May4th Be With You

Long before Disney took ownership, Star Wars enjoyed a long-established and dedicated fanbase following. In the 2011 UK Census, the Jedi movement nearly gained religious status after a few sarcastic atheists started off in the 2001 Census. So it’s no surprise that May the 4th has grown as the official, unofficial day for Star Wars worship. Personally, my social media feed has been littered with growingly festive May 4th greetings. (I recall the first time I heard the notion as the punchline of a joke.)

Not to say that Star Wars is completely devoid of spiritual essence. Creator George Lucas was quoted as saying some 15 years ago that The Force embodies “a concept of religion based on the premise that there is a God and there is good and evil.” ( Jill Serjeant [2015] Reuters ). Many academic authors have made more than passing references to the spiritualistic themes in everyone’s favourite Sci-Fi saga.

Markus Altena Davidsen [2016] wrote an entire chapter: From Star Wars to Jediism; The emergence of Fiction based religion

In his chapter above, Davidsen highlights the growing movement of ‘Jediism’, a separation from the prevalent materialistic Star Wars universe and franchises. The suggestion is that this movement acknowledges a real-world acceptance of the Force in a real, empirical world.

The idea isn’t as original as you might think and what some might call the delusion of the Force has been circulating in pop culture for quite some time.

Kevin Smith’s Mallrats (1995)

In fact, the basic idea behind the Force is easily compatible with the ancient Chinese belief of a “concept of an energy that is undercurrent of all living things and the cosmos, originates from the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism ” ( Pizzaro, Uni of Sydney). Not to mention numerous other civilisations throughout the years under a similar premise

For those that (rather accurately say) Star Wars is too materialistic or too consumer-driven to be anywhere near as sacred as a religion. My advice is, look around . . . cast a glance anywhere between American Televangelical Christian preachers asking followers to send in money with a promise of spiritual reward. This is hardly an evolution from the well known medieval trade that grew around holy christian relics and their power as objects to connect humans with spiritual ‘transempirical realities’ ( as Davidsen [2016] describes above). Consider the practice of Catholic ‘indulgences‘ in western Christendom and how the abuse of such, incurred the famous Ninety-five thesis Martin Luther wrote in protest, leading to his ex-communication from the catholic church. Then onto the concluding sequences of events that contributed to the Reformation in general? I am more than sure other such examples exist in other religions unbeknownst to me.

This blind adulation of objects is not dissimilar to how the concept of commodity fetishism is viewed. “Slavoj *Žižek …combined the psychoanalytic definition of fetish with Marx’s own to create a theory of the commodity that uses the notion of fantasy to explain its peculiar power to deceive. (Oxford Ref)“. When associated with the visual hierarchy of the Star Wars saga, such inanimate objects are similar in nature to the medieval holy relics that were heavily imbued by loyal believers with a religious Phantasmagoria. These sacred relics were able to generate what Walter Benjamin called an ‘aura‘ that is heavily in sync with its own time and a space i.e. a lightsaber; which is fairly unique to the Star Wars universe and has no realistic bearing in any other form of reality. The sheer symbolic imagery of such an object becomes its own, unique symbol beyond the reality of the literal object. Much of the aesthetic designs in the Star War universe were made from scratch with parts from craft model kits to be unique and bespoke, to avoid any possible connection with other competing Sci-Fi films/franchises. (Sansweet, [1992]’From Concept, to screen, to collectible‘, p.20.)

A lightsaber becomes an exclusively cultural signifier for the Star Wars universe that cannot be represented in the same context anywhere else because it has no other possible place to belong in any other time and space. Thus, make-believe or otherwise, the Star Wars fan is involved in a process called reification with the object, as it becomes symbolic and loses all other meaning elsewhere. Regardless of the initial purpose of the parts used to create the product. 

How is the phantasmagoria that Star Wars generates any different from other forms of ‘transempirical realities’ or even straight out idolatry that has continued in mainstream religion despite the initial condemnation from their own revered respective gospel scriptures?

Jeidiism.

As Davidsen reminds us in his article above, ‘Jediism’ accepts the materialism of Star Wars fan culture and attempts to distance itself from this, as a movements with primary teachings that “assume the transempirical realities” like any other religion or spiritual belief structure.

Yet there is a contradiction here because the very path to ‘Jediism’ as defined by Davidsen, means accepting the materialistic origins of the nature of Star Wars fan culture. A Sci-Fi franchise so deeply routed in consumerism and merchandising that it can be considered the primary agenda behind the entire creation and surviving ethos of the Star Wars franchise and now universe. For George Lucas, retaining control over creative design and merchandising was more important than any immediate revenue (Sansweet, [1992]’From Concept, to screen, to collectible‘, Chapter 5). This includes escapism ( theological or otherwise) that has driven and evolved in the fan culture. Even the cosplay could be considered a physical manifestation of this reification with a Galaxy far, far away, only visualised with signposting of unique aesthetic and materialist symbolism.

In short, for a real time Jediism movement to survive, they would have to accept the practical impossibility of a working lightsaber actually existing.

We don’t even need to pause to reflect on any particular form of organisation with a particular belief system operating for profit ( allegedly) underpinned by (allegedly) a quasi spiritual agenda with a theological premise created by (allegedly) a Science-Fiction writer under ( allegedly) nefarious circumstances.

MTFBWY . . ( and watch the Hubris, eh folks?)

2020. Privilege.

2020 – A devastating year for many but I somehow managed to navigate though it safely, with enough downtime to spend reflecting on both my fortune and privilege.

The year was fairly ordinary for me until early March. There was lots on the news but it was in a far-away places that couldn’t possibly reach the UK.A place further away than I ever expected to go. Despite my pending travel plans, I was still in the bubble of sanctity and privilege that were those Great British Isles.

I had saved up some money to continue to see a little bit more of the world. I left my cushy job in March to go on an extended cheap holiday for a few weeks, with more plans based overseas to happen later in the year.

The lockdown hit the day before the day of my flights, so I ended up staying at home.

I spent the rest of the year living off those savings and relying on benefits. I spent my downtime reading, writing and playing online. A virtual gig or two but nothing big time. Eventually, I finished a few books from my pile and slowly waited for the summer and freedom to appear.

Sometime around or after March, I was in my back garden and I looked up at the sky. I realised something amazing had happened. The whole world had stopped and come together. I was convinced I felt some overwhelming force of serenity covering the world.

Countless news stories reported on how the environment was looking healthier without human interference, less industry, less pollution… nature was healing itself.

This in itself seemed a miracle, even if we all knew it could not possibly last forever.

I wish this could be the new normal,

People came to their doorstops to ‘Clap for the NHS’

George Floyd was murdered by Police in broad daylight and the Black Lives Matter erupted giving mean of us ‘progressives’ a kick up the arse and getting us out onto the streets.

This was long (long) overdue and it is certainly not over.  

The combination of the Covid epidemic and the BLM protests made ongoing opportunities t examine my privilege. Justice for Breonna Taylor is still at large so I understand.

I barely managed to get more than a month of employment but I spent most of my days on the volunteering for a local community to help local vunerable people during lockdown. I was only on the phones but when the time came to help, I did my bit.

Holidays were cancelled everywhere but I did manage to get away to France for a few weeks, volunteering for a charity that assists refugees fleeing persecution only to find more persecution.

Standing in a field where thousands of people congregated and queued for food small portions of food and second hand coats that didn’t fit was yet another opportunity to examine my privileged existence.

I met amazing people whilst volunteering both in France and at home. Infact, this year was all about meeting new and interesting people. Everywhere I looked there were inspirational people, all volunteering their time, feeding into some form of masterplan  – to make the world better for others.

Throughout 2020 I saw people making a difference in all sort of ways, not just doctors, nurses, but also students, pensioners, professional and the unemployed together.

As far as I am concerned this year was about them, not the epidemic.

If we do get out of this, it will be due to people like them, who want to make things better around for everyone, not just themselves. You cannot get that by privatising the NHS.

It will be people, not politics, that brings about change.

COMMON SENSE

I am hearing the term ‘Common sense’ come up a lot recently.

I heard it on GMTV today when Piers Morgan was talking about Coronavirus.

What IS Common sense?

“According to the Cambridge Dictionary Common sense is”the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way.”

How is common sense assessed though? How is it recognisable in a situation where a new disease, that no one knew anything about, rips through the globe and forces an entire species to hideaway? With no cure, no vaccine and little research, the fear and uncertainty leave a lot of space for misunderstanding to grow.

(Edit: Vaccine announced on 10th but it will still take a minute).

A basic scenario: If you have a cough, wear a mask and don’t cough into other peoples faces. Cool but corona still keeping on.

SO isn’t ‘common sense’ a reflection of mass consensus of agreement based on established facts ( What Immanuelle Kant calls a Priori) Or is this Common Knowledge?

Or is it more a case of someone saying…

‘Well, that’s what all my mates think? “…Well, everyone I know says…”

Beliefs and opinions are not a priori, they are contestable from different perspectives. However, facts are universal.

This is why you cannot have alternative facts, just alternative opinions and beliefs. ( It is also the reason why I can use Wiki links in this article).

A ‘Fact’ is “a thing that is known to be true. .. especially when it can be proved”

So how you going to prove facts about a brand new virus? When it is less than one year old and has swept the globe in a killer epidemic?

A generalisation on Trump supporters but you can well imagine that, to them, ‘Common sense’ is whatever he says! This is not a totally ridiculous expectation considering he is the leader of the known free world.

You would imagine that ‘Common sense’ in the Trump supporters camp is ‘Americans comes first, protecting American freedom, individual liberties are more important than public safety.. i.e. the choice to wear a mask etc’. Also stopping the Democrats because everyone they know in their community thinks the other side is wrong.

Despite Tweets from the leader of the free world having the authority of the POTUS office. His Tweets are not always facts.

Yet what they would likely call ‘Common sense’ is likely to be an entirely different perspective based on other forms of beliefs, credible or not. When dealing with the Coronavirus, science and rationality are at odds with some ‘faith-based’ communities’.

Anyone who supports and agrees with the BLM movement have entirely different experiences and expectations but perhaps accept supporting Biden as the lesser of two evils. The Biden majority apparently owes a part of its success to grassroots politics in areas with large African-American voter support in Philadelphia and Georgia.

Perhaps the African-American community’s ‘Common sense’ tells them racism is not going anywhere. Or even the idea that a better form of racial equality in American society might be further down the road. This might not be ‘Common Knowledge‘ to a lot of people in predominantly white communities

So Common sense ( like Common Knowledge) must be relative to the social-economical environment the individual has been immersed in? How they perceive reality in the world they live in.

Are we in different worlds?

The mathematical logic of counting votes and the victory awarded to the party with the highest numerical figure is a logic-based on math.

If you question the result of that empirical formula, it ‘stands to reason’ you need the relevant empirical evidence to counter that result.

Standing to reason: The concept of reason may be the problem itself. The issues we are facing now is that the world of politics has long relied on superficial rhetoric and the art of persuasion, not towards ethos (ethics), certainly not logic. The system behind contemporary politics is as much to blame for Trump as his supporters are.

[ Aristotle defined rhetoric as “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion” . . . .not logic. ]

Based on ‘common knowledge’ ( the years of shared human understanding, from the collective memory of previous experiences ultimately feeding into human survival. The fact that people have tried to kill themselves imbibing bleach: Do we even need to ask if common sense is injecting bleach?

Get this: Sometimes Common sense isn’t even following the rules set by social authority but questioning them.

Obeying rules and protecting society is more of a proven mathematical formula that retains and ensures the safety of the majority of people. It keeps the status quo happy.

Common sense certainly isn’t stopping vote counts when your opponent is ahead or challenging decisions in a state that is in your favour (Philadelphia.)

Therefore the consensus built from shared experiences and opinions that eventually shapes ‘common sense’, can be based on science, popularity, emotion or even ‘faith’, whatever is deemed the popular choice. What is favoured by the status quo.

Yet popular opinion is not always common sense. The morality of Nazi Germany is eternal proof of that because many Nazi officers still to this day likely believed the Holocaust was based on a logic that was brainwashed into their society. They never questioned what had become common sense regardless of what was violently immoral by any universal standard, at any time in history.

Yet does common sense suggest this could happen again, to other countries?

From the perception of Jewish communities across the world and Israel as a nation, common sense suggests that it could because history has proven it has on a regular basis.

You may not have access to this ‘common sense’ if you are not Jewish and do not have that shared experiences.

Likewise, you may not have access to the common knowledge of the BLM movement if you are not Black and don’t understand how the ‘Common sense’ of a predominantly white society works.

Common sense says that one person cannot be accountable for something that affects so many people. After all, people are capable of making their own decisions.

Common sense says that one person cannot be responsible for all that is wrong with the world.

Common sense says someone cannot have all the answers, be all-powerful or even be in charge of our collective fates, spiritual or otherwise.

Common sense says that God might not exist but some people strongly believe it does and ‘common knowledge’ says not to argue.

After these last few lines and the 20th century in general, common sense suggests humans should not act tribally, interacting only with people of similar opinions, cultural and religious beliefs or even the same colour skin.

Yet common knowledge shows us that some still will as they would actually feel safer this way.

Common sense probably says we should not believe everything we see or hear in the news.

Live Aid 1985

A bit late on this one but finally got around to watching last year’s award-winning film Bohemian Rhapsody. The story behind Freddie Mercury and the band Queen.

I watched it with mixed opinions but when it came to the Live Aid Concert part, I was amazed. I realised I was watching the film now, in the same room as I watched the original Live Aid. I remember well and the film is almost a complete sequence by sequence replication of my original memory of the gig. It was all there, from the calypso with the audience to the wry smiles from May and Deacon. As cringingly postmodern as the film is and as much  I questioned Rami Malek’s portrayal of an offstage Freddie Mercury (who I didn’t even know and never met anyway). When it came to the part of the film with the Live Aid gig it seems spot on. This is probably because it is something I recall strongly and have watched several times in my life since. I mean everyone and anyone who saw it at that time, remembers it with great nostalgia. Those who are old enough anyway. Whenever I hear Under Pressure ( the famous joint collaboration between Bowie and Queen that rumour had it came about from a double-booked studio) it conjures nostalgia for not just the late Freddie Mercury but now Bowie as well.

Mccartney, Mercury and Bowie stood next to each other during Live Aid 1985.

The pursuit of postmodernity involves an artificial attempt of keeping old ideas and things young, fresh and alive by constant reinvention or rebranding. Usually for the sole purpose of generating money. As French ‘postmodern’ philosopher Jean Baudrillard [1998] called a ‘culture of consumption‘.

When watching the end of Bohemian Rhapsody I can almost taste the atmosphere within my front room on that very day. (I even managed to recapture a little during the 2008 Live-8 gig ). It is a realisation that even in a world of heavily replicated and simulated experiences, something new and sincere can always come along that everyone recognises. It is not just something unique but also pivotal to cultural progression.

The original Live Aid gig was a moment that could never be repeated ( according to  Geldof anyway)*. It will remain unique and a single standalone moment in history, almost like a film that was never intended to have sequels.

Live Aid was not made for retail brands or fashion labels.

Yes, it became a great opportunity for them and sponsorship was required but it was so so much more than just that. It was not about supply and demand for a new product.

-It was not cobbled together with cultural signifiers to support a new product or franchise.

It WAS a brief ideal moment of persuasion when you think you can make the world a better place.

It came about because people started to give a shit about something real, for real.

I don’t believe it was ever intended to be a brand, despite repeat attempts and spin-off franchises like Comic Relief and Children in Need. The Cola Wars sponsorship story no doubt hijacked the vehicle it built upon but the overall purpose was a far greater cause than corporation greed or capitalist hegemony.

I think in 1985 Live Aid was that glimmer of hope in what,  in hindsight, was a bleak, empty, vacuous and dark chapter of British culture (unless you worshipped money). In the 1980s everything in culture seemed patched together with artificial aesthetic, tasteless blank parody fashion trends and the acquirement of new commodities and products.  Every reproduction of the 1980s finds it hard not to replicate that decade without constant references to brands and iconic product images. Think of TV shows like Ashes to Ashes or Stranger Things.  They all rely on this symbol clad veneer to convince the audience what year it is. any TV shows use certain fashion trends, like long hair and flowers for the 1960s, or even platform shoes and flares for the 70s.  Every item of clothing regalia representing the 1980s has to have a brand on it to prove the authenticity of that era. This is because there have been little significant cultural changes in the 1980s outside of fashion trends or other retail brands. The makes of cars and new types of mobile phones. Certainly, any brands that had arrived before that decade were already thoroughly established: Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Levis. All because Adertsig and branding was here to stay and stated cultural signposting the era of postmodernity.

I mean, what else has changed since then? The recent Captain Marvel film had to reference the Blockbuster video rental store to conjure up the right mood of nostalgia for a scene set in an otherwise typical and unchanged region of America. To recreate the 1960s you have the dramatic fashion but also significant cultural shifts like the hippies and the peace and love movement protesting the wars. Or earlier, it would’ve been the WW2 itself. It is true that in the 1980s, the lingering cold-war post-imperial politics seemed to dominate the cultural landscape.  The fall of the Berlin Wall or the freedom of Nelson Mandela were significant events captured and documented by tv and media but were brief positive moments in a sea of shiny consumer excess. It is worth noticing how in the 1980s, the best reactions of both of these events were documented high profile music gigs. Almost in an act of counter-cultural rebellion. The industry soon took charge of that though.

You may argue that I’m getting old and reluctant to acknowledge change or simply don’t see it. I am sure every generation discovers and celebrates its own exciting youth, as it experiences new things, forging its own identity when that generation lives its life for the first time.

However, looking back on history, Live Aid was that bright moment and as this film captures, Mercury was a part of that moment that reminds humanity of its own humanity.

So when a contemporary celebrity, such as Kanye West or the marketing team behind him tries to manufacture his coolness to replicate an old idea as new, or even to spin what is essentially a self-serving product line into a cultural phenomenon. Well, it just doesn’t last the 15 minutes of relative fame that Andy Warhol promised. To make it worse, every socially progressive movement is bound to this mentality, by some guiding logic or unquestionable attachment to the superficial consumer lifestyle. So it is already compromised.

The next big genuinely legendary movement in pop-culture will be someone who can persuade an entire generation to give a shit about something.

The way X-Factor is mulling over the same repetitive formula, it might be sooner than you think.

 

 

• Maybe the people who created Live Aid used the tricks of postmodernity on itself, against the capitalist agenda of the 1980s, to create something unique, sincere and selfless, who knows. As indicated by Geldof in the NME article,  he talks about people going online and ‘rage evaporating into the ether’, it makes a great example of how the plurality of social media in its current form serves a poly- hegemonic platform of media communications and spin that can be used to undermine democracy.  The success of Live Aid is then more understandable in the context of modernist singularity. If you consider the lack of alternative options for such a cause, there is naturally a lack of dispensation from competing or parallel efforts.  In a Marxian sense, the ‘people’ were united and now the multiple choice of platforms that the contemporary internet format allows, splinters any united effort.  No doubt this digital plurality has been championed through multiple consumer product ‘choice ‘and variety as options in a ‘global’ competitive marketplace. Sadly, this can also dissipate the effect of any single, universal voice. In an almost Debordian style method.  The neo-liberal capitalist socio-economic structure by its own nature uses consumer choice as a device to passive-aggressively eradicate any competing form of socio-economics.

 

 

Philistines to Fascism (Part II)

A recent hate crime in Southampton has shocked the local community to the core. Or certainly, those communities most socially conscious of diversity and LGBT rights.

The incident was a ridiculous own goal from suspects who are presumably natives or local to the city. The story has gone national with consequences of infamy that can only be damaging to those proud of Southampton. Or equally those hard-working people behind the cultural quarter, who tirelessly strive to raise the cultural and artistic profile of our home city.

The incident was first published by the NST theatre advising people of the resulting cancellation. Then the local echo ran it as a story. Naturally widespread national coverage resulted in the Beeb giving us their two cents.

Arguably a pattern from previous events of a similarly Philistine nature.

 

[Featured image photo courtesy of Dave Hubble]

Not much to say really but . . .

So I have just submit my FINAL MA Dissertation today.

For those of you who don’t know:

Two years ago…  I started a Masters Degree in Critical and Creative Analysis (Sociology) at Goldsmiths College, London.

When I started the course in late September 2016…I had only just finished my last MA at Southampton Solent University. CRAZY… See I had originally chosen Goldsmiths but couldn’t afford the tuition fees so took an offer at Solent, whilst I saved up ( which never works out)…I had also been working as an Intern at Solent … for 6 months … after finishing my  BA degree there in the summer of 2014. .

So I have actually been at University for 5 solid years (- minus the 3-5 months away in Autumn /Winter of ’14.

(I have had part time jobs throughout , obviously)

Now…all that time of reading… thinking… analysing… reflecting… writing.. and reading again….I really have NO idea what to do with myself…

 

 

It’s Valentines Day and it’s been 3 and a half months! . . .

Since I posted my last blog. . .

Not much changed, I’m still plodding along with my Sociology MA at Goldsmiths and working part-time to fund it. My dissertation is due this summer though so . . .

THE END IS NIGH.

I received helpful feedback from a job application the other day, advising my creative conceptual portfolio work wasn’t that prominently placed in my blog structure.

( Pls see sidebar ->for pages titled; ‘Cheeky Scamps’ and ‘ Just add fuel’ for more).

—–     ——     ——      ——      ——-      ——-     ——     ——-      ——-       ——-

Anyways, here are some updated pieces for to grace your weary eyes.

 

Effect Energy Drinks launch ( For UK market).

 – The Brit effect – 

 

 – Best of British –

 

London Underground Advertising Campaign

‘ Beat the Heat’

Tackling political apathy with Amnesty Intl

‘ Armchair Politician’ 

 

Original Concept sketch:

 

Social media campaign for ‘The Gap’

‘#ingapwetrust’

(Click on image for link to actual Facebook page)

 

Orchard Pig poster ad.

‘ Stay Rooted’

 

 

 

 

Ghost in the shell

I finally got to see it in awe-inspiring full 3D Xplus glory last Sunday night and it’s safe to say; I was mesmerised by every minute of it. I was hungry and had just finished work but I honestly couldn’t stop watching for one minute. Even the clips I had already seen before.

I haven’t seen any of the previous Manga based Anime versions and I love any film with Scarlett Johansson in, so im instantly biased. BUT I was really shocked about the reported contraversy around Scarlett’s casting over an Asian actor. After seeing a comparison to the 1995 anime character I really thought it was pretty close. Even the original director Mamoru Oshii thought she was the best possible choice.

The opening ‘shelling’ sequence was reconstructed meticulously though with almost flawless difference. Aside from the gratuitous cartoon nipples.

The 2017 live action version on the right and the 1995 anime version on the left:

 

Both versions were much more realistic than the real life effort to make a Scarlett Johansson robot here:

 

I guess after that creepy reflection Scarlett seems even more of an obvious choice. She is awesome and sexy. I expect having not seen the manga anime made me enjoy the real time version more but at least I can go back and watch it for reference now. You can see an entire comparison of the two movies here.

Absolutely NOBODY is watching the Watchmen

Reality is worse than the Watchmen.

Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel turned film ‘Watchmen’ is famous for it’s dark, gritty, anti-heroic dystopian perspective.It mocks the utopian ideology of Superhero comic books and juxtaposes it against real life history. Moore cleverly used real life 20th century historic examples peppered within the storyline to give it a quasi-realistic effect however it was always meant to be regarded as a work of fiction.

Bearing that in mind . . earth’s scientists have decided (mainly because of Trump) that we are closer to midnight than in the film . . by almost halfway.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/doomsday-clock-is-bleaker-watchmen-969479

 

The Doomsday clock in the Watchmen film being set to 5 – midnight.

 

The REAL Doomsday clock being set to 2.5 minutes to midnight.

I know we’vehad months to adjust and anticipate the daunting prospect (or lack of)  a Trump presidency, but still  . .  . . there is just no expecting this.

 

If a comparison of a real life event something from one of the most depressing,apocalyptic violent, nihilistic stories ever written isn’t enough of a warning to society in these most postmodern of times. . Then perhaps we should give up!

Friday the 13th

Not many are superstitious or even believe in bad luck these days but not many will want to risk it today.

Why? because its Friday the 13th and unless you have a lucky black cat that runs across your path . . you’re screwed!

In Greece, its Tuesday the 13th that is unlucky.

In Italy, its Friday the 17th that is unlucky .. well they always take their time there.

Its more famous from the amount of Horror films it inspires but have you ever wondered about the origins behind the superstition:

Whilst I briefly knew the history of the day but I didn’t realise it went all the way back to the last supper of Jesus and his disciples.

13 of them in the same room on the 13th of Nisan (Day before Good  Friday).

The fact that JC hinted that one of them would betray him  (Judas, the 13th guest?) and that Peter would deny him (biblical for blanking him) THREE times by the next day CLEARLY shows he was superstitious . .or paranoid.

Fast forward a millenia to 1307 and it was the Knight Templar’s turn to get stitched up by King Philip IV of France.

Some historians suggest it was because Philip owed them money and they were getting too large in his manor but there were many accusations cooked up like heresy, sorcery and even buggery in some cases.

He certainly threw the book at them!

 

Philip Le Fair arrested hundreds of them and tried to get ridiculous confessions. They were interrogated, tortured and even burnt alive at the stake. Harsh.  …  .although to be fair, the French will eat anything.

 

Apparently there is an increase of recorded accidents too but lets not blame superstition for that one . . lets just blame it on the utter stupidity of humanity.

 . . .Er,same thing?

Don’t forget we have another Friday 13th this year in October. . .it could still get ya!