Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

The Orchestra Pit

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Student Housing
Performance Date: April 21st
Primary Language: English

Contextual Information

Time of Interview: April 21st, 4:53 p.m.

Location of Interview: Interior of Informant’s Room, Arts and Humanities

Informant’s First Encounter w/ Folklore: Freshman Year of Private High school

When Folklore is performed: Amongst freshman theater students at Informant’s High school

 

Transcript:

“In high school theatre, everyone was convinced that the seniors our freshman year had sex in the orchestra pit and on every couch, even though our crew of theatre nerds was intensely prude and had no evidence whatsoever. But whenever we went down to the pit we all freaked out about accidentally touching dried bodily fluids and catching an STD. In our defense, the pit was dark and dirty, so the idea that the upperclassmen had lots of sex down there isn’t entirely unproven. Or the kids who were two and three years older than us just liked to make up stories about people having sex in the pit and the green room!”

 

The transition between junior high and high school can often be a jarring one. Homework is increased, the race for college begins, and the dating scene finally becomes a reality. With so much change occurring, one often needs some event or story to celebrate the passing of such a liminal period. Fortunately for my informant, her theater crew was more than willing to oblige.

The Scottish Curse

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Student Housing
Performance Date: April 21st
Primary Language: English

Contextual Information

Time of Interview: April 21st, 4:56 p.m.

Location of Interview: Interior of Informant’s Room, Arts and Humanities

Informant’s First Encounter w/ Folklore: Freshman Year of Private High School

When Folklore is Performed: During theatrical production of the play Macbeth

 

Transcript:

“Basically, if you said Macbeth, the show was cursed. To reverse the curse, you had to spit on the stage, run seven laps around the theatre, say the name of the Bard while hopping up and down and spinning outside the theatre, and apologize to everyone for naming the Scottish play. I never did it, but one of my friends did once and the upperclassmen made her do all of it.”

 

In theater, when the play is subject to so many variables such as timing, coordination, and memorization, any constant or luck charm will help. The ability to refrain from saying the title of the play serves as a sort of placebo, aiding in everyone’s efforts to complete what is often believed to be a cursed play. Those who break this one constant are forced to perform ridiculous tasks not too appease the fates, but instead to pull themselves back into focus. This particular superstition has been mentioned and parodied numerous times in pop culture [1].

 

[1] In Season 15, episode 4 of the Simpsons, titled “The Regina Monologues,” in which the Simpsons go to London. Ian McKellan was the actor playing Macbeth in the episode. Every time someone said “Macbeth”, McKellan always got hit by a lightning bolt.

Winter Guard

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Student Housing
Performance Date: April 21st
Primary Language: English

Contextual Information

Time of Interview: April 21st, 5:01 p.m.

Location of Interview: Interior of Informant’s Room, Arts and Humanities

Informant’s First Encounter w/ Folklore: Freshman Year of Private High School

When Folklore is Performed: Before every Winter Guard performance.

 

Transcript:

“In Winter Guard, we did this thing where we all stood in a circle before every performance and mentally transferred all our ‘bad’ or ‘negative’ energy and nerves into an ‘energy ball’ and pantomimed throwing the ball away from the performance area. We transferred the energy by shaking and dusting it off of us, sometimes even coughing and pretending to spit. If we were outside, my coach would actually spit on the ground.”

 

Numerous things can go wrong during a sporting match, so any form of mental concentration or preparedness is welcome before a match. By banding together, the Winter Guard team places emphasis upon the unity and coordination required in their performances, and allows everyone to enter a “team” mindset.

“Don’t Suck…”

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Student Housing
Performance Date: April 21st
Primary Language: English

Contextual Information

Time of Interview: April 21st, 5:05 p.m.

Location of Interview: Interior of Informant’s Room, Arts and Humanities

Informant’s First Encounter w/ Folklore: Freshman Year of Private High School

When Folklore is Performed: Before every theater performance.

 

Transcript

“We ate Jolly Ranchers before every show, using the saying “Suck now so you don’t suck later.” If you didn’t have a suck you had a bad show, apparently.”

 

When performing in front of others, it is entirely possible that one could break or falter under the pressure of the crowd. By taking the jolly rancher, one receives a sort of placebo effect that allows them to remain confident while performing in front of others.

Masturbation causes blindness in men

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: English

This blatantly false urban legend is said to come from mothers who didn’t want their sons doing naughty things around the house.  Today, however, most young men are aware that this assertion is, in fact, false.  It is odd that I heard this myth from a girl as I had never heard a girl whose parents or friends had told her about this myth as a young girl.  As a boy, I had heard about it and was curious to know if it was true or not – obviously, after doing a bit of research I quickly read that it was not true.  This myth was quite funny to my informant, who thought it was strange that mothers would actually tell their sons this to keep them from “choking the chicken” so to speak (we both have our doubts as to whether mothers actually told their sons this).  My attitude towards this myth is that I am simply unsure of how it came into being, and I’m curious as to what kind of person would invent such an assertion.  It would be interesting to meet that person and see what else they told their children.