The eclipse that unleashed apocalypse talk (and memes) online
The latest eclipse sparked everything from doomsday messages to a Google animation. Superstitions, memes and historical references took over social media.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The eclipse that left Spain without hope (and full of irony)
The latest visible eclipse has once again shown that, when faced with the cosmos, human beings react with a mix of dread and wild ideas. While some announced the end of everything, others turned to history, Google and even Christopher Lee to put the phenomenon in perspective. This is the chronicle of an astronomical event that became a collective catharsis.
The eclipse as an excuse for the apocalypse
The initial message, brief and to the point —'I just watched the eclipse'— spiralled into an existential lament of unprecedented proportions. The conclusion: Spain has no hope, the future is bleak and nothing can be fixed. It is not the first time a natural phenomenon has acted as a catalyst for national pessimism, but this time the intensity surpassed any recent precedent.
Ancient superstitions and new theories
The irony came with historical references: a quote claimed to be true since 1504, allusions to ritual sacrifices and even the appearance of Pazuzu, the demonic entity from 'The Exorcist', in a theory linking the eclipse to dimensional portals. Someone also invoked Christopher Lee, the star of the best pavor films, to tone things down.
The search engine joins the show
Amid the chaos, one practical detail: those who searched for 'eclipse' on Google were greeted with a special animation. The touch did not go unnoticed and fuelled the knowing tone of the conversation. Even the sceptics admitted that, at the very least, the search engine rose to the occasion.
The next astronomical event already has people waiting for it: a self-styled 'Luciferian church' plans its founding in October. Perhaps it is just another joke, but the eclipse has made one thing clear: between antiestéticar and memes, the sky keeps providing material for everything.
The latest visible eclipse has once again shown that, when faced with the cosmos, human beings react with a mix of dread and wild ideas. While some announced the end of everything, others turned to history, Google and even Christopher Lee to put the phenomenon in perspective. This is the chronicle of an astronomical event that became a collective catharsis.
The eclipse as an excuse for the apocalypse
The initial message, brief and to the point —'I just watched the eclipse'— spiralled into an existential lament of unprecedented proportions. The conclusion: Spain has no hope, the future is bleak and nothing can be fixed. It is not the first time a natural phenomenon has acted as a catalyst for national pessimism, but this time the intensity surpassed any recent precedent.
Ancient superstitions and new theories
The irony came with historical references: a quote claimed to be true since 1504, allusions to ritual sacrifices and even the appearance of Pazuzu, the demonic entity from 'The Exorcist', in a theory linking the eclipse to dimensional portals. Someone also invoked Christopher Lee, the star of the best pavor films, to tone things down.
The search engine joins the show
Amid the chaos, one practical detail: those who searched for 'eclipse' on Google were greeted with a special animation. The touch did not go unnoticed and fuelled the knowing tone of the conversation. Even the sceptics admitted that, at the very least, the search engine rose to the occasion.
The next astronomical event already has people waiting for it: a self-styled 'Luciferian church' plans its founding in October. Perhaps it is just another joke, but the eclipse has made one thing clear: between antiestéticar and memes, the sky keeps providing material for everything.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (10 replies).
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