Context: While at a coffee shop, my friend shared a practice she’s followed since she was a kid to avoid bad luck when making a statement about something good.

Text:

“You know, even growing up, even if no is around, I’ll still knock on wood. Yeah. And like, yeah, if I think of something, and I really don’t want it to happen, or if I’m scared that I put something out into the universer that I don’t want out there, or that I might jinx something, then I’ll knock on llike a wooden table.

Even if there’s no wood around, I’ll knock on something. Like in my car. You know, I’ll be like, ‘traffic is going really nice right now,’ and then I’ll knock on the car.”

Analysis:

Similar to what we’ve discussed regarding important preventive measures to ward off evil, this is a method I even learned as a kid. What’s even more memorable about this method is the instant flash of fear that crosses a lot of our faces when we realize we might’ve jinxed a situation. This also aligns with Kapchan’s description of performance and how we act out, physically, the notion of protecting our fate. Even if there’s no wood around, something has to be knocked on.