The power of rumours

[Sticks]

Here are two seemingly unrelated news stories

News Story one

News Story two

In one incident, one man has been killed and there have been riots over a rumour of an indecent assault that may never have taken place on a victim whos existance has never been confirmed.

In the second incident a number of people and a whole city has become a laughing stock.

Now tell me that urban legends do not harm anyone.

[captain swoop]

The first one wasn't an Urban Legend, I think it's deliberate incitement.

[Sticks]

perhaps I should have used the term rumour

[SolusLupus]

Urgh. Witness the power of propaganda, then. Gah.

Stuff like that ticks me off.

[hhEb09'1]

The first one wasn't an Urban Legend, I think it's deliberate incitement.

The seond one isn't either, I don't think

perhaps I should have used the term rumour

with the edit button, that's still an available option

I would think that the laughing stock would be whoever first identified the chicken fetus as a human.

[Sticks]

The seond one isn't either, I don't think
with the edit button, that's still an available option

But the thread has been up for a while, I am not sure it would be allowed

I would think that the laughing stock would be whoever first identified the chicken fetus as a human.

Or even the chicken foetus (UK spelling)

Any hue, it looks like from now on you may have trouble getting into a KFC in Liverpool

[Frog march]

i seem to recall that chicken foetus' and human foetus' look very similar in the early stages of development.


edit- link http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/clips/ with comparative pictures

not really that similar.

[genebujold]

Yeah, definately edit.

Stop contributing to the problem.

[Sticks]

Yeah, definately edit.

Stop contributing to the problem.

Have just tried to do edit to my OP , to change the thread title, and it did not let me

[ToSeek]

I changed the thread title to "The power of rumours". If you don't like that, let me know how you'd like it to read.

[Sticks]

This is fine

Thanks!

[ToSeek]

This is fine

Thanks!

All in a day's work for [dramatic pause] Moderator Man! [Cue fanfare.]

[Candy]

Okay, I'm confused. What urban legend?

I thought it was against “journalism policy” to distinguish between the races when it comes to violent crimes, or is that just on my local news station?

[Sticks]

Okay, I'm confused. What urban legend?

I thought it was against “journalism policy” to distinguish between the races when it comes to violent crimes, or is that just on my local news station?

I used the wrong term, it should have been rumour rather than Urban legend, but they were closely related.

The links in the OP should have the details of two different rumours and the consequences of people spreading them.

[Candy]

Sticks, what rumour do you think is the result of these two links? I'm very curious to know what you think.

[Candy]

Be honest!

[Sticks]

Sticks, what rumour do you think is the result of these two links? I'm very curious to know what you think.

The rumour that was referenced by link one, was that a 14 year old girl had been indecently assaulted by people from a particular racial group.

The rumour that was referenced by link two was that the corpse of a dead baby had been found.

I linked the two, because people had acted on them, so I could show that rumours are not harmless.

These were therefore just two separate case studies to prove a point.

[Candy]

Okay... ewwww!

[LurchGS]

Of course words are not harmless. Else why are there lible and slander laws? As far as I am concerned, the only difference between rumor and possibly actionable actions is that with rumor you rarely can prove a starting point. And, to carry my position to extremes, I consider most US press to be rumormongers of the worst sort. (just my opinion, based on years of experience.)

[Laminal Cockroach]

Merseyside Police told the community on Monday to "stop grieving, it's only a chicken".

that was really funny.. though some animal loving people/protestors might get angry

the chicken was also alive we should still carry on mourning, instead of saying RIP little baby, say RIP Little chicken

[SolusLupus]

Or Chicken Little. I'd made a joke here, but it would be bad taste for here.

[Laminal Cockroach]

Or Chicken Little. I'd made a joke here, but it would be bad taste for here.

Go on Pm me

Edit - That joke was super..

[Sticks]

According to one newspaper, a liverpudlian tried to justify this by saying, "At least it shows we care"

Methinks I hear the sound of a barel being scraped