"It's usually considered bad luck to have a woman aboard a crab boat"

[MonkeyFunk]

The things you learn watching "Deadliest Catch".

[ThomCat]

1. Why the hell would it be bad luck to have a woman

or a member of any particular group on a boat, or anyplace else where other people work?

:wtf:

[Taverner]

3. Superstition. Just like black cats, ladders, and outfielder's gloves with curses on them

[MonkeyFunk]

4. I wonder why it's only "usually"

under what conditions is it acceptable?

[democracyindanger]

6. Cruises to the Island of Amazons are exempt.

[jobycom]

13. It's "usually considered to be"

So at other times it's not considered to be. That's not related to whether it ever is or isn't.

[jberryhill]

15. If she already has crabs...

...then it's okay.

[haele]

21. Captain's wife is the exception. It's because a ship is supposed to be a woman -

Another "unattached" woman on a ship supposedly makes the ship jealous - competition for the attentions of the crew. Unless it's a child or a passenger. Due to the long time spent on-board while out at seat, most sailors view their ship as a mistress, thus, the superstition of jealousy. A wife is considered an adjunct to a specific crew member, so "she" would be considered off limits to the rest of crew of the ship.

Haele

[pokerfan]

9. Just stupid superstition

Might as well ask me why I tend to overplay QTs in Texas Hold 'em. I won a big tournament (300 players) once with that hand so I tend to remember the times it's worked for me and ignore/forget the times it hasn't.

Similarly, crab fishing has traditionally been a male dominated industry, I suppose. Bad things happen all the time but once a bad thing probably happened with a woman on board. For some reason, that got stuck in their minds. When it inevitably happened a second time, the superstition got reinforced.

The same thing happens with the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_effect">full moon superstition, Fridays, the number thirteen, black cats, etc.

Humans are always looking for patterns and are capable of inventing them when they don't exist.

Humans are also particularly adept at fulfilling their own prophecies, e.g. it you believe something good or bad is going to happen, you are more likely to make it so.

My thoughts on the subject anyway.

[Fire Walk With Me]

12. "Humans are always looking for patterns and are capable of inventing them when they don't exist."

And being fight-or-flight based animals, who hold negative experience in memory more clearly than positive (another survival trait), can tend toward abuse in having noted even arbitrary patterns.

I enjoy your post; you've raise several good points.

[alarimer]

18. Yes. Confirmation bias.

We tend to remember things that confirm our superstitions and forget the many times that do not.

[pokerfan]

22. Feynman springs to mind

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool." - Richard Feynman

[MonkeyFunk]

23. Ha!

Q 10 is one of those hands that looks a lot better than it is and can take years to learn how to throw it away.

[SoxFan]

2. It's usually considered bad luck to have crabs abo...

Um....never mind.

:yoiks:

[tigereye]

I knew that was what this was about!

:rofl:


I love that show - it's weirdly addictive...

[tigereye]

5. I knew that was what this was about!

:rofl:


I love that show - it's weirdly addictive...

[lizerdbits]

7. I think it was considered bad luck to have a woman near aging wine

maybe France? I saw it on some food show about wine. It's either A) an excuse to prohibit women (or any said group) from being around or B) a confusion of correlation vs. causation.

We didn't catch many crabs this time.
Bob brought his wife along.
Therefore Bob's wife being present caused a poor catch and this will be extended to all women.

See how much easier it is to blame like that instead of understanding marine life or overfishing?

[NightWatcher]

8. my gf is a marine biologist who often works on boats. she has yet to sink one to date

captains are some crazy people. they give in to superstitions until she reminds them that if she's not on board, she'll shut them down

[trof]

10. You reminded me of 180.

Anybody remember him?

[graywarrior]

11. My BIL is a fisherman from Nova Scotia and he said if a woman steps onto a boat, she has

to pee on the deck. Of courese, my sister slaps the shit out of him every time he mentions that.


Why does the pee topic keep coming up in my life?

[jobycom]

14. Because the crabs might pinch you.

Much safer in the back seat of the old Chevy back on the docks.

[Orsino]

16. delete

Someone else beat me to what in retrospect was the obvious joke.

[alarimer]

17. Bananas are also supposed to be bad luck on boats.

I have no idea why. One of my coworkers refuses to allow anyone to take a banana on his boat.

[Arugula Latte]

19. Howzabout a boat that IS a banana?

These people are doomed. DOOMED, I tell you.

[petronius]

20. Bad luck for her, anyway - that job looks hellacious... (nt)