"Death comes in threes!" *RANT WARNING*

[Push R Truth]

This is a statement I've seen tossed around constantly whenever a celebrity dies. I guess I just don't get it. There's a ton of celebrities these days compared to ages gone by, so of course more are going to die more often. .

Because it happens more frequently, it's incredibly easy to say "Oh look, this is the second/third one!" or "Gosh, tons of celebrities are dying these days!"

Does even a day go by anymore where a celebrity DOESN'T die? That's honestly a bigger story these days. It's not because of parties or stupidity... it's just that there are tens of thousands of celebrities (millions maybe) world-wide and wouldn't you know it, people die on a seemingly random basis?

I shudder to think of what the news will be like in 60 years, probably ten celebrity obituaries a day at least.

And sure enough, somebody will be there saying "WHAT'S WITH ALL THE CELEBRITIES DYING THESE DAYS?!?! RULE OF 3!!!! (although it might be the rule of 30 by then)"


*RANT OFF*

I feel better. Sorry if I pissed on your parade, I just needed to vent.

[Zombie Mod is not a ghoul.]

so you've drawn up a hitlist and are going to cross off as many celebritys as possible?

[Deleted]

This seems to come up only when it's actors or musicians. If it's ever a celebrity of some other kind (scientist, politician, etc), they have to be mega-famous to be part of "the threes."

[Push R Truth]

Dec 28, 2012 13:41:04 GMT -5 Zombie Mod is not a ghoul. said:

so you've drawn up a hitlist and are going to cross off as many celebritys as possible?

I did not not say that I did not not do it.


*head assplodes*

[Zombie Mod is not a ghoul.]

Dec 28, 2012 13:43:36 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

Dec 28, 2012 13:41:04 GMT -5 Zombie Mod is not a ghoul. said:

so you've drawn up a hitlist and are going to cross off as many celebritys as possible?

I did not not say that I did not not do it.


*head assplodes*

i knew it, detectives... take him away and send the reward cheque to the usual adress.

[Kevin Hamilton]

It's an old wives tale; doesn't just apply to celebs, people will use it for anyone, and do the whole correlation/causation thing and then justify it by the fact that on a long enough timeline of course you're gonna get three deaths relatively close together.

[Push R Truth]

Dec 28, 2012 14:05:35 GMT -5 Kevin Hamilton said:

It's an old wives tale; doesn't just apply to celebs, people will use it for anyone, and do the whole correlation/causation thing and then justify it by the fact that on a long enough timeline of course you're gonna get three deaths relatively close together.

I also think it's similar to the 11:11 phenomenon. Where nobody even thinks about it if they look at the clock and it says 11:10 or 11:12, but when it's 11:11... OMG IT'S TELLING ME THINGS! IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!1!!!eleven!1!

[Kevin Hamilton]

Dec 28, 2012 14:23:51 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

Dec 28, 2012 14:05:35 GMT -5 Kevin Hamilton said:

It's an old wives tale; doesn't just apply to celebs, people will use it for anyone, and do the whole correlation/causation thing and then justify it by the fact that on a long enough timeline of course you're gonna get three deaths relatively close together.

I also think it's similar to the 11:11 phenomenon. Where nobody even thinks about it if they look at the clock and it says 11:10 or 11:12, but when it's 11:11... OMG IT'S TELLING ME THINGS! IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!1!!!eleven!1!

Pretty much. A lot of superstitions like that, where whatever kooky belief it is, people will remember the stuff that "proves" said kooky belief, ignoring the millions of times that it's insignificant.

Same way psychics make their living.

[deadstock]

Hundreds die every day by natural causes or sadly violence as we type these words people are dying .

There mass genocide in the Kongo an Palestine but it doesn't make the news.

[fuzzywarble, squat cobbler]

I think it's stupid too and I really wish people would stop saying this.

[h]

Sometimes 3 famous people happen to die close together. Sometimes 5 famous people happen to die close together. Sometimes it's just 1.

I think it's interesting from a historical perspective that John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis all died on November 22, 1963, but I am certain that it was a coincidence.

Other "examples" seem to disprove the belief more than they prove it. I remember a lot of people talking about the Rule of 3 in 1997 when Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, and John Denver died. However, it seems like a fairly random assortment of celebrities, and if you actually look at the dates, they died in August, September, and October, respectively, so I wouldn't even say that they died close together.

[Piccolo]

The only death timing that is legitimately spooky to me is John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. But of all the billions upon billions of people who have ever lived, a coincidence like that is bound to happen eventually.

[Red Impact]

Sort of reminds me when I heard about people rushing to do things on 12/12/12, and one of the anchors said "It's a day that only occurs once a century."

Since that applies to absolutely every day, I had to laugh.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Things actually happen in 26's, it just takes longer to notice the pattern.

[G✇JI☈A]

If you regularly check this page:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2012

You will notice that everyday a bunch of notable people die. See the blue names, that means they were important enough to have their own or be featured in a wikipedia article.

[celticjobber]

Many times deaths do seem to come in threes.