Want an example of time travel? Uh…I meant traveling times, the ancient world traveling into the present. Just peruse the popular talking points centered on the April eclipse. Across the nation you’ll find people talking about the purely physical phenomenon of casting a shadow as a “foreteller” and harbinger. Yes, the astrologers are having a resurgence among the citizens. No doubt some are collecting a windfall in private readings. We’re reliving ancient times. If it weren’t for the threat of salmonella and bird flu, there would be chicken guts on the streets with soothsayers reading them for prediction.
Of course, astrologers offer less messy prophecies. They merely point to alignments of celestial bodies to foretell: “You are going to win the lottery, meet the person of your dreams, and have great health this year. All that wonderfulness is headed your way if you don’t squander it on distractions.”
Determined, Thus not Accountable
The blame for the persistence of astrology doesn’t lie solely in public education—at least not entirely. It is generally true, however, that just as many Americans can’t point to where they live on a map because the study of geography has ebbed from classrooms, so many can’t place where they live in the local universe and can’t explain the nature of stars, planets, and the physical forces, like gravity, that relate them. But ignorance of the physical world is just one of several reasons for American readiness to accept astrological forecasts.
Vanity plays a role. There’s comfort in knowing the causes of both fortune and misfortune reside in a world deemed predestined and accountability-free. Imprecise language also plays a role in acceptance. Astrologers have always had the ability to tell people what they want to hear by offering generalities from which the listener infers specifics derived from a wishlist of possible outcomes or a personal history of failures or successes.
The Perfect Fit for Our Liberal Age
The predetermined world of astrology is an appropriate context for American
Liberalism, the philosophy that places blame everywhere but in the individual actor. “Society made me do it,” the criminal can say. Or, “The fault lies in my stars.” Those two statements are corollaries or reflections of each other. It’s difficult to say which of them is more fundamental. Both belong to the Liberal’s mindset. Look no further than bail-free releases that has placed dangerous criminals back on the street, where they continue to victimize innocent people.
Who Subscribes?
I found this online at a site called Astrologify.* I cannot verify the information:
According to the website, 32% of Americans living in the Northeast believe in astrology. That percentage coincides with this one: 32% of Democrats believe in astrology. The Northeast is, after all, a bastion of Liberalism and a Democrat stronghold. In contrast, 25% of Americans living in the South believe in astrology. And 24% of Americans living in the Midwest believe in astrology. Consider that both of these flyover regions are also
Republican regions and that 29% of Republicans believe in astrology.
What about Christians?
The statistics seem to suggest that more Protestants are aware of the First Commandment than Catholics. How so? That commandment forbids the worship of false gods. Astrology implies putting one’s life in the control of the stars and planets, the “false gods” that are forbidden; yet, 31% of Catholics believe in astrology, whereas only
22% of Protestants believe in astrology, the same percentage as American Jews.
What’s Your Sign?
I recall comedian Bob Nelson’s routine as a drunk at a bar trying to pick up a girl. “Hi, babe, what’s your sign? Im a Feces, but you can call me Number 2.” Think of that the next time someone engages you in a conversation about astrology.
*https://astrologify.com/astrology-statistics/
Of course, astrologers offer less messy prophecies. They merely point to alignments of celestial bodies to foretell: “You are going to win the lottery, meet the person of your dreams, and have great health this year. All that wonderfulness is headed your way if you don’t squander it on distractions.”
Determined, Thus not Accountable
The blame for the persistence of astrology doesn’t lie solely in public education—at least not entirely. It is generally true, however, that just as many Americans can’t point to where they live on a map because the study of geography has ebbed from classrooms, so many can’t place where they live in the local universe and can’t explain the nature of stars, planets, and the physical forces, like gravity, that relate them. But ignorance of the physical world is just one of several reasons for American readiness to accept astrological forecasts.
Vanity plays a role. There’s comfort in knowing the causes of both fortune and misfortune reside in a world deemed predestined and accountability-free. Imprecise language also plays a role in acceptance. Astrologers have always had the ability to tell people what they want to hear by offering generalities from which the listener infers specifics derived from a wishlist of possible outcomes or a personal history of failures or successes.
The Perfect Fit for Our Liberal Age
The predetermined world of astrology is an appropriate context for American
Liberalism, the philosophy that places blame everywhere but in the individual actor. “Society made me do it,” the criminal can say. Or, “The fault lies in my stars.” Those two statements are corollaries or reflections of each other. It’s difficult to say which of them is more fundamental. Both belong to the Liberal’s mindset. Look no further than bail-free releases that has placed dangerous criminals back on the street, where they continue to victimize innocent people.
Who Subscribes?
I found this online at a site called Astrologify.* I cannot verify the information:
According to the website, 32% of Americans living in the Northeast believe in astrology. That percentage coincides with this one: 32% of Democrats believe in astrology. The Northeast is, after all, a bastion of Liberalism and a Democrat stronghold. In contrast, 25% of Americans living in the South believe in astrology. And 24% of Americans living in the Midwest believe in astrology. Consider that both of these flyover regions are also
Republican regions and that 29% of Republicans believe in astrology.
What about Christians?
The statistics seem to suggest that more Protestants are aware of the First Commandment than Catholics. How so? That commandment forbids the worship of false gods. Astrology implies putting one’s life in the control of the stars and planets, the “false gods” that are forbidden; yet, 31% of Catholics believe in astrology, whereas only
22% of Protestants believe in astrology, the same percentage as American Jews.
What’s Your Sign?
I recall comedian Bob Nelson’s routine as a drunk at a bar trying to pick up a girl. “Hi, babe, what’s your sign? Im a Feces, but you can call me Number 2.” Think of that the next time someone engages you in a conversation about astrology.
*https://astrologify.com/astrology-statistics/
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