UnLucky Numbers

28-04-23 00 / episode: 102

Script

Unlucky numbers. How do you use an unlucky number? Well, the answer is you don't, I googled unlucky numbers and how to use them and nobody has advice for how to use an unlucky number. But plenty of people have advice for how to not use it. And I look around where I live here in Japan. One of the unlucky numbers here is four and it's unlucky because it has the same sound as die. So there's a lot of energy invested in avoiding the word or the number four. For instance, many hospitals do not have 1/4 floor. If a patient goes to the fourth floor, they might feel like they're getting hexed with an unlucky number and they might die the same for the room room number. They won't go into the room numbered four or a bed numbered four. Of course, this also extends out to parking lots. I have seen parking lots that don't have a number four parking stall. Amazing. If there's a number four parking stall, nobody wants to park there. So it's a waste of space. So don't put the number four on it. 1235. That's pretty clever. So, what we're looking at is not how to use lucky numbers, but how to avoid lucky, unlucky numbers. What's your unlucky number? And how about the country you come from? I come from Canada and many people in Canada think that 13 is an unlucky number. On the other hand, I read that 13 is a good number or a lucky number in Italy. It's a lucky number for gambling. And if you, uh, there's a certain expression that uses the number for 13 to mean that you hit the jackpot. So lucky and unlucky numbers is very dependent on the culture that you grow up in. Tell me about your culture. If you get a chance, what are the unlucky numbers in your culture? And do you try to avoid them?