# Do you question the intelligence of people who believe mercury retrograde affects their lives? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897 "2011-04-18T23:09:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/1 "2011-04-18T23:09:46Z")
Like with any astrology, I’m baffled when I find out that someone I respect takes this crap seriously. They are convinced that mercury in retrograde actually has some sort of affect on their life, love, work, etc. What are your opinions on this craziness? And what do you say to people like this? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/2 "2011-04-18T23:13:53Z")
It depends on how much I want to press the issue. Normally, I’d just ignore it. If I needed to make a point, I’d just say, “You know that astrology is meaningless, don’t you?” I’d tell them to look at the descriptions of all the signs in the zodiac and bet them that at least four of the descriptions apply to them as accurately as their own sign. ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/3 "2011-04-18T23:16:46Z")
I guess I see it as generally less harmless than smoking and I dont say much about that. As in what am I going to say that they havent heard before anyhow? Otara ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/4 "2011-04-18T23:21:29Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > What are your opinions on this craziness? And what do you say to people like this? My opinions are exactly that, they’re crazy or intellectually lazy or have a lack of critical thinking ability. What do I say to them? Usually I try to change the subject or at least I keep giving them one-word nonanswers to anything they say until they get bored or the picture that I’m not listening. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/5 "2011-04-18T23:24:24Z")
I guess it just surprises me when I hear bs like this coming from someone I thought was fairly smart, and not the type to blindly follow religious craziness or astrology. All I said, was, “Come on, really?” And I was given a link to some hippy dippy astro site. Yikes, lol. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/6 "2011-04-18T23:26:43Z")
If I questioned the intelligence of every person who believed something that is most likely woo, then I’d think everyone on the planet was a moron. clearly that is not the case, so I don’t obsess over things people believe which I find silly. well, there’s a limit, of course, but things like superstitions and other mostly irrelevant things I just ignore. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/7 "2011-04-18T23:28:08Z")
> [@](#): > > If I questioned the intelligence of every person who believed something that is most likely woo, then I’d think everyone on the planet was a moron. And then you have me, who _does_ already believe 90% of the population is composed of morons, myself likely included. The difference being I remain friends with people that believe completely retarded things, or else I’d have no friends. ---
**Author:** ![heathen\_earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/13edae/32.png) [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/8 "2011-04-18T23:30:52Z")
I’ve never encountered the term “mercury in retrograde,” so no, at first I’d probably just assume they were talking about some legitimate concern like mercury in salmon. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/9 "2011-04-18T23:31:22Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > I’ve never encountered the term “mercury in retrograde,” so no, at first I’d probably just assume they were talking about some legitimate concern like mercury in salmon. Or fluoride in the public water systems. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/10 "2011-04-18T23:31:24Z")
When I was on Jeopardy, one of the people on my show seemed to believe in this bunk. She did end Double Jeop with negative money, so make of that as you wish. I doubt I’d say anything unless they tried to get me to buy in, kind of like religion. If they did, I’d tell them exactly why it was bunkum. Wouldn’t hire such a person for any job requiring critical thinking, though. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/11 "2011-04-18T23:35:55Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > And then you have me, who _does_ already believe 90% of the population is composed of morons, myself likely included. The difference being I remain friends with people that believe completely retarded things, or else I’d have no friends. nah. look, almost everybody has something they’re good or great at doing, whether or not you think it’s important. I mean, your electrician might buy into all that “Obamar is a commie terrarist hippie Nazi” but I don’t see _you_ running any new circuits in your house. _Intellectualism is not the only measure of intelligence._ ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/12 "2011-04-18T23:37:44Z")
So? He’d still be a moron and so would I. My point being that I wouldn’t defriend someone just because I learned they’re a much more vocal “out there” breed of moron. There are limits of course, but in general. ---
**Author:** ![heathen\_earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/13edae/32.png) [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/13 "2011-04-18T23:41:08Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > Or fluoride in the public water systems. 😉 Yeah, looks like I mixed up about which fish people were concerned about. Still, any kind of chemical panic strikes me as more plausible for investigation, though not automatically proven, than any kind of astrological panic. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/14 "2011-04-18T23:42:23Z")
For me (and I run with lots of these people) it depends on how much they let it interfere with running their lives. Ask a landlord to sign a lease on Monday instead of Thursday because of the Mercury retrograde? Ok, not a huge deal, if the landlord is willing. Refuse to travel during their only two weeks of vacation time? Come _on_, get over it. As a practical matter, it’s usually more useful to point out that - in astrological thinking - a Mercury Retrograde means that things can still get done, they should simply be exceedingly clear in their communication, check their fluids and belts before they leave and double check reservations…which is good advice no matter what Mercury appears to be doing in the sky. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/15 "2011-04-19T00:09:57Z")
Well, the people I know who follow horoscopes don’t really take it all that seriously. Hell, I am subscribed to a free periodic horoscope because I love the creative approach the particular author takes with his advice. I actually bought one of his books (which is not really about astrology) and thought it raised a lot of interesting points. He’s a fun and uplifting writer. It’s more like a ‘‘things to ponder’’ exercise than believing it dictates the future. Also, the general description of Pisces is very much my personality type - which I acknowledge as purely coincidence but it certainly makes the ‘‘things to ponder’’ more relevant to who I am as a person (this is more true of the past than now… I’ve changed a lot. But I still have that creative, nebulous, intensely emotional nature attributed to Pisceans.) Those Horoscope obsessed people totally do exist though. At my former internship there was this lady who was really into that stuff and invited me to a psychic party. I totally agreed to go (because it sounded fun) but it didn’t work out in the end. But when the talk about how dangerous Oija boards are came up, I was really not sure what to say. The best thing I can do is say, ‘‘I’m a skeptic.’’ That’s the least rude and least threatening thing you can do in that situation. I lump those types of beliefs in with all religious belief and I have a basic respect for spiritual traditions. So I’m not going to try to make people feel bad for their beliefs or anything like that. But I am a skeptic and not going to mislead anyone about my belief system either. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/16 "2011-04-19T02:19:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*What are your opinions on this craziness? And what do you say to people like this? \*\* My opinion is that they are unthinking. Not necessarily _stupid_, but dull and completely uninformed. I wouldn’t say anything to them - I certainly couldn’t stay \*friends \*with someone who was that into astrology, and if they’re not my friend, I have no real reason to offend them just to make a point. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/17 "2011-04-19T02:28:05Z")
Yes I have known people who made splendid first impressions on me – seemed sharp as all get-out – then forced me to reevaluate and lower my opinions of them because of their belief in astrology. It is so easily, obviously, demostratively hokum that I just don’t understand why anyone would waste even one short moment on it. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/18 "2011-04-19T02:38:30Z")
I recently made some post on FB about feeling out of sorts on a particular day and a friend responded with “It’s not just you! It’s all of us! Mercury is in Retrograde! Hang in there!” My response was " I have no idea what mercury being in retrograde means." ARGH! Yes, pretty ludicrous crap. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/19 "2011-04-19T02:41:02Z")
Not at all, because I respect the power of confirmation bias, and the seductive appeal of thinking you have the Key to the Absolute (or a portion thereof) in a chaotic and meaningless existence. I am an ultra-rational IT professional who finds the general notion of astrology ludicrous. Nevertheless, whenever I’m having a _particularly_ bad day (one of those where an inordinate number of devices or services on the network crap out for no clear reason at all) I joke that it’s one of those days that _nearly_ makes me accept astrology - because every time I’ve been arsed to check it out under these circumstances, Mercury _has_ been retrograde, just as my smelly hippie friends would knowingly and smugly observe. I don’t hold a sincere and irony-free belief in such things against anyone, especially if they are good in the sack and not _too_ smelly. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897/20 "2011-04-19T03:12:22Z")
Two of my exes were into that sort of thing, and they were both very intelligent. But I think with some people it’s just a fun type of thing, and they really don’t take it seriously. If they really took it seriously and based their actions on it, I’d have to question their intelligence. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-question-the-intelligence-of-people-who-believe-mercury-retrograde-affects-their-lives/578897.md?page=2)