Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Swimming Culture – California

Nationality: Vietnamese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: La Jolla, CA
Performance Date: April 22, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Vietnamese

Folklore: Swimming culture

What people just know:

-if you’re on the wall, you don’t push off right before someone is coming or is going to turn

-floating on the wall in the middle of a set means you’re “weak sauce”

-people usually don’t REALLY have cramps.

-being the lane leader means you can’t slack off.  If someone’s in front of you, you can’t just catch up and ride the drift …people in the front hate this

-if you’re slacking…its obvious. Cheaters piss people off cause everyone else is dying as they suck it up.

-the words “for time” or “test set”= instant dread

-the right most lanes are the “fast lanes.”

My Analysis:

The most interesting point that Jen made about what only swimmers know is the joke of “cramps,” usually used as a lame excuse for people to skip practice.  It becomes a phrase that everyone knows to be false, yet people have accepted it and are continuing to use it to ditch. When someone says they have cramps (menstrual cramps or stomach aches), they are usually mocked by other swimmers.

People who use excuses to be lazy are really frowned upon in swimming because the sport is so physically grueling: waking up at dawn, cold water, exercising all muscles in the water.  People who do not know or understand the unwritten rules of floating on the wall or being the lane leader are shunned and cause a lot of annoyance.  Everyone is expected to hold up their part and carry the same work load.

What people just do:

-changing in front of people is no big deal.  Panties and bras a basically the same as a suit, and for many, being naked is not much less. Even around non-swimmers, swimmers typically don’t really care about showing skin

-morning practice. if you don’t wake up early…you’re not that hard core.

-parkas, ugs, pjs, and sweats = standard swimming gear

-swimmers don’t know what to do in a pool with pool toys and no lane lines.

My Analysis:

The actions of many swimmers carry the same sense of commitment and also a sense of shamelessness. Being naked in front of each other is not humiliating because changing from street clothes to swimsuits is done so often. This is a unique social aspect because many Americans value their privacy, both personal information and their bodies. For instance, some families in older Japanese customs would bathe together. In America, anything suggesting inappropriate nakedness is shunned upon.

Sports Ritual – Las Vegas, NV

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Las Vegas, NV
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

In high school, Aaron played the position of goaltender for his lacrosse team. Before each game, as a ritual, he would write on a slip of paper “A-game.” He would then stick it in his jock strap right before a game so he could say he brought his A-game to the game.

Aaron performed this sports ritual as a way to bring him luck. He believed that he would, in fact, perform better if he fulfilled this sports ritual before each game. He thought he would play his “A-game” if he did this. He said that he did not necessarily perform flawlessly every single game, but he kept doing it because he thinks he probably would have performed even worse had he not done this ritual. Aaron did not borrow this idea from somewhere else; he had not heard of anyone else doing it. He made it up himself and made it into his own pre-game ritual.

Rituals, or at least sports rituals, tend to be superstitious. Aaron felt compelled to write “A-game” on a slip of paper and put it in his jock strap because he felt it really would help him perform better in his lacrosse game. He felt like a better goalie. He never deviated form this practice because he did not want to suffer the disastrous consequences and be a terrible goalie.

This ritual made me laugh because I had never heard of men sticking pieces of paper into their jock straps before games as a way to bring them luck and/or perform better. However, I felt bad for laughing because Aaron takes it very seriously. He will not go a single game without this slip of paper in his jock strap.

I think this ritual is interesting because it invites discussion about beliefs. Some people might be skeptical; they might laugh and say that the “A-game” slip of paper has no affect whatsoever on his performance as a goalie. They might say that it is all mental: he just feels more confident when he has the slip of paper, so he plays better as a result of feeling confident and of feeling like he can and will do well, not necessarily because of the slip of paper at all. However, others who also have sports pre-game rituals might completely agree with Aaron. They just feel the need to fulfill these rituals regardless of whether or not others regard it as all mental. To them, their better performance is tied to this ritual; they cannot do well without it. Then, there are all the people who kind of believe the ritual is tied to performance, but also kind of believe their performance is tied to their mental state of mind and the slip of paper helps induce that confident state of mind.

Ritual – University of Southern California

Nationality: Half-Chinese and Half-Estonian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Loch Arbour, NJ
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

Arvo Lee, as one of the many thousands of USC students and fans, kicks the flagpole on the walk on the way to the Coliseum. One is supposed to kick the flagpole every single time one is walking to the Coliseum to watch a football game. Thus, it is a ritual that has been going on for many years. Kicking the flagpole is supposed to bring us luck; it is supposed to ensure a Trojan victory. Arvo does it because he says it is all in the name of good spirit. He learned it by watching other people- other USC students and fans who have gone to football games at the Coliseum before, and walk by the flagpole every time- do it. He realized that people did it for luck, so he mimicked them to keep the ritual/tradition going.

As a USC student, I also kick the flagpole on the way to the game. I agree with Arvo that the point of kicking the flagpole is for good luck. It is supposed to help us win the football game of the day. Everyone does it in the name of good fun; I do not think anyone thinks kicking the flagpole is a true factor in whether or not we win the game. People just do it unconsciously. They only do it because other students and fans do it. If they had not seen other people do it, it would have never occurred to them to kick the flagpole for luck.

This ritual says that we, as a society, learn by mimicking. We begin kicking the flagpole, and someone says it is for good luck, and soon thereafter we have a whole mass of students and fans that follow suit. At first, I did not even know why I was kicking the flagpole, but since everyone else was doing it, I did it too. This ritual also says that we, as a society, are creatures of habit. Now I do not even have to try to remember to kick the flagpole, I have done it so much now I just do it automatically. Some people might think after many times kicking the flagpole that it is pointless, but they will probably keep doing it out of habit and tradition.

Superstition

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Palo Alto, CA
Performance Date: March 12, 2008
Primary Language: English

“Don’t walk under a ladder because it’s bad luck.”

Although Lindsey Spiegelman says she does not believe in this superstition very heavily, she still lives by this superstition. Whenever she sees a ladder, she does not walk under it. She will avoid it, if possible, because she does not want bad luck for the rest of her life. She says it is like taking a precaution against a curse being put upon her luck and life. One can find this superstition in publication. It is on page 225 of A Dictionary of Superstitions.

She does not recall who told her this superstition, but she guesses that someone probably told her when she was in elementary school. She brings up this superstition whenever she sees a ladder. If she sees someone about to walk underneath a ladder, she will yell for that person to stop. This superstition has become a kind of ritual for Lindsey. She says she cannot remember a time she has ever walked under a ladder, and now it is complete habit to avoid walking under one.

I agree with Lindsey that one should probably avoid walking under ladders. I am not sure whether or not I believe something bad will happen if one does, but I figure since it is not very much out of my way to avoid walking underneath a ladder, I might as well try to so I do not inflict some sort of bad luck or curse upon myself or someone I care about.

It is interesting that the line between ritual and superstition is blurry. I think that one can have rituals, without being superstitious. However, I think that if one carries superstitions with them, and believes in them, habits and rituals develop as a result of belief in those superstitions.

Superstitions also show what is acceptable in a culture. In our culture, it is acceptable to believe that walking under a ladder could possibly result in bad luck. In other cultures, however, it might be deemed silly that we avoid walking under ladders at all costs. People from other cultures might laugh when they see Americans dodging ladders.

Superstitions also say something about our identity. We are a superstitious group of people. While many people would like to say they do not believe in these silly superstitions, they still do tend to follow the superstitions’ stipulations. Lindsey and myself are examples of people who say they do not really believe in the superstition, yet they still refuse to walk underneath ladders. We figure that there is no harm in avoiding walking under ladders. There is a huge psychological element involved in superstitions; it makes one feel better if they just follow the cultural superstitions present in society.

Annotation: Opie, Iona Archibald, and Moira Tatem. A Dictionary of Superstitions. Oxford [England]: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Superstition

Nationality: Japanese, Caucasian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

Nicole and I were having dinner together at EVK on campus here at USC. While we were talking, she knocked over a saltshaker. Automatically, without breaking speech, she took a pinch of salt and threw it over her left shoulder. This is an example of a conversion superstition. She brought bad luck upon herself by knocking over the saltshaker. However, she countered this bad luck by throwing some of the salt that spilled on the table over her left shoulder. According to the superstition’s stipulations, she ridded herself of bad luck by performing this action.

She learned this superstition from a friend in a similar situation. Her friend knocked over a saltshaker during lunch at a restaurant. When her friend countered by bad luck/bad spirits by throwing the salt over her left shoulder, Nicole asked her what she was doing.

Nicole says she has only seen this superstition performed by people who knock over saltshakers. She herself only does it when she knocks over a saltshaker. She would never throw a pinch of salt over her left shoulder for nothing. She said that the pinch of salt had to be specifically thrown over one’s left shoulder.

Superstitions are about regaining control over something they feel they have no power over. Nicole feels as if she has no power over bad spirits or bad luck, so to protect her against it, she follows superstitions such as throwing salt over her shoulder. Superstitions are largely psychological. People, including Nicole, feel there is no harm in throwing salt over one’s shoulder, so why not do it? It soothes people’s fears when they perform superstitions; it makes them feel better. It makes them feel like they are keeping bad luck and bad spirits at bay.

This conversion superstition is deeply cultural. I also follow this superstition because I have grown up around people who do it. Other cultures around the world might not perform this superstition. In fact, some cultures might find it wasteful that we throw salt around. For instance, I know that in the desert, salt is very, very valuable. People who live in the desert might find it completely offensive that we throw salt. In America, we tend to waste food a lot; a pinch of salt seems like absolutely nothing to us because we are not hurting for food to eat.

I think it is interesting that there are books out there telling one to let go of superstitions. According to page 90 of Intuition for Starters: How to Know and Trust Your Inner Guidance, one should let go of reading too deeply into outward signs. It just kind of made me laugh that the saltshaker superstition was listed as one of the frivolous superstitions to let go of. While people may say that they think it is just a stupid superstition, they still tend to follow it.

Annotation: Walters, J. Donald, and Devi Novak. Intuition for Starters: How to Know and Trust Your Inner Guidance. Nevada City, CA: Crystal Clarity, 2002.