Superstitions

 Cursed number "39" haunts Afghan car owners  (Yahoo News via Reuters, by Hamid Shalizi, 6/15/2011)

Whenever I hear someone mention the number 13, I can't help but shiver.  It has been drilled into my brain from such a young age that the number brings bad luck, that I can't suppress the response, even though I realize I am being superstitious.

In Afghanistan, the number 39 is suddenly gaining steam as the latest symbol to exude negative connotations.  Suddenly, if there is a 39 on your license plate, you are considered a pimp.  Though some American men may covet the title, the idea of being a "pimp" in Afghanistan's conservative Muslim society has real world, negative repercussions. 

Whether the idea originated because of an Iranian pimp who drives around in a luxury car nicknamed "39," or as a result of a police scheme to earn money is interesting to consider.  But what really makes my mind stew is how fast the superstition formed, and traveled.   It makes me wonder if other cultural idiosyncrasies developed in a similar, exponentially expanding manner.
___