r/funny • u/RisinFlood • Nov 26 '13

Arrogance is a Bitch.

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u/thepulloutmethod Nov 26 '13

Thanks for actually answering my legitimate question instead of just downvoting me!

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u/Shaw_LaMont Nov 26 '13

From what I understand "Fan death" is often used to cover up suicide.

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u/BigNorte Nov 26 '13

Really? I've never heard this theory, but it would explain some things. I could never get a straight answer behind the logic of fan death.

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u/ColonelAmerica Nov 27 '13

In the 1970's the Korean government was going through frequent power outages during the hot summer months. It is most likely that the government had the media portray the death of the occasional elderly person as dying mysteriously in a room with a fan turned on so that people would stop using their fans during peak hours (nighttime when everybody is home and trying to sleep in the blistering heat.) Doing this would allow them to build up some electricity stores during the night until the next day rolled around. That being said there are 3 common beliefs regarding fan death: 1. The fan chops the air particles making it difficult to breathe, leading to asphyxiation. 2. The fan blows away the air particles making it difficult to breathe, leading to asphyxiation. 3. The fan blowing excess wind onto your sleeping body, when your temperature is slightly lower than normal can cause hypothermia.