Last week on an easyJet flight to London, I found myself scrambling for a seat. The flight was full and I boarded late. I could see people seated right up to the last row but to my surprise I found a whole row empty toward the front of the plane. Perplexed but pleased, I took the window seat. Though other people boarded after me, nobody took the other seats in the row. One woman almost did, she came for the aisle seat, made to put her things in the overhead compartment and then thought the better of it. I became even more perplexed. Until I looked up and saw that I was seated in row 13.

This week President Sarkozy of France has sought a court injunction against publishing firm K&B to stop the sale of voodoo dolls in his image. The dolls are a best-seller. They come complete with a book and 12 pins. The idea is that you can put the evil eye on Sarkozy by inserting the pins into the figure in places where choice quotes of the president have been printed. It is a joke and clearly intended to be satirical in nature, but Sarkozy does not see the humor.

There is a voodoo doll of President George W. Bush on the market and frankly satire based on Bush has almost become an industry. Yet Bush did not go to court. If anything he seems to enjoy the joke.

I have also found for sale voodoo dolls of Fidel Castro, Muammar Qaddafi, Kim Jong Il and even Osama Bin Laden. In France, there is a matching doll of Segolene Royal, Sarkozy’s opponent in the presidential race. At first she screamed offense too, but she has since said that one must maintain a sense of humor in life. However, her doll is not selling nearly as well as Sarkozy’s!

Does President Sarkozy worry that harm will come to him if people stick pins into a figure in his image? And do all these people really believe that harm will come to them if they happen to sit in a row numbered 13?

Clearly superstition remains a powerful force today. Fear that the No. 13 will bring bad luck is such that many hotels do not have a floor 13 but jump straight from 12 to 14. Similarly some airlines like Ryan Air and Alitalia do not have a row numbered 13 in their aircraft. Many airports do not have a Gate 13.

Why is this number considered unlucky? For Christians it has to do with the last supper when Judas was the 13th person to arrive and there were 13 at dinner. Certainly having 13 guests at dinner can be discomfiting for many. I recall an Irish friend who canceled at the last minute when she realized she would be the 13th guest. But fear of the No. 13 extends to non-Christians too. For many in the West, it is simply an unlucky number full stop. It seems too that it was considered unlucky long before Christianity. The ancient Persians, for instance, thought the 13th day of the calendar an unlucky day.

The power of superstition lies in its self-fulfilling nature. If you believe something will bring you bad luck, often it does. Just like if you believe everything will turn out fine, it normally turns out OK.

In these days of doom and gloom, I am struck by how much of it is self-fulfilling prophecy. Since the start of the year we have been hearing talk of recession, hardship and financial meltdown and now it has become reality. Partly this was because all the factors for a financial crash were there, but this was exacerbated by the talk of fear. You may consider owning stocks in a public-listed company. When prices fall the value of your stocks goes down but you only take a loss the day you sell your shares. So do you sell or do you hold on to them until the market recovers? The more you hear talk of crashing markets and financial meltdown the more inclined you will be to sell your shares and cut your losses. The more people sell, the more prices fall; it is a self-perpetuating cycle. And it is the same in terms of superstition.

Black magic, however, is another proposition altogether. I don’t know whether Sarkozy really believes that people sticking pins into an image of him will bring him harm, but I can understand his unease.

Humor is much like superstition to the extent that it can provide cover for bad will. Segolene Royal is right to emphasize that politicians should maintain a sense of humor and not take things to heart. But there are limits. It reminds me of all that hysteria over cartoons that were intended to be humorous. Yes, one should try not to take such things seriously but they nevertheless raise questions about the underlying intent. For once I am on Sarkozy’s side.

Whether he objects to the dolls as a bad joke or whether he genuinely believes they will bring him bad luck, I think the voodoo dolls are a step too far. Superstition is a powerful force, regardless of whether you buy into it hook, line and sinker.