The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe > Podcast Episodes

Episode #59

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azinyk:
The problem with the stolen kidneys is that it's a sort of like a ghost story, but it doesn't encourage people to change their behaviour (who really avoids strangers because they think their kidneys will be stolen?).  In the examples I gave, people do something strange (like turning off the fan) for a bogus reason.

The other criterion that my myths meet is that they're widely believed, and rarely questioned.  Lots of people laugh at the kidney story, but hardly anyone challenges the horse meat taboo.

I think we both came up with independent criteria, based on what we thought was the most important aspect of the fan death story.

"Don't talk on your mobile phone at the gas station" might satisfy everyone.

azinyk:
My guess: 9 of hearts.  I used the tried-and-true prophetic technique of making the prediction after the event :)

rebecca:

--- Quote from: "azinyk" ---The problem with the stolen kidneys is that it's a sort of like a ghost story, but it doesn't encourage people to change their behaviour (who really avoids strangers because they think their kidneys will be stolen?).  In the examples I gave, people do something strange (like turning off the fan) for a bogus reason.

The other criterion that my myths meet is that they're widely believed, and rarely questioned.  Lots of people laugh at the kidney story, but hardly anyone challenges the horse meat taboo.

I think we both came up with independent criteria, based on what we thought was the most important aspect of the fan death story.

"Don't talk on your mobile phone at the gas station" might satisfy everyone.
--- End quote ---


On the contrary, like most urban legends (indeed it can be considered almost a prerequisite of being an urban legend), the kidney story had a moral: the way it is usually told, it concerns the evils of going out to clubs drinking too much, and/or having a loose lifestyle.

mindme:
The fan death story, aside from a few highly educated Korean doctors, seems totally pervasive in this culture. I've never met one Korean that doesn't believe fans can kill. And no argument can sway them:

- no one dies of fan death outside of Korea
- I have two fans blowing on my face all summer and I've not died
- there's no scientific basis for any of the claims

Korea is an extremely hierarchical society and arguments from authority (doctors, parents, media, government) have incredible weight here.  (The school is on fire. No one is calling the fire department or evacuating. Why? asks the foreign teacher. "The boss isn't here and none of us have the authority to call the fire department or close the school.")

Further, Korea is one big family. Everyone is a Kim or a Park or Lee practically. Everyone is older brother or aunt. And family is everything in Korea. There's no social safety net. A Korean without a family is cut off from everything. One may as well ask a Korean to cut off his/her right hand as to go against the wishes and beliefs of his/her family.

So, if someone in your family tells you fans are nuthin' but deadly, you believe it. How could you possibly believe a family member would lie to you? If they're lying about this. what else are they lying about?

Ariel:
I forget where I read/heard/saw this bit of trivia, but the story of the different words in English for an animal and that animal's meat can be traced to the Norman conquest of England. The conquered English farmers generally raised the animals for wealthier Norman French consumers. Therefore, a "food" animal was called by its English name while it was alive, but its Norman French name after it was dead and sauced on a plate.  


--- Quote from: "JohnMaddox" ---
--- Quote from: "azinyk" --- - Eating cows or pigs is okay, but eating horses or dogs is disgusting
--- End quote ---


This is off-topic but I have always thought it interesting that English has words like beef, mutton, and pork for the animal meat our culture consumes.  This allows one to avoid saying "cow meat", "sheep meat" or "pig meat" perhaps allowing some cognitive distance between the food and its ultimate source.

This verbal sleight of hand is unavailable with animals we tend not to eat like horse, dog, or goat.

Does this linguistic quirk exist in other languages and cultures?  

-John
--- End quote ---

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