• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Astrology Does More Damage Than You May Think

Not that I'm inclined to argue with the title, but could you perhaps outline what this video is and what value you find in it? Many people (including me) don't click on bare YouTube links without some kind of summary or explanation of why it is posted.
 
In the Hindu tradition in India, astrology plays a major role in various family events and iundertakings. A persons astrologic chart is drawn almost immediatley after birth (there are now hospitals that will induce/delay delivery to ensure auspicious birth times). This chart becomes a document that will govern various events in the kids life, right from the name he might bare.
Now, one aspect of a document is the dominance of Mars in the astrologic chart and for women this is a big no-no. Women with feature is supposedly bad luck for husbands. In a culture that tends to prioritize the domestic role of women and indoctrinate women into thinking her sole purpose to be a good wife and mother, women with this feature are usually shamed. There have been many cases of suicide by women because, after all, if they cant get a husband, what use is their life?
I still remember a Tamil film that told the story of one such girl who falls in love with her uncle. (Yep...the daughter of your elder sister is a traditionally acceptable match in Tamil Nadu). But her mother refuses, because she loves her brother so much that she does not want to see him die (her own daughter's situation does not seem to concern her so much).

Well after a great deal of drama, and tears, the marriage is finally arranged. You think, apart from the borderline incest, reason has prevailed. But nooooo...immediately after the ceremony is done, the girl decides that her husband's life is too important to risk and drinks poison. A voice over then celebrates the self sacrifice of the woman. I was sick to my stomach after watching that film.
 
skepticsalamander said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3HgDVzPdlw&ab_channel=SkepticSalamander

The video investigates how astrology pushes similar stereotypes as would racists and other bigots. Hope you enjoy.
Click to expand...


Cool.

Not so much an "investigation", though. is it? But that's fine, any effort to weed out belief in this kind of weird woo is fully welcome. And your video is well made enough, short and to the point. Cheers.



eta: Never ceases to amaze me how exactly people manage to reason their way to imagining there might be something to this astrology bunk. Stars FSM knows how many gazillion miles away, and planets that aren't exactly touching distance, gravitically speaking, and non-existent optical-illusion constellations: and all of these somehow end up affecting, or at least correlating with, the fortunes of this bunch of puny creatures living on the surface of one puny planet? How utterly self-absorbed must people be, to even imagine such a thing might be possible.

Agreed, it's ridiculous how many people, including otherwise sane and rational people, subscribe to this bunk. Good that you're doing your bit to weed out this BS.



etaa: Just noticed your join date. Welcome to the forum, skepticsalamander.
 
Last edited:
skepticsalamander said:
Sure. It investigates how astrology pushes similar stereotypes as would racists and other bigots. Hope you enjoy.
Click to expand...

I haven't really seen any instances of astrology-influenced biases that are anywhere close to the kind of hate, discrimination, and violence that's motivated by racism and other forms of real bigotry. People get physically assaulted for wearing a MAGA hat. Nobody gets beaten up for being a Scorpio. People get discriminated against in hiring, for being the wrong sex, or the wrong minority. They don't get discriminated against in hiring, for being the wrong sun sign.

Unless there's something really special and ground-breaking in the analysis, that you haven't told us about, this really sounds like a First World Karen Problem.

"Transwomen are getting brutally assaulted for their gender expression, and that's just like Bethany cutting me out of her bridal party because I'm a Taurus!" Okay, wine mom.
 
The Great Zaganza said:
Almost all people who think they know their star signs are wrong:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiec...reading-the-wrong-horoscope-your-entire-life/

The stars have shifted since the standard connection between date and sign was made.
It's pretty funny to point this out to people who regularly read their horoscope that they've been reading the wrong one.
Click to expand...

Probably doesn't matter. If the astrologer handed over a chart for Cancer or Scorpio to a true-believer or Pisces and just mislabeled it, the believer would happily pronounce it uncannily accurate, as James Randi demonstrated many times.
 
Spektator said:
Probably doesn't matter. If the astrologer handed over a chart for Cancer or Scorpio to a true-believer or Pisces and just mislabeled it, the believer would happily pronounce it uncannily accurate, as James Randi demonstrated many times.
Click to expand...

First demonstrated by Bertram Forer in 1948.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_Forer

Susheel's post about Indian astrology was very disturbing. Superstitious nonsense disproved decades ago still ruining lives in 2022. I despair.
 
Reminds me of Dara O'Briain's "Racism is Waaay Better Than Astrology"




Edited by jimbob: 
fixing youtube tags
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That said, that kind of nonsense is more usual than many people think, even in the west. (And doubly so in Asia, where stuff like your blood type might also come to bite you in the ass.) Like, there are companies which literally will discard applicants based on numerology. Like, if your name doesn't sum up to the same digit as the company name, your resume goes to the wastepaper basket.

It's perfectly allowed too. In fact, it's actually legally SAFER than even ye olde "gravity sort" (toss the pile of resumes down a flight of stairs, look at only the ones higher up.) Because if it's documentable that you used astrology, numerology or such every time, then you can't be accused of sexism, racism, ageism, religious discrimination, whatever. Someone can sue you if it might seem you didn't hire them because they're a muslim, but there is no law in the world that says you can't refuse to hire Virgos or Pisces*. Or people with the wrong numerology score.

So here we go, let's see:
Hans Mustermann:
Destiny number:9
Soul Number: 1
Personality Number: 8​

Mustermann Tech Inc:
Destiny number:11
Soul Number: 5
Personality Number: 6​

Damn, I don't even fit my own company AT ALL. I must fire myself immediately :p


* Not a hypothetical. At least in China literally Virgos have the hardest time getting employment, because they're supposed to be fussy and spoiled, and that doesn't fit the desired worker attitude in most places. Followed by Pisces and Scorpios.
 
Last edited:
HansMustermann said:
That said, that kind of nonsense is more usual than many people think, even in the west. (And doubly so in Asia, where stuff like your blood type might also come to bite you in the ass.) Like, there are companies which literally will discard applicants based on numerology. Like, if your name doesn't sum up to the same digit as the company name, your resume goes to the wastepaper basket.

It's perfectly allowed too. In fact, it's actually legally SAFER than even ye olde "gravity sort" (toss the pile of resumes down a flight of stairs, look at only the ones higher up.) Because if it's documentable that you used astrology, numerology or such every time, then you can't be accused of sexism, racism, ageism, religious discrimination, whatever. Someone can sue you if it might seem you didn't hire them because they're a muslim, but there is no law in the world that says you can't refuse to hire Virgos or Pisces*. Or people with the wrong numerology score.

So here we go, let's see:
Hans Mustermann:
Destiny number:9
Soul Number: 1
Personality Number: 8​

Mustermann Tech Inc:
Destiny number:11
Soul Number: 5
Personality Number: 6​

Damn, I don't even fit my own company AT ALL. I must fire myself immediately :p


* Not a hypothetical. At least in China literally Virgos have the hardest time getting employment, because they're supposed to be fussy and spoiled, and that doesn't fit the desired worker attitude in most places. Followed by Pisces and Scorpios.
Click to expand...

It is my understanding that in Japan a pseudoscience concerning bloodtypes can all to often affect who gets hired for a job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom