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Friggatriskaidekaphobia 2022

May 13, 2022

The Freethought Society (FS) is pleased to present the very first Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center’s International Educational Seminar via Zoom on FridayMay 132022. The event will be hosted by FS President Margaret Downey

The event will start at 3:45 PM PDT/6:45 PM EDT with the introduction of comedian Ian Harris. His 15-minute standup routine will take a humorous look at superstitions and irrational beliefs that permeate American culture. 

At 4:00 PM PDT/7:00 PM EDT social activist Babu Gogineni will tell us about superstitions that prevail in India. Be ready for shocking disclosures and unthinkable practices that are thought to have magical benefits strong enough to change the course of nature.

At 4:30 PM PDT/7:30 PM EDT FS board member Norm Allen will convey the many African superstitions he witnessed and dealt with throughout his 30-year career as the Founder and President of African Americans for Humanism. He will share with us the horror of witch hunts and the belief that using certain body parts of albinistic people can transmit magical powers.

The keynoted speaker is author Stuart Vyse. His presentation will start at 5:00 PM PDT/8:00 PM EDT. Vyse is an American psychologist, teacher, speaker and author who specializes in critical thinking and belief in superstitions. His book Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition won the William James Book Award of the American Psychological Association and was translated into Japanese, German, and Romanian. 

For more details see the Meetup page created for this event at the below link: https://bit.ly/Frigga13th

Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center

Nowhere in the entire world has there been a Friday the Thirteenth online anti-superstition bash until now! Please join the Freethought Society and the Center for Inquiry (CFI) as we cure people of their superstitions during the virtual opening of the famous Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center on Friday, August 13, 2021 at 3:45 PM PDT/6:45 PM EDT. During the Pre-Event Social, singer Rich DeSimone will perform a mini-concert of Frank Sinatra songs, including “Luck be a Lady” and “Witchcraft.”

Friggatriskaidekaphobia doctors and nurses will provide long-distance treatments that will involve humorous and fun-loving interaction as superstitions are dispelled and cured. A “Clean Bill of Mental Health” will be awarded to participants who participate and follow the “doctor’s orders.” Don’t miss your chance to take an anti-horoscope consulting pledge and participate in trashing your Zodiac sign. Join us by sitting under a ladder or umbrella. Prizes for the best Zoom box will be awarded.

The 2021 Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center will be offering a continuing education session with famous Skeptic and “Anti-Superstition Professor of Rational Thinking” Benjamin Radford. His presentation is entitled “The Curse of Magical Thinking.”


Though magical thinking can seem wonderful, imbuing the world with meaning and magic, there is a darker side to it. From lucky rabbit’s feet (not so lucky for the rabbit!) to gambler’s fallacies, Radford will examine psychological, cultural, and folkloric aspects of superstition, curses, luck, and much more. Though some magical beliefs are harmless, others can have unexpectedly harmful and even deadly consequences. Learn about the history of these beliefs as well as how to replace magical beliefs with science and reason.

Radford has degrees in psychology and education, and is a Research Fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is the author of a dozen books on critical thinking, science education, and media literacy. Radford is Deputy Editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and co-host of the podcast “Squaring the Strange.”

To poke fun at fortunetelling, Christina Magallanes-Jones will be attending as the Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center’s Miss Fortune Teller. She will be using her special deck of “Tarot-Bull” cards to predict your future.

We will also have a mirror breaking ceremony so have goggles, a hammer, a mirror and a trash can close by.

To see past party photos visit:

http://www.friggatriskaidekaphobia.com

RSVP at: https://bit.ly/3y1OjNz