First of all I would like to point out that I personally have had little contact with the supernatural. I have never believed in witches or magic and assumed that most people felt the same way. In my house, Halloween was just like any other day and deep down I knew that even the simple tradition of taking my brother, sister and I out trick-or-treating once a year was more than my parents could handle. As I got older, I was amazed to find out how different my upbringing was from most of my friends. They loved the mystery behind the magic, dressing up in customs on Halloween, and reading scary and superstitious stories. With so much hoopla surrounding the supernatural I thought that perhaps I was just missing the entertaining point behind all of the fuss and decided to give it a chance...by taking this class.
Movies dealing with witchcraft have continuously been blockbusters. (The Harry Potter Phenomenon is just one strong example.) It is obvious that the unexplainable seems to attract a large crowd. For me, logically not understanding witchcraft draws me in and keeps me watching, wanting and waiting for more.
Additionally, in a world with so many pressing issues, the supernatural provides viewers with an escape. The mystery and simple fact that it doesn’t make concrete sense provides the viewer with an outlet away from the usual depressing news and storylines.
I must admit that I occasionally look up my horoscope in the newspaper to read what the stars have to say is in store for my future. However, I never take what is written seriously. In the odd occurrence that the horoscope proves to be correct, I have never thought it to be anything other than a coincidence. Furthermore, I find that when magic tricks are shown on television I am more interested in figuring out the illusion behind the trick than the trick itself. (Yes I said, “trick”, I don’t believe in magic...if you couldn’t tell already.)
Even though I don’t believe in the supernatural, I have many friends who don’t share my position. One of my friends, Becca, is the most superstitious person I know. She won’t even go outside if she sees a black cat through her window! I have always thought these myths were completely stupid and continue to give her a hard time. I just don’t understand how a random occurrence such as that can bring a person bad luck.
My initial thought of a present day witch-hunt is sadly the way that the gay community has been treated. In the past, witches were condemned for being different. I couldn’t think of a better modern day example to compare the witch-hunts to.
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3 comments:
Hi Meredith,
Thanks for the good post. I agree that Halloween is more about candy than ghosts. But there are some who indeed take the supernatural seriously, hundreds of thousands of people in fact. I thinking believing is a way of creating. Glad you mentioned horoscopes. Certainly there is a fuzzy area between fortune telling and wizardry.
Best,
Dan W.
I know what you mean about finding out your friends thought about Halloween different than you. I found out when I was little, that my next door neighbor, who was the same age as me, wasn't allowed to even look out the window on Halloween and especially wasn't allowed to go trick or treating. Her dad was a minister, and both of her parents were really strict about the kinds of "demonic" things that might have gone on during Halloween.
I thought your example about the gay community being under a sort of "witch hunt" was a good example as well, particularly in places like the military, where there is more of a stigma.
I really like your comment about the supernatural providing people with a sort of escape. Witchcraft and sorcery are common elements in the fantasy genre, whether films or literature. Most of the people who enjoy this genre are generally seeking entertainment and--like you said--an escape from the real world. It doesn't mean that they necessarily believe in witchcraft, much less practice it. I think that's where you run into such heated controversy about books like Harry Potter. When they came out, a lot of people attacked the series for promoting witchcraft and criticized readers for exposing themselves to evil influences. But I think that the majority of readers simply view the books as entertaining, engaging stories with strong themes--witchcraft aside. That's going off on a tangent, but you did raise a really good point!
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