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STOP THE MADNESS: Urban Legends and the Ease of e-mail
Please stop believing your e-mails. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to believe everything you read? I'm going to go out on a limb here; I propose that no "informative" e-mail you have ever received is true. None? Well, none of the ones I've ever received has been true. Now this is a warning worth forwarding to friends.
Here's an e-mail I recently received: "As you may know, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" was an anti-Semitic book written by the Czarist secret service early in this century, that has been supremely and fatally successful in spreading the theory of an international Jewish conspiracy to take over the world and harm non-Jews. It is today a best seller among neo-Nazis, and in such countries as Jordan, Syria, Egypt and among the Palestinians. Experts on anti-Semitism see it as one of the most dangerous books ever written, responsible for the loss of untold Jewish life. Amazon.com has chosen to sell this book. That is their right, although legitimate booksellers in America do not sell it. What is absolutely immoral and irresponsible, is that they review the book positively, saying that it has not been proven to be a "hoax" - that is, that it can be read as a valid expose of the Jewish plot to destroy everyone else. The president of Amazon was informed about this problem, and nothing has been done to remove the review. I would not shop in a store that sells neo-Nazi hate literature. I will never buy a book from Amazon.com again, and I urge you to do the same, and to let them know why." And the kicker:
I had all sorts of mixed feelings about this. I'm against censorship, but did they have to publish the reviews? I chose not to forward the e-mail, but I did delete a $10 coupon I happened to have in my e-mail files from Amazon.com. Then then the light bulb went off; I'd better check this out. This is what I found on the page selling The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion:
This is just the first paragraph of the commentary. They do sell the book, and there are some reviews, most against the book. It's quite thought provoking. But should I boycott Amazon.com? I think not. Here's another warning written in the most classic hysterical fashion: "Subject: FW: FW: PLEASE READ VERY IMPORTANT, Forwarded Subject: IMPORTANT ATM INFO!!!!! "I hesitate to be an alarmist, but if anything like this happened to one of my friends, I would not be able to forgive myself for not passing this along, so please note and pass along to anyone you know. This is a message sent to my friends and coworkers. I heard on the radio about 3:45 p.m. on WLS radio station of a very vicious and evil act. It seems as though some people have nothing better to do with their lives. A woman died recently from licking the deposit envelope at a Bank ATM Machine. It was laced with cyanide. Investigators stated that they went back to the ATM and found 6 other envelopes in the slot. Her death was determined by an autopsy report and of course, she became ill at the ATM. "Please, I implore you to use extreme caution when using those envelopes. The radio station advised that you should spit on the envelope and close it. I know this sounds gross, but better gross than (DEAD) or keep tape in your car and tape the envelope. "PASS THIS ON AND DO TELL AS MANY AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!" This is so classic! They list facts, times, radio stations, and it's not true! Never happened! As Professor Brunvand suggests, if these things were really happening, might they not appear in, oh, say, THE LEGITIMATE PRESS??!! Lord knows the local news likes nothing better than these sensational stories. Don't you think they might mention it some evening broadcast? In summation, let's hear from MASH reader Kathie Frazell who suggested this story:
"[One of] the latest is the 'Asbestos in Tampons' (false) warning. This site links directly to this subject: http://urbanlegends.tqn.com/culture/urbanlegends/library/weekly/aa111898.htm
"(and don't forget to check MY facts)" Kathie's searchable hoax/virus sites http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html http://urbanlegends.about.com/culture/urbanlegends/mbody.htm http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html Oh yeah, and that gerbil story? You know the one. Never happened. The story is an old one and has been told in exactly the same way for years, substituting a different handsome celeb as styles change. There is nothing in medical literature to suggest this has ever happened, nor has any emergency room ever reported such a thing. So get over it. --Joanna Rubiner |
I
don't know when I got the first hoax e-mail that I fully believed.
It's not even so much belief, more often than not there is no reason
to question these e-mails. For example, the 
"P.S.
Please forward this letter to everyone on your e-mail list. It is
vitally important that Amazon realize that the American public will
not support pandering to neo-Nazis for profit." 
"A
special note from Amazon.com, April 6, 2000. As some readers may be
aware, a hoax e-mail has been circulating widely that falsely claims
Amazon.com has favorably reviewed this book. This allegation is, of
course, absolutely untrue. Nevertheless, this rumor has become so
widespread on the Internet that it's already a recognized "urban legend,"
just like alligators living in the sewers. Amazon.com obviously does
not endorse. This book is one of the most infamous, and tragically
influential, examples of racist propaganda ever written. It may be
useful to some as a tool in the teaching of the history of anti-Semitism,
but it's unquestionably propaganda." 
"Could
you please help get the word out to all those who feel they must forward
all those 'WARNING' e-mails? Like our lives aren't stressful enough
without some yahoo telling us about bananas that carry flesh-eating
bacteria! 
"I'm
so tired of being 'informed' about a new virus, an NPR petition, a
missing child, a free GAP giveaway, only to find out they're all lies!
I realize it's usually done with the best intentions, but without
any back up, it's just more spam. To be honest, as a newbie, I too
used to pass along these dire warnings. Then I got a reply asking
me if I'd checked my facts to substantiate the claims (which of course
I hadn't) and a link to a site that disproved the claim. Since then
I have amassed a list of sites that deal with such matters. If you
could put these out there and ask your readers to please CHECK YOUR
FACTS before they send anything out, maybe it will help to eliminate
unnecessary stress, be informative, not to mention removing a big
pain in my...