Did you hear the one about the driver that was not going to avoid a large paper bag in the middle of the street? At the last moment, he swerved around it and when he looked in his rear view mirror, there was a baby crawling out of it!
Okay, that is not true, but we still love to spread tales like that, known as urban legends. What exactly is an urban legend? It is a tale that may have at one time been based on fact, but as it was told and told and told again, the details were skewed. Many times, you may hear urban legends referred to as old wives’ tales, rumors, or even strange news stories. Problem is, more times that not, it is totally not true, yet it keeps spreading like wildfire.
Some urban legend classics are:
- the “waking up in the tub filled with ice and an incision in your side” where someone drugged you and stole your kidney to sell on the black market.
- the “send this email to 20 of your friends” and Bill Gates will send you $100
- and the ever popular “don’t smell any perfume from strangers in the Mall parking lot” because it is really ether-filled bottles and they steal your purse and car when you pass out
Urban legends have been around for many years, but with the invention of email, they are more popular now than ever!
There seems to be two groups of people – those in the know and the unfortunate clueless. No matter which group you are in, there is hope! Next time you hear something that sounds just too good or odd to be true, check out the Snopes Web Page. Snopes will tell you whether the rumor is true, false, or contains partial truth. You can search on particular words (such as “perfume” if you get the email warning you against that), category (military, Disney, politics, and many more), or look at the top 25 hottest urban legends.
So next time Aunt Sally sends you the Bill Gates email, maybe you can break the cycle by telling her it is not true and sharing the Snopes link with her.
What is your favorite urban legend?
———————————————
Check out these great books at Amazon.com for more great urban legends.