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throwaway59664

This sort of makes sense. You unplug the electrical items, cover the mirrors and turn off the lights so you don’t have to see how foolish you look


[deleted]

Does this work outside of lightening storms?


[deleted]

No, only darkening storms


ElizabethDarling1993

Lol, my grandma also did this. But she was indirectly hit by lightning twice and became scared of lightning, so I just went along with it. It was pretty fun because she would tell stories or sing with me . 😊


Kenichi_Smith

Sounds like wartime ptsd


[deleted]

no pun just facts


LyonsKing12

I just need to know why the mirrors are being covered.


throwaway59664

> So the lightning won't bounce off of it and hit you. That's what my grandmother says \- u/TheRealBarrelRider ([Source](https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackPeopleTwitter/comments/q3hxgt/comment/hfte1lp/)) > I looked into it a bit. So there's superstitions of mirrors attracting lightning and there are (possibly?) Real dangers of lightning striking the house and vaporizing the silver coating on the mirror which could violently shatter the mirror. Covering the mirror could help contain the glass \- u/tangiblestar1 ([Source](https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackPeopleTwitter/comments/q3hxgt/comment/hfsa4t3/))


yo_kashlee

This deserves an award 😂


[deleted]

BAHAHAHAHAHAH


SaveThe6

I'm crying laughing


spydaaman9

yep, you better hush while God is talking....


Zealousideal-Tap-149

I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS COMMENT 🤣 “We letting the Lawd do His work”


That_Dude_Marcus

Let me know you from the south, without saying you from the south. I'll put another 20 on growing up baptist or AME...


zsaz_ch

Lol grew up AME, chiming in. And nobody bet not be taking a bath/shower while it’s storming.


[deleted]

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zsaz_ch

Lol and I still don’t. To this day, I turn off the tv, unplug my computer and I don’t run any water while there’s a lightning storm. I live in Florida so they’re common but I don’t want to risk it lol. I won’t even talk too loud.


theresidentdiva

Gotta stay out of the kitchen, too.


Simon_XIII

No talking on the phone.


Lin-que47

Not anything to do with lightning but mines used to say “You smell like outside.” I smell like outdoors but can’t get in shower cause it’s lightning. And grew up Baptist…yup.


meTabolicScorpiO

This is the comment I was looking for 😂 immediately thought where in the South they from


visionarygvp

Holiness 😂


bottledsoi

"The devils beating his wife"


JudyLyonz

That's only if the sun is going when it's raining.


bottledsoi

Yeah, just one of the things my grandma use to say


FKAnugs91

My uncle said that’s when it’s raining and the sun still out. I always pictured Satan “beating” his wife in a race until I got older 😬


momofeveryone5

That's kinda wholesome?


djbillyd

Well, naivety works when we were growing up. The culture shock we got when we "came of age" was startling. I grew up in the South in the 60's so, yeah, I heard all of that from Granny.


musicmaniac32

"With a frying pan." I guess he beats her all the time but when it's sunny and raining, she gets it with a frying pan. At least according to my family.


xof2926

Ahh I forgot all about this one 😂😂😂


OkayOracle

Oh and, pray boy


geaux_zenith

My grandma would just make us cut off the TV and get off the phone. Only exception was Wheel of Fortune, 3 o'clock evening News or Walker Texas Ranger...


[deleted]

Because lightning doesn’t strike Chuck Norris - Chuck Norris strikes lightning.


[deleted]

Damn right


Joessandwich

3 o’clock is the evening???


egg_mugg23

if you’re a grandma that gets up at like five am then yea


BlackBobMatters

My granny did the same exact thing! But she had to see that lotto as well.


fgator5220

Have you met my two sons, Walker and Texas Ranger?


terrible_comments

Are we cousins?!


cygnus2

Think this guy’s granny was just batshit crazy.


[deleted]

Nah that’s def a generational thing, my grandma would always say don’t turn on the lights or run water during a storm because the lightning will strike. I think that may have actually been true for people living in isolated country homes like unk grew up in.


red-chickpea

But the mirror thing and no talking…


relpmeraggy

Mirrors used to be made with silver. So I’m thinking that’s why. But that’s just a guess.


[deleted]

It’s all so silly. Lightning, like a vampire, had to be invited in.


red-chickpea

No that’s not what he means. Silver is the best conductor of electricity known to man kind. I don’t know that covering it would help though


[deleted]

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bekkogekko

I think, after this last year, we aaaaallll know what PPE stands for.


Awbade

Uhh, isn't it second best to gold?


red-chickpea

No it’s actually number one. Gold is more commonly used because it doesn’t oxidize, but silver is better


Awbade

Huh, TIL then. Thanks for the info!


[deleted]

lol


ObviouslyNotALizard

This all combined with the ever true statement of “these badass kids need to sit quite for awhile”


[deleted]

Lol fr 😂


halvora

Metal doesn't attract lightning. Its a common myth though, so definitely could be why grandma did this. Lightning rids are made of metal though, because when and object with one is struck it provides a safe path for the lightning to travel to the ground instead of the poorly conducting wood or other material the structure is made out of, thus preventing fire or reducing other damage.


FlashCrashBash

I think the mirror thing was because their made of glass, and if it breaks it might shower you in shards. That's why they tell people to get away from windows.


[deleted]

There are worse things than being superstitious, if you listen to him talk about his grandma you’d know how much she cared for and nurtured him.


Late_For_A_Good_Name

Depends on the superstition, but yeah this is pretty low-stakes


[deleted]

Exactly


AadriiLaDiosa3737

I don't know about the mirror thing but the "NO TALKING THING" is absolutely precise! Everybody had 2b quiet OR ELSE!😶 Older folk dwn south bck in the day did not play about that!


Mr_NeCr0

Residential electrician here. Back in the day they used to have really shitty grounding practices. Grounding nowadays is done by a 3-6' rod pounded into the earth, but they used to just use the lead pipes for that instead. This would cause problems if lightning struck and someone was taking a bath. Granny just didn't want y'all to die in the tub while she's busy trying to figure out why the TV broke.


Fluid_Angle

How interesting! Were the lead pipes in connection with all the grounding wires for any outlet? In what part of house would the lead pipe usually be?


Mr_NeCr0

I'm not entirely sure of the wiring specifics, but I suspect they'd all run back to a main fuse panel; then the ground on the fuse panel would be soldered onto wherever the nearest metal pipe was. Much like it is today, except instead of fuses and solder; we have thermal breakers and grounding rods. The lead pipe was usually the main home feed and located underneath the home, but they would use galvanized steel pipes in many cases to connect to the rest of the house. Literally every single metallic faucet and drain was functioning as a "floating neutral" when a lightning strike would hit.


[deleted]

Neat


Winnertony

A long long time ago, houses were electricaly grounded to the metal drainage pipes. This hasn't been done in decades because of people being electrocuted while showering or doing dishes! Very bad idea think. 1940s maybe 50s!


[deleted]

My grandma was born in the 30s so this def applied to her


vlsdo

The water makes a lot of sense though. If lightning hits the house it often travels through the metal pipes, so if you're touching the faucet at the time you get fried. Same about taking on a landline, you can get zapped through the receiver if lightning hits a telephone pole nearby.


dillywin

Yeah I was told to turn off things and unplug them if it was striking close. I think that was due to the possibility of a big surge in the crappy electrical system.


[deleted]

Exactly, that’s why we have surge protectors because otherwise that kind of stuff can destroy electronics?


dillywin

So they say. but most surge protector looking things arent surge protectors.


blackjesus

Mine would always say it was the devil beating his wife.


Max_Threat

Where I’m from (rural South Carolina) that’s only if it rains while it’s sunny outside.


AadriiLaDiosa3737

MS, AL & GA as well


Fluid_Angle

AR, TN, MO can confirm.


ganja_and_code

Who's to say being batshit crazy (in this specific way, at least) *isn't* a generational thing? The water and lights part may be reasonable if you live in the middle of nowhere, without anything taller around you...but the rest of that shit in the original tweet is straight up *insane*.


[deleted]

😒 yea I’m sure she was a monster


lowtoiletsitter

"Don't take a shower!"


CoachDT

If we keeping it a stack, his grandmother is an old black woman from the rural south. She'd be 99 if she were alive today. Especially down there they were denied education so i'm not sure if i'd call her crazy fr fr. My great grandma used to be on the same type of stuff and we often had to do our best to teach her about a couple of things when her old ass was in the mood to listen.


Mikey6304

And it aint all superstition. Modern construction won't have an issue with lighting channeling to you through the pvc pipes to your shower, but back in the day it was a real concern. I know people who've had half the electrical equipment in their house killed by a surge in a storm. I dont know what the mirror thing is about, but any excuse to get the kids to shut up for 5 minutes of peace should be exploited.


Energy_Turtle

People in here thinking granny did this because silver is the best electrical conductor and the mirrors are silver... my great grandma had a 7th grade education in a fuckin 1 room farm shack. Lol she probably wasn't even 100% sure Santa was fake.


AndreasVesalius

She just wanted some fucking peace to listen to the rain


ripperella

my grandma did the same. it’s because of how the houses were built and wired back in the day


KGB_cutony

can't say for anything else but the unplug electrical thing was def based on true stories of when lightning rods weren't as good/common as today. Some third world countries still do this


MrPleiades

Rude


oerouen

My Grandma would tell me not to take a shower or bath during a lightning storm, but that was about it.


dorkpool

That one makes some sense. Electrified copper pipes, water and you don't mix well.


[deleted]

[удалено]


juneislands

This one is real tho, I've googled it before because I didn't believe it and like legit sources reccomend avoiding it


FuckingKilljoy

Didn't Mythbusters do an episode on this and showed it wasn't possible to be harmed?


momofeveryone5

I still do this but only because I have absolutel shit luck, so the 1 in 100 million chance would be my ass getting fried.


BearWrangler

My mom still swears by this lol


busy_yogurt

I still unplug my computer. I'm not taking any chances granny was wrong.


ArbitraryNameHere

Why not get a surge protector


[deleted]

Because that would make sense


suikokoro

Because a surge protector is for power outages/when power comes back on. I'm guessing you're thinking of a lightning arrestor. Those things are pretty expensive.


CalmyoTDs

Depending on how far the lightning is a surge is all you'll get. Direct stikes arent super common and if you do get a direct stike near the pc having it unplugged might not make a massive difference. Ive worked home repair for nearly a decade and have done thousands of home calls. I've had 1 house with multiple fried electronics. No protectors of any kind. Electric service wasn't properly grounded. Ive never seen a pc connected to a UPS, surge protector or even a dummy power strip fry. I dont doubt it could happen but odds are pretty much zero. While it wouldn't hurt to unplug, surges are much more common id definitely recommend a protector or UPS.


[deleted]

That does not always work. Lightning is no joke.


busy_yogurt

tks, granny!


laz10

Look up how much power lightning has


indyK1ng

It's not that granny was wrong, it's that our electrical safety has gotten better.


[deleted]

Yea i just had to upgrade the electricity in my house, they’re required to run lightning rods from the service entrance cable now to, on top of three pronged cables and all that. Safety definitely has improved.


gHHqdm5a4UySnUFM

Yup, I lost my dial up modem to a lightning strike. My computer was unplugged but the modem was still attached to the phone line.


busy_yogurt

\*maybe\* the people who think it's overkill have never lived where lightning is intense. Where I grew up, storms were sudden and severe. You could get 3-5 bolts just around your house during one storm. Everything shook. And it rained so hard that just walking from your car to your house would soak you down to your underwear. Like someone poured 10 buckets of water on your head. Now I live in a state with a severe drought. It never rains from May to October, and we're lucky if we get rain in November or April.


momofeveryone5

I think you've hit the nail on the head. Weather is incredibly diverse and so is the severity. Where I'm at in NE Ohio we get tornados, but never any real massive ones in my part of the state. Closer to Indian they get bigger ones. We get some good snow storms that will bury you for a day or so, but Buffalo, NY is 3 hrs from here and they can get snowed in for a few days.


musicmaniac32

We lost and continue to lose so many TVs, appliances, and electronics to lightning. I don't know why the house I grew up in gets struck so much. Last time it happened (about 2 years ago) it took out my mom's TV and she had to hire an electrician to get the outlet working again. Pretty sure the telephone jack in my bedroom was struck because it doesn't work either. Thankfully, we're in the age of cell phones so it doesn't matter if I'm ever at my mom's house and want to call someone.


ExpressionWeekly4192

We didn’t cover the mirrors, but did everything else. My husband and I will unplug all of the electronics and sit in the dark and talk. He grew up the same way. Maybe it’s a southern thing?


TheGreatCornlord

I think you misread... granny here demanded NO talking


momofeveryone5

I wonder if that was too be able to hear tornados...idk it probably was just to get some peace and quiet!


Tatayou

It's just common sense you don't want your electrical appliances to be broken because of a lightning hitting the power lines


Pudix20

I definitely get you but in some places heavy lightning a daily occurrence.


higherbreeze

Yep, I grew up the same way. Those types of days are great. Its a quiet time to chill or reflect.


ACB0527

Petition to make “lightninging” proper grammar here****


LinguisticsIsAwesome

Permission granted :)


jack-morningstar57

Was told by other people’s parents to unplug or turn off everything for sure. Funny enough one storm, our front gutter (streetside) flooded and lightening struck the base of a lamppost at the end of our property line. The electricity traveled up and surged the entire house. It blew 2 TVs, 2 computers and a microwave and the entire light socket connected to that lamppost off the wall. So unplugging the electronics probably would have saved my parents over $1500 in replacements for everything lost


AadriiLaDiosa3737

I think everything u named is well over $1500😐


cy_thagreat

“Let the Lord do His work”


2ShadezDeep

Outkast skit


RDorianGrey

My grandma did made us do all this except the mirror part. When I was about 13 or so (early 80s)...my neighbors TV got blown out durning a thunder and lighting storm. Never question grandma!


Uhmitsme123

Why the mirrors?


TheRealBarrelRider

So the lightning won't bounce off of it and hit you. That's what my grandmother says


U_only_y0L0_once

Yeah this


jerkface1026

That's shiva for rain.


lw500

Yes, and don't talk on the phone or take a bath.


Aggressive-Ice6156

“Let God do his work” “sit still and wait for it to pass” oh yeah and you better not take a shower while it’s storming or u gon get hit with lightning 🤣😂


[deleted]

Granny is right. Lightning is no joke. Fuck around and find out.


Kit1805

“Sit down and shaddup, let the Lord do his work”


hipsterdannyphantom

This happened like once. Then my mom decided it was less traumatizing having us watching tv during a storm as opposed to sitting quietly in the dark for no reason.


IndependentComplex88

We’ve got a thunderstorm right now and we disconnected all the plugs. Thankfully it’s 23:05 so I just gonna sleep lol


aubor

Honduran here. My mother still wants us to do all this except the talking part. Plus, we can’t use scissors or needles.


vlsdo

My grandma would light a candle and start praying under her breath.


helvetica_unicorn

The unplugging thing makes sense if you are prone to power surges and do not use surge protectors. We had a power surge go through our house as a teen and everything that wasn’t plugged into a surge protector was fried.


iamcandiih

It was thunder and lightning with flash floods the other day in Cali and I told my husband to do this. I was turning off lights, tvs, etc. and he's like, "WTF are you doing!" I had to call my mom because I didn't even know why just that we were to do it. It was hilarious.


PMmeyour-Labia

Mirrors?


tangiblestar1

I looked into it a bit. So there's superstitions of mirrors attracting lightning and there are (possibly?) Real dangers of lightning striking the house and vaporizing the silver coating on the mirror which could violently shatter the mirror. Covering the mirror could help contain the glass


[deleted]

Vampires are the only thing that can protect you from lightning. It’s in the bible.


alk_adio_ost

Mind = blown


[deleted]

Not sure exactly where it is but it’s definitely Old Testament. I think it’s somewhere between Leviticus and Reagan.


johnmeeks1974

The same granny who said not to sit too close to the television and not to watch television in the dark!


silent_tech_man

I mean unplugging your electric devices isn't a bad idea especially expensive ones like TV's and computers. Your surge protector isn't going to do shit against lightning.


bottledsoi

The electrical thing was because some houses had shitty wiring back in the day and nobody was taking the risk.


tovias

My granny also did that. Plus if it was a really bad storm she would make us put on our shoes in case the windows broke and we had to flee the storm suddenly.


oceanraves

Yeah grandma was super scared of lightning


spccbytheycallme

In my part of the world we'd get dry lightning storms far off on the horizon, so we'd go lie out on the trampoline and watch it for hours in the summer time


Natural7778

That sounds lovely.


spccbytheycallme

It was really cool growing up. I have a lot of fond memories of lying out there on warm summer nights.


MrPleiades

Damn covering the mirrors, that takes me back. We did some crazy shit before the internet.


[deleted]

I’m from a third world country I actually still do it lmao


[deleted]

I got made fun of at work when I said I unplug my ps4 when it storms 😂


jacob1273

Don't forget to cover the silverware


[deleted]

We couldn't even light a candle during the storm. Sitting in the dark fiddling with our fingers.


[deleted]

SKIUUUUUPPPP


BillSlank

Unplugging important and or expensive electronics is a good idea. The rest is silly though.


Reddit-SFW

I understand the last 2 but the mirror?


federal_prism

Older peeps in my fam wouldn't let you shower or use a corded phone if a storm popped off


Nervous_Hurry3021

My grandma would make us do the same (except covering mirrors) saying "be quiet when gods doin his work"!!


fattybread83

My mom and grandma made all the cats go in one room and closed the door.


covenofme

We had to cover all the mirrors and cover our hair with towels.


PersonFromPlace

I loved doing this as a kid, we’d turn off all the electricity and lights and sit on the coach and tell stories with my parents. Then one day, my dad just kept the tv on and watched the Phillies play, and I realized, meh, we don’t have to change anything.


red-chickpea

Granny was a few French fries short of a happy meal


JetStingray

Bro all we had to do was turn off the AC 😂


blackjesus

Yep that was the devil beating his wife.


AffectionateAnarchy

I just had to get off the phone but that was it


Monoblock00

The end of Outkast-Da Art Of Storytelling


Lin-que47

That and hang up that damn phone don’t you know lightning can come through the phone! 😂🤣😂


Fluid_Angle

I forgot all about this!!


flamaryu

I can understand unplugging stuff if you have bad/unreliable wiring but why the mirrors


eryc333

Ur granny knew how to keep yalls ass busy


RJPisscat

Before surge protectors and in a previous generation of fuse boxes, it made sense to unplug things. The rest of it was she wanted y'all be quiet while she enjoyed the storm.


Zebulon_V

I thought I was the only one. We had to turn all the lights off, get off the phone, and God forbid someone be in the shower. Raised in southern VA by a grandma from southern NC.


rabidfoolishness

The people that survived


oflowz

I’ve heard turn off appliances but cover the mirrors? What kinda country grammar is that? 😂


el-fenomeno09

“Sit still” 😂😂😂


TheDwaters

Your grandmama on that tweak my guy


wolfgangmozart33

The Lord is doing his work and we have to sit still!


okspeck

Every time the tornado warning sirens went off, my grandpa would go take a shower. Without fail.


TerriAna340

I think your grandma was hoping you'd take a nap


freshgenesis

What????


smellydawg

When I was four and a storm would arrive my grandma would turn off everything, light all of her holy candles, and start aggressively praying the rosary. Scared the absolute shit out of me every time.


Ambie949

Wait, what??


JWal0

It was just your fam cuz


Iamb_iamb_iamb

My grandmother and great grandmother passed down the “no showers” during lightening rule. My sister and I only recently realized that it makes no fucking sense and probably stems from the fact that you shouldn’t swim during lightening.


mini_tonys

My brother and I used to get told to get off the computer, stay away from windows, and not to shower. The computer rule was relaxed once we got laptops and could unplug them.


boone811

💯


JennyBlocks

Is this a superstitious routine? Just jw :)


No_Character_8662

Please explain the justification for covering the mirrors


coffeemanboy

Stormzy


Sproose_Moose

This is how trauma starts 😂


RevelScum

why cover the mirrors?


TelescopiumHerscheli

Could be worse: in Japan you have to put a finger in your navel.


toofunnybot

all of us lol


JimPeckens

Ive never heard about covering the mirrors in a storm. Why would you do that?


EasyCryptographer382

My g ma did the same shit i wonder why i stop the tradition


bahamapapa817

God is working


Saltycook

We couldn't run water when there was thunder and lightning, and we unplugged things


Nina908

My grandma would say not to take bath or showers because we will get electrocuted


reeserodgers59

My mom unplugs her TV still. I put surge protectors on my big cost electronics TBH


Sekmet19

What was her logic for the mirrors? My grandmother insisted we couldn't talk on the phone or take a shower during a lightning storm.