friendship

"Capricorns need not apply." Christine was rejected from a house because of her star sign.

When Christine recently inquired about a sharehouse, she couldn’t have ever conceived she’d be rejected on the basis of her… star sign.

Yes, that’s now apparently a thing.

For one particular household in Portland, US, there runs a deep aversion to Capricorns. Because they’re a Virgo/Gemini home, and of course they are. 

In a viral post shared on Twitter by Riley Owen with the caption “astrology queers in this town are out of control”, the message to Christine read: “My concern is that you’re a Capricorn. Our main goal is to keep things egalitarian, without anyone being ‘in charge’ or domming the household.”

Look, I’ve never heard the phrase “domming the household” before but I’ll now use it to annoy everyone in my life.

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The message continued: “I love Capricorns, but I don’t think I could live with one,” before ending with, “this Virgo/Gemini house is a special place where soft mutable signs get to run free untethered by cardinal authorities.”

Um, okay, there’s A LOT to unpack here. 

According to a very quick scan of astrological sites by this skeptic, Capricorns are apparently known for being “know-it-alls”, “pessimistic”, and “uptight.” Of course, that’s just the negative reading, Capricorns are also practical, ambitious and disciplined.

(Fun fact – Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama and Dolly Parton are Capricorns.)

And if you were wondering what the hell that last sentence meant, according to The Cut, star signs are grouped into three qualities – cardinal, mutable and fixed. Mutable signs (like Virgos and Geminis) are considered more flexible, whereas cardinal signs (like those darn Capricorns apparently) are more likely to take action.

Hence why this particular household doesn’t want some rampaging Capricorn to start “domming” their “special place”.

Makes sense…

The reactions on Twitter were swift with many stating that Christine had dodged a bullet but many were left wondering if you can really discriminate against a potential roommate based on a star sign (it’s tenuous and depends on where you live).

And no, not everyone hates Capricorns – people dismissing certain star signs isn’t entirely new, but it sure is ridiculous.

In the words of Vice’s Broadly Annabel Gat: “Astrology is an ancient study used to find patterns and meaning in the world around us – not a flimsy excuse to stereotype potential friends, dates, or roommates.

“Stop using astrology for evil.”

Amen.