Do White Lighters Tempt Fate?

To more than a few, the use of a BIC white lighter is a serious no-no. That it brings misfortune — even death — is not some silly superstition, but a risk to be taken very seriously. Now, why would a white lighter hold such powers?

Origin of a Myth’s Myth

Morrison’s grave in Cemetière du Père Lachaise, Paris (Image Wiki)

There are two mythologies assigned to the curse. The first is as an outgrowth of a more infamous myth: The 27 Club which refers to the alarming number of celebrities that have died tragically at age 27 (e.g. Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janice Joplin, Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and Jean-Michel Basquiat.) Was it the heroin? NO! It was the white lighter found in their pocket!

Any truth there? Zero. In the case of Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, and Jones, BIC lighters weren’t invented yet. No medical or police evidence has surfaced to show the presence of a white lighter for Cobain or Winehouse.

The second and slightly more plausible origin is that white lighters can show residue and might signal to a police officer that you recently packed a bowl, which is certainly plausible, but again, no one on the internet can seem to find any evidence to back this up.

In Conclusion

Your experience with white lighters is valid, but also anecdotal. And while this myth doesn’t make any sense to us, we firmly believe that in any situation, one must leave room for the unexplainable, the witchy and the spiritual. Hence, we offer our Farnsworth lighters in black too.