“OMG, I love Libras!”
“Ooof, you’re a Leo? My ex was a Leo, can’t do that again.”
“LOL you’re such a Gemini.”
Sound familiar, anyone? No? Maybe you’ve heard something closer to this:
“Astrology is fake.” or
“The planets don’t affect our lives in any way.”
Unless you live under a rock, I’m pretty sure you’ve had something along one of those lines said to you. Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying the fact that Astrology has fully pervaded American culture. It’s everywhere. Be it through weekly newspaper horoscopes, Twitter astrology threads, or the Cosmopolitan Snapchat story forecasts (I know you know the ones), you can get your astrological fix anywhere, anytime, and from anyone. To some people, astrology is a lens used to gain a deeper understanding of life, but to others, astrology is just a BS fad that’s not worth the hype it receives.
Image via Twitter: @meowkenxing
So what is all the hype even about? Well, astrology has scientific roots dating back over 2000 years to ancient Babylonian times, and has shown up in almost every major culture in one form or another. In more recent years, it has been used to predict major world events, such as the rise of Queen Elizabeth to the throne. There are even testimonies that President Ronald Reagan sometimes consulted astrologers before making big decisions! Even though astrology has these roots, it has long since been regarded as a pseudoscience, leading many to dismiss it. However, many still obsessively check their horoscopes on the daily. Why do we do it?Image via the New York Post
Because it’s harmless! Whether someone fully believes in the power of the stars and knows every single sign in their chart (yes, there’s more than just one), or they just check their horoscope once a month — there’s no harm, no foul in either. It’s just fun! Astrology on the most basic of levels simply provides another way for humans to look at the world and to connect with one another.
On another note, the more serious followers of astrology do not deserve the hate they receive either. In no way, shape, or form does believing that the planets have somewhat of an effect on our personalities constitute slander and dismissal from those who do not share those beliefs (especially when our bodies are literally made out of stardust).
Those who believe it’s fake see it as a waste of time to even try and engage with people who have a different view of astrology. But even if astrology is fake, why should that matter? If it allows people to find even a smidge of joy in the world we live in, so why try to keep people from from finding that joy? Millions of people around the world watch WWE, knowing that it’s fake, and take little to no smack from anyone for doing so. It causes people joy, doesn’t hurt anyone, and should not be the topic of so much controversy.
Image via Twitter: @maddymacquine
If you genuinely cannot deal with a person joking with you about how they can’t be friends with you because of your sign, maybe you should look a little more into astrology and try to figure out why. What’s the harm? It’s just fake anyway, right?