Author Archives: PAR

Thoughts Superstition

Nationality: Chinese American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Pasadena, CA
Primary Language: English

Text/Interview:

DS: “Here’s a superstition I live by. Every time I think of something negative, I knock on wood three times. If I don’t see any wood, then I knock on my head. It’s all about the transfer of energy. I’m literally trying to knock the bad energy out so it can be replaced with positive energy.”

Context:

DS does not define himself as a spiritual person; however, he does believe in good and bad energy. He wholeheartedly believes in this superstition. DS’s mother first told him this superstition when he was a child and he has lived by it ever since. He is unsure of its origins; however, he does not believe it has to do with his Chinese roots. Instead, it is simply a personal superstition that everyone in his family performs daily.

My Interpretation:

This appears to be a case of Sympathetic Magic. In knocking on wood or his head, DS is expelling the bad energy and leaving room for the good energy to flow. This falls under the Law of Contact, as the action being performed is creating the magical effect. Personally, I think this is a very interesting superstition. I always knew the superstition ‘knock on wood’ but had never heard of someone doing the same with their head. I feel like this helps to illuminate the meaning of the superstition and why it still holds weight to this day.

Annotation:

As this is a famous superstition, there are many variations of it within the popular culture. For further research, be sure to check out this Ted-Ed article:

LaBrascio, Lisa, and Stuart Vyse. “Why Do We Knock on Wood?” TED, May 19, 2017. https://blog.ed.ted.com/2017/05/18/why-do-we-knock-on-wood/. 

Feet Up Over Railroad

Nationality: American
Residence: NJ
Primary Language: English

Text/Interview:

BR: “Back when I was a little kid, every time we would drive over a railroad track my grandma used to remark, ‘Pick up your feet! We’re going over a Railroad Track!”

Context:

BR has been doing this for his entire life. According to him, picking your feet up when crossing a railroad has nothing to do with luck. Instead, it is a fun tradition that likely spawned out of necessity. BR claims that when his grandmother was a little girl, railroad tracks were legitimately dangerous. They were extremely bumpy and if you did not pick up your feet when you crossed, you could injure your ankles. As a result, picking your feet up over a railroad track became a habit for BR’s grandma and she passed this down to her children and grandchildren. The result is a tradition that BR claims everyone in his family has fun with.

My Interpretation:

I think that this is a very interesting piece of family folklore. What was once a necessity eventually evolved into a fun tradition he performs every time he crosses a railroad. Traditions like these are what create a sense of unity within a group and I think it will be interesting to see this tradition evolve as it passes hands from one generation to the next.

Hold Your Breath For A Graveyard

Nationality: American
Residence: NJ
Primary Language: English

Text/Interview:

BR: “Every time you drive past a graveyard or pass through a cemetery you need to hold your breath! If not, evil spirits can enter your body!”

Context:

BR is unsure as to the first time he heard this particular piece of Folklore; however, he has been living by it his entire life. According to him, this is not something that he ever really believed. That being said, he has always held his breath anyway. BR claims that he knows the superstition isn’t true. His deductive sense of logic tells him that it isn’t real. Yet, he said that he never does superstitions based upon whether or not he deems them real. Instead, BR performs superstitions because he does not want to be on the other side of one that isn’t fake. In his own words, “I am not a superstitious man, but I need to cover all my bases just in case.”

My Interpretation:

I think this is a very valid superstition and I have heard variations on it during my life. However, what I think is most interesting about this superstition is the reason BR still performs it. I believe that the majority of people do not actually believe in superstitions. However, everyone does them anyway. I think this can be tied to our innate understanding that we do not know everything. BR knows that an evil spirit won’t enter his body if he breathes in a cemetery, but he holds his breath anyway. This shows that people are unwilling to dismiss the supernatural, even if their better judgment tells them they can.

Out of Salt, Out of Money

Nationality: American
Residence: NJ
Primary Language: English

Text/Interview:

BR: “I have always lived by the saying, ‘Out of Salt, out of money.”

Context:

BR heard this for the first time when he got his first paycheck but remembers a similar saying from even before that. BR truly believes that you are never out of money until you have no salt. He always keeps salt around his house and has even given salt as a housewarming gift for people. BR believes that salt is a comfort level and it goes deeper than simply seasoning your food.

BR: “Salt gives both food and life flavor. When you run out, your life will go bland.”

My Interpretation:

I think this is a very interesting proverb and BR really touched upon its deeper meaning. This proverb lends an excellent insight into American life. Although you may be down, you are never truly desolate unless you have no salt. This gives people agency, as salt is the easiest thing to possess. Thus, if you possess this basic element of daily life, you have a shot.

Benny

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: NJ
Primary Language: English

Text/Interview:

TM: “Every summer, people from New York and Western New Jersey flood to the Jersey Shore. They invade the beaches, cause traffic, and are generally rude. We call them Bennys.”

PAR: “What does Benny mean?”

TM: “Benny an acronym. It stands for Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark and New York.”

Context:

TM lives in New Jersey and has dealt with Bennys his entire life. He said that he first heard the term in middle school but it became much more popular when he was in high school as social media helped to popularize the term. TM claims that Benny is a secret word and these individuals do not know they are being made fun of. He also said that although it is a stereotype, it is a fairly accurate one as he has never met a Benny who did not match his expectation of them.

My Interpretation:

This is a very interesting use of slang. The word Benny is used to foster a divide between the native individuals who live at the Jersey Shore and those who are visiting. In this manner, the word Benny gives the individuals from the Shore power over the vacationers as they have authority over the slang. This is transformative speech.