The Curse of the State Quarter

Dave Kiffer warns those voting on the Alaska State Quarter design of a curse. He outlines numerous examples (some of them a bit of a stretch) of the object of the design being cursed, the most well known case being the demise of New Hampshire’s Man on the Mountain.

He goes on to say that he’s afraid if the polar bear design is chosen, the already endangered beast may vanish entirely. The gold panning man doesn’t worry him too much, nor is he concerned about the grizzly bear because they seem to be taking care of themselves (snacking on a few hikers here and there).

It’s an interesting theory, but I’m of the opinion that in most cases, supposed curses like these are the result of people wanting to find patterns in random events. We as humans like to find patterns, so if an event doesn’t match a pattern, we ignore it, but if it fits into a preconceived pattern, we immediately take note and bring attention to it.

In the end, you’re better off voting for the design you’d like most to see on the quarter.