it to the group.

Background:

The participant is originally from England and just recently moved to the United States as an international student. She is a second semester freshman at the University of Southern California in the Cinema and Media Studies Program. The drinking age in England is 18 and this is an extremely common song among the participant and her friends from home. She learned this song from her peers and it has become a fun song they always sing on their nights out.           

Analysis:

Drinking songs are popular all over the world and vary from place to place. They act as a sort of bonding mechanism and help to bring a party and group of people closer together. It also can act as a rite of passage. As a kid, you are not allowed to be included in all the songs until you reach a certain threshold at which point you are then allowed to participate.

Shiver Superstition

Nationality: British
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

Main Piece: 

Participant “Okay so, if you suddenly get a random shiver, like you’re not even cold or anything you’re just sat there and you like shiver, that means that somebody has walked on your grave in the future, like when you’re dead. That means that like in a future life they’ve like stepped on your grave and that means you shiver.”

Context:

The participant in this situation is my roommate, one day we were sitting doing homework when she got a sudden shiver and motioned something about her grave being stepped on. I was not familiar with what she was referring to so she explained her superstition to me.

Background:

The participant is originally from England and just recently moved to the United States as an international student. She is a second semester freshman at the University of Southern California in the Cinema and Media Studies Program. This superstition was shared with the participant by her mother but is also common in her hometown.          

Analysis:

Superstitions relating to bodily functions are very common such as sneezing or coughing. This superstition, although there is no basis to prove that it is real, there is also no way to guarantee that it isn’t real. This is a common occurrence with superstitions. Although they may seem silly or incorrect there is no way to know for sure what the truth is making it difficult to discount people’s beliefs.

Office Ghost

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

Main Piece:

Participant – “So when my grandparents passed away my mom basically cleaned out their house, and so she was in my grandpa’s office like cleaning up his stuff and it was like kind of a creepy office and like no one was allowed in there except for him obviously… and, um… she said that like she like looked away for a second and she looked back and she saw like this like…it looked like a person but it was like all black and kind of like creepy and looked like some sort of like demon spirit, (laughs) …so there’s that, but you know”                 

Context:

My friends and I were discussing the different ghost stories that we have encountered over our lives or any personal encounters with the supernatural. The participant shared this ghost story with us.

Background:

The participant is a freshman accounting major at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She grew up in Seattle, Washington where her family still currently lives. This ghost story was experienced by the participants mother than passed on to her.           

Analysis:

This is another situation where the participants account came from a close family member. In this case however, it was a loved one’s passing that prompted the supernatural encounter. This makes the story more disturbing as the participants mother described the ghost as looking almost demon like. When referencing a passed love one, we usually hope to picture them as almost angelic so it is an interesting encounter that could be perceived as almost negative.

Grate Clowns

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

Main Piece:

Participant – “My brothers told me that there was a clown that was gonna kill me in the drains on the side of streets, so I was never able to step near them cause they could somehow grab me and suck me through the cracks and kill me, and I never stood by the… I still to this day do not walk near grates.”

Context:

One night while eating dinner, the participant and I shared a variety of stories told to us when we were younger.

Background:

Participant was born in and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and is currently a second semester freshman at the University of Southern California. She is a Law, History, and Culture major with a minor in Art History. This legend was told to her by her two older brothers when she was very young.       

Analysis:

There are many legends often told to children with the sole purpose to scare them. In this situation, the participants older brothers were the ones playing a trick on her, a very common occurrence among siblings. As a child, this legend scared the participant so deeply that even now as an adult it still sticks with her even though she knows it not to be real. Clowns are often the subject of many scary legends, this is an interesting juxtaposition to their typically happy association.

 

For another version of this legend read IT by Stephen King or see IT the movie.

Hiccups

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

Main Piece:

Participant – “In terms of hiccups, you… um, take water… from like a water bottle… and then drink it upside down.”

Context:

Participant and I were sitting in her dorm, sharing our home remedies, she shared this one with me directly after sharing another piece of folk medicine about curing a cold. I then shared with her my own personal hiccup remedy.

Background:

Participant was born and raised in Mill Valley, California and is currently a second semester freshman engineering student at the University of Southern California. This piece of folklore was shared with the participant buy her aunt.

Analysis:

There is a very large section of folk medicine centered around curing hiccups. I have come across a multitude of different approaches ranging from scaring someone, to laying upside down. I learned a similar hiccup remedy as a child having to do with drinking water upside down, but mine had slight variations from the participant.

 

For other hiccup remedies see https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9896.php