by David Kent | staff writer
If you’re a very passionate and abrasive person, then you’re probably a Scorpio, or you’re a Capricorn. In modern society, people have been taking to astrological signs (zodiac signs) to help determine who they are. According to a 2012 study by the National Science Foundation in the US, about 58 percent of 18-24-year-olds believed that astrology was a real and believable science. This statistic is alarming, and yet it also brings up a question as to why people believe in zodiac signs so much and why people are so obsessed with them.
Whenever I’ve felt bored in the past, I’ve turned to social media and, more often than not, found something about zodiac signs on Instagram. And when I’ve actually looked at the meme for my zodiac sign, a Capricorn, I can’t help but laugh to myself because of just how similar I am to it.
Normally, I’ve never been one to believe in things like zodiac signs or anything of the sort (though I do believe in ghosts.) However, as I’ve come to see more and more stuff, I’ve began to doubt as to whether zodiac signs are fake or have some form of reality and truth about them. In class, I’ve heard people remark about how easily they relate to their zodiac signs.
Astrology is not so much a science as it is a way of thinking, it relates the movement of the planets and their subsequent moons to people’s personalities and even so-called ‘divine communication.’ This holds no concrete evidence and yet, people somehow are able to relate easily to astrological signs hinting to some type of connection whether it be real or just a figment of people’s imaginations. They are normally rather vague and are up for complete interpretation, meaning something else to very person.
“Well, okay. First off there are some coincidences like, you know, Aquarius tend to be kind of smart. But I think it’s more like people don’t want to believe in something higher like, they don’t want to take any personal responsibility for their habits like ‘Oh I don’t want to change’ or ‘Oh I’m a Leo, that’s just how I am,’ but no you’re not,” junior Nicholas Muncie said. “You’re just being a jerk so, I mean, that’s my opinion. Now if I say there are some coincidences, there are some people who are really like their zodiac sign. But that’s just kind of what you call the ‘Plasedo Effect’ when you believe something enough you actually start to act like that.”
I feel as though the obsession with zodiac signs relates to the obsession with memes. People tend to associate themselves with edgy and dark memes because it somehow connects to their everyday lives. This falls in line with zodiac signs with people using them to as a catalyst to make themselves feel better about themselves because they are able to connect with some abstract idea. This idea of relatability goes with astrology and memes alike, making people associate both things with humor and overall connection between them and zodiac signs.
Zodiac signs have no science behind them, every post on social media about them is generic and somehow relatable to everyone in some way or fashion. This disregards the inherent significance that comes with being a ‘Capricorn’ or a ‘Leo’ or a ‘Scorpio,’ meaning that it is all just a farce. There are even apps that tell you what Saturn that you are, it’s ridiculous in all honesty.
While astrological and zodiac signs are fun to look at and to think about, there really isn’t actually science about it. Astrology is more of a fun thing to pass the time with thinking about and laughing about than anything else. It shouldn’t be taken as concrete evidence for who you are and who you are supposed to be. It should just be for fun, nothing more, nothing less.
