The White Lighter MYTH debunked

Okay I'll be honest right at the get-go, I am a very superstitious person, might be because I'm Puerto Rican (there's a lot of superstitions there alone) but I will NEVER EVER use a white lighter. And I don't even know the whole superstition except that some famous people died at 27 with a white lighter in their possession. Or did they?

Now that I just turned 27, the fear has gotten real! So here I am, trying to validate my fear and share where this famous legend originated from.

The main theory to this well known superstition is that 4 famous musicians, who were all left handed, died at the age of 27 with a white lighter in their pockets. These 4 celebrities were Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain. After some research, this has been proven to be false. Yes, each of these musicians died at 27, but not with white Bic lighters. Henderix, Joplin and Morrison all died of drug overdoses in 1970 and 1971, 2 years before the release of Bic's first disposable lighter. Cobain who passed away in 1994 had lighters in his possession but one was pink and the other multi-colored.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/455496949784505208/

So why did this rumour start? Who added the white lighter to the unfortunate death of some of music's best?

It doesn't take much for word to spread and fear to build each time an urban legend is passed on. Most not even being true, but fictional stories to scare and entertain. That's probably where this rumour began.

So let's continue to the true part of the white lighter prejudice. When Bic released their first disposable lighter in 1973, it only came in all black or all white. So when stoner's would pack down their cashed bowls with the white lighter, the residue would show on the bottom of the lighter. If they used a black lighter the ash wouldn't be visible. Police caught on and would check the bottom of the lighter if they suspected the person of smoking pot, hence why it was bad luck. But if stoners only used black lighters, then wouldn't it actually be easier to spot them? White lighter users would be clean and black lighter users would be profiled as stoners?

One of the most common comments I get when I state that I don't use white lighters is, "You know under the lighter skin, the lighter is white." Yes, I do know that. I'm sure we all know that, but it's different. A disguised white lighter versus a naked white lighter does not have the same affect.

https://www.pufferbox.com/curse-white-lighter-fact-vs-myth/

After debunking the myths and shedding light on the truth, I don't see any reason to fear a white lighter except to continue the tradition. By fearing the white lighter we are actually giving  the white lighter power. Power to make us buy a new lighter to avoid using a white one and cringe as we watch someone else use one. We may even get anxious in the presence of one. But if we step back and take the power from the lighter, there will be no negativity attached.

The people who enjoy the irony and carry a white lighter as an f-you to the superstition, have taken that power back. They are making their own luck from a well-known 'cursed' item. 

What about you? Do you dare use the white lighter or search for a colored one? Comment below!

sources:

https://nyulocal.com/mythpuffers-the-curse-of-the-white-lighter-dae447f0f80f

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/white-lighter-marijuana-legend-myth-folklore-superstition

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/white-bic-lighter-deaths/

https://www.pufferbox.com/curse-white-lighter-fact-vs-myth/#