WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Curse of Broken Mirrors

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the short stuff. Josh, Chuck, Jerry,

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<v Speaker 1>not Dave, but still Dave. Let's go.

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<v Speaker 2>Didn't we do a whole episode on mirrors and maybe

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<v Speaker 2>talk about breaking mirrors.

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<v Speaker 1>There's no way we didn't talk about that. But this

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<v Speaker 1>is definitely an exploded, expanded, really balloony version of that.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, because we're talking about the idea that if you

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<v Speaker 2>break a mirror if you are superstitious, A lot of

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<v Speaker 2>people would say that brings you seven years of bad luck,

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<v Speaker 2>and we're going to dig into why that might be.

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<v Speaker 2>People have been superstitious ever since. There have been people

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<v Speaker 2>about different things and way before the mirror, and apparently

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<v Speaker 2>the Greeks were the first people to sort of just

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<v Speaker 2>start talking about a reflection because the story of Narcissus

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<v Speaker 2>falls in love with his image in the stream and

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<v Speaker 2>drowns and dies. So because of that, the Greeks are like,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe seeing yourself isn't such a great thing to do.

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<v Speaker 1>No, And that was Narcissus who had a tattoo, by

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<v Speaker 1>the way, that's right, So yeah, it was bad luck

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<v Speaker 1>to see your reflection in water, and that was pretty

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<v Speaker 1>much the only place you could see your reflection if

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<v Speaker 1>you were in ancient Greek, because it wasn't until the

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<v Speaker 1>ancient Romans came along and they said, yeah, we basically

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<v Speaker 1>believe the same thing, but we're also incredibly vain, so

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<v Speaker 1>we're going to invent mirrors. And eventually the mirrors that

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<v Speaker 1>they came up with at the beginning were highly polished

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<v Speaker 1>metal surfaces. So if you had like an old shield

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<v Speaker 1>sitting around, don't throw it away. You can upcycle it

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<v Speaker 1>and do a terrific mirror.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, or I guess look at the reflection to see Medusa.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're a clash of the Titans, wouldn't that a shield?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah?

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<v Speaker 2>How would you say the name of the person who

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<v Speaker 2>looked at their reflection in the water?

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, I've always heard it as Narcissus, But I like

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<v Speaker 1>how you said it. I'm not mocking you at all here, Okay.

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't think you were. Okay kid, I think I

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<v Speaker 2>might be getting that pronunciation from the song from Indigo Girls.

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<v Speaker 1>Did they say Narcissus?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I look at like Narcissus.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm quite sure that at least one or both of

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<v Speaker 1>them studied Greek mythology at Uga at some point.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh maybe so. And by the way, our good friend,

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<v Speaker 2>Lucy Waynwright just got off of tour with Indigo Girls.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh congratulations, Lucy, that's awesome. I think you told me that.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, she had the road with him for a while,

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<v Speaker 2>and her beautiful, little cute daughter was able to go

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<v Speaker 2>onto a lot of these shows, which is always fun.

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<v Speaker 1>That's really cool.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, little girl on tour, that's what can be more

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<v Speaker 2>fun than that, for sure.

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<v Speaker 1>And to keep everybody grounded, you know, yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Like Indigo Girls aren't doing all those nasty drugs in

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<v Speaker 2>front of that girl.

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<v Speaker 1>No. No, they're very well known for trashing hotel rooms too,

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<v Speaker 1>and I bet that they did not trash any of

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<v Speaker 1>them because Lucy Wainwright Roach's kid.

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<v Speaker 2>No, not one TV was thrown over a balcony.

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<v Speaker 1>Nope, where were we? We were talking about shields as

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<v Speaker 1>mirrors were the first mirrors.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right. That led to, you know, the idea that

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<v Speaker 2>gods might observe their souls through these shiny reflective devices.

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<v Speaker 2>So to you know, that means it has imports. So

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<v Speaker 2>to damage something like that, something like that, to be broken,

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<v Speaker 2>would at first they thought of it as like just disrespectful,

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<v Speaker 2>and then they said, but also maybe it would anger

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<v Speaker 2>the gods and they would rain bad luck down upon

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<v Speaker 2>their heads.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. And if you believe that the reflection in the mirror,

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<v Speaker 1>your reflection is actually you're seeing your soul. If you

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<v Speaker 1>break a mirror, you're breaking your soul too. And so

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<v Speaker 1>there's a couple of ways that that can bring about misfortune. Apparently,

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<v Speaker 1>one is that your soul couldn't protect your body any longer. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>that's why all sorts of bad stuff befalls you for

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<v Speaker 1>seven years. Then also in some traditions, your soul is

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<v Speaker 1>rather upset at having been broken, and now it's looking

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<v Speaker 1>for revenge on you, and sometimes it does that in

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<v Speaker 1>the form of killing one of your loved ones. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>that's not what you want. I mean, you're already you

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<v Speaker 1>broke your very nice mirror, and now your grandma died.

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<v Speaker 1>Come on.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And the whole seven years thing came about apparently

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<v Speaker 2>because the Romans believed that life changes happen in seven

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<v Speaker 2>year cycles. So that's where that idea comes from, or

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<v Speaker 2>another explanation that I'm not sure about this one, but

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<v Speaker 2>apparently mirrors, you know, they were pretty expensive early on,

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<v Speaker 2>and the cost of a mirror would equal seven years

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<v Speaker 2>work from.

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<v Speaker 1>A servant I like both of those. Yeah they could.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe both are accurate, so.

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<v Speaker 1>As far as the English language goes chuck. The first

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<v Speaker 1>time anyone mentions a breaking a mirror being bad luck

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<v Speaker 1>was from seventeen seventy seven, where the author mentions that

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<v Speaker 1>breaking a mirror is a very unlucky accident because mirrors

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<v Speaker 1>were part of an ancient kind of divination formerly used

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<v Speaker 1>by magicians and their superstitious and diabolical operations.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right. And because it became a thing in print,

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<v Speaker 2>it became a thing in British culture, and uh yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>so all of a sudden, people all over the world

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<v Speaker 2>are not wanting to break their mirrors anymore.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, So let's take a little break, as it were,

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<v Speaker 1>and come back try to put everything together by explaining

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<v Speaker 1>what you can do to mitigate your bad luck if

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<v Speaker 1>you do break a mirror.

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<v Speaker 3>Stuff you should know. Stop you should I should know?

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<v Speaker 2>All right, before we broke, Josh laid down a series

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<v Speaker 2>of puns about mirror breakage. Apparently there's some things you

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<v Speaker 2>can do if you break your mirror. Apparently one of

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<v Speaker 2>the things you can do is you got to get

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<v Speaker 2>rid of those pieces. You don't want to leave a

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<v Speaker 2>broken mirror lying around. Obviously it's not a great thing

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<v Speaker 2>just to have in your house with broken glass, but

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<v Speaker 2>I think it has more to do with like, let's

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<v Speaker 2>just wash ourselves of this and get it out of

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<v Speaker 2>here as quickly as possible.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. So this is based on a how Stuff Works article,

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<v Speaker 1>and I love how they actually are serious about telling

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<v Speaker 1>you how to throw away a broken mirror. Yeah, you'd like, say,

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<v Speaker 1>both of the pieces in the trash, by wrapping them

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<v Speaker 1>in paper or placing them in a cardboard box. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>because sharp mirror pieces can cut through a plastic bag.

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<v Speaker 1>That has nothing to do with superstition. That's just good

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<v Speaker 1>household advice.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right, good old fashioned house stuff works advice.

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<v Speaker 1>Another one this seems this automatically makes it ancient to

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<v Speaker 1>me is that you take the mirror pieces and you

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<v Speaker 1>bury them. And then what makes it even more ancient

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<v Speaker 1>is that you're better off you bury them in the

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<v Speaker 1>light of a full moon. Creepy, But it seems to

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<v Speaker 1>me you'd have to do a little weighing of cost

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<v Speaker 1>benefit of keeping the mirror pieces around until a full mood.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you know, if you especially if you broke your

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<v Speaker 1>mirror on the new moon. Then you're keeping these unlucky

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<v Speaker 1>pieces around for a month.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know, man, No, don't know if the full

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<v Speaker 1>moon would mitigate that bad luck that you accrued over

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<v Speaker 1>the month.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, agreed, I just get rid of it unless you

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<v Speaker 2>were pretty close with maybe two days within a full moon.

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<v Speaker 2>That's my rule.

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<v Speaker 1>I think I would go two days max too.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, all right, I'm glad we agree on that. In

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<v Speaker 2>case we ever break a mirror together. You can also

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<v Speaker 2>grind that stuff into powder.

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<v Speaker 1>If you want to take it to a party.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, take it to a party, and then the old

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<v Speaker 2>throat salt over your shoulder, over your left shoulders is

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<v Speaker 2>a great way to get rid of any bad luck

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<v Speaker 2>if you believe in that kind of thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Works for everything. Yeah, so we're talking mirrors, and mirrors

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<v Speaker 1>are made from glass, but glass non mirrored glass. Breaking

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<v Speaker 1>it actually is used as good luck sometimes, although it

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<v Speaker 1>can also be bad luck to Apparently in England, breaking

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<v Speaker 1>a glass as a death omen Yeah, which means people

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<v Speaker 1>would be dropping like flies around me because I break

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<v Speaker 1>glasses a lot.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you and Emily both love I break glass yep.

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<v Speaker 2>I think the Greeks, though, you know it can be

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<v Speaker 2>a celebratory thing, obviously at a Greek celebration to ward

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<v Speaker 2>off evil spirits or anyone who's ever been to a

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<v Speaker 2>Jewish wedding, stomping on that wine glass is one of

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<v Speaker 2>the great traditions.

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<v Speaker 1>And then there's other mirror superstitions too, Like the mirror

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<v Speaker 1>it's just a superstition factory apparently. Yeah, so there are

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<v Speaker 1>traditions where if somebody passes away, you cover the mirrors

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<v Speaker 1>in your house with something just to make it so

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<v Speaker 1>no one can see the reflection. And there's a few

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<v Speaker 1>reasons to do this. One is the person who's died,

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<v Speaker 1>their soul is now wandering around until they're buried, and

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<v Speaker 1>apparently if they see the reflection in the mirror, they

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<v Speaker 1>get sucked into the mirror and stuck there. And you

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<v Speaker 1>don't want that to happen to your poor grandma's soul.

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<v Speaker 2>No, or your grandma's mirror, because apparently that would cause

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<v Speaker 2>the mirror to tarnish and maybe even turn into an

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<v Speaker 2>image of that person who is deceased.

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<v Speaker 1>No imagine, Chuck, if you broke your mirror, Yeah, it

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<v Speaker 1>caused your grandma to die. You replaced the mirror, and

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<v Speaker 1>your poor grandma saw her soul saw herself in that

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<v Speaker 1>new mirror and is trapped in it. That's a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of bad luck.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and baggage, honestly, for sure. You know that's shrink territory.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Because also Grandma always just told you you weren't

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<v Speaker 1>doing anything right.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's right. Other people thought that demons could escape

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<v Speaker 2>through the mirror, like go from the non living world

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<v Speaker 2>into the living, and so covering a mirror if someone passes, like,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a lot of mirror covering happening in these situations.

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<v Speaker 1>For sure. There's also some marriage stuff too. In EDWARDI

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<v Speaker 1>and Britain, which took place in the first decade of

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<v Speaker 1>the twentieth century, if you wanted to know what your

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<v Speaker 1>future husband was going to be like, or if you'd

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<v Speaker 1>be married at all, you could sit down in front

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<v Speaker 1>of a mirror with some candle light, and if you

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<v Speaker 1>saw your husband show up in the mirror, all good.

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<v Speaker 1>If a grim specter appeared, oh you would die before

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<v Speaker 1>you got married. Yeah, that doesn't necessarily mean that you

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<v Speaker 1>die at twenty or something like that. It just means

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<v Speaker 1>that you might die an old, unmarried person.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's right. But with marriage, it could also be

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<v Speaker 2>a good thing, because apparently this superstition, after you get

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<v Speaker 2>married and you say I do, if you look into

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<v Speaker 2>a mirror and the short time after that, you will

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<v Speaker 2>be uniting your soul and it creates apparently an alternate

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<v Speaker 2>universe where the two souls can live forever together.

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<v Speaker 1>Very sweet.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, what's sweeter?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know, there's not much sweeter. Yeah, So I

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<v Speaker 1>guess this Halloween season we would say go out, kiss

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<v Speaker 1>your mirror and take very good care of it. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>you think that's good advice.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right, Or just cover that thing up if you

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<v Speaker 2>don't want to take your chances.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And of course obviously that means that the spooky

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<v Speaker 1>short stuff is out. Stuff you Should Know is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartRadio.

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