Fan Death

I almost shat myself when i heard this: many Korean people believe that prolonged exposure to an ELECTRIC FAN WILL KILL YOU. I feel like Jon Stewart covering President Bush over here - I could not make this shit up if I tried! Check out this press release from the Korean Consumer Protection Board:

http://english.cpb.or.kr/user/bbs/code02_detail.php?av_jbno=2006071800002

A buddy of mine has a Korean girlfriend and he had to explain to her that the fan would not "lead to death from an increase in carbon dioxide saturation and decrease of oxygen concentration", as the Consumer Protection Board suggests. This is clearly an hilarious superstition, but even more interesting is their attempt to ground it in scientific terminology. I mean, tell us the evil spirits get blown up your nose by the death fan, then you would just sound like those African guys who think that witches are stealing their penises just because old men can't get it up anymore (and honestly, there must be some sort of devilry in that).

But to acknowledge that you understand what elements are floating around in the air, and then still maintain that it's possible for a fan to somehow blow away only the oxygen molecules - that is some seriously fucked up science. I wonder if this fear also explains why most Kims will not open the friggin windows on the bus even if it's 200 degrees inside - previously i just assumed they wanted to ferment themselves in the reek of Kimchi breath. Caus if a fan can blow away all your oxygen, perhaps the rushing air through a window can blow away all your ability to use critical thinking skills and scientific analysis...Guess it's too late for that.

Now my only concern is weather these evil Korean death fans can also blow their peculiar brand of logic into my unsuspecting brain...I'm already starting to think that motorcycles were meant to be driven on the sidewalk; it's only a matter of time