Monday, September 06, 2004

Another Urban Legend Comes to My Computer

Today, a well-meaning and wonderful friend forwarded what turned out to be yet another urban legend to me. This one deals with Denzel Washington and what he allegedly said in an interview with Katie Couric. (Another name for an urban legend is lie, by the way. They are stories circulated via email that are false, but which sincere people like my friend has every reason to believe is true and which they send forward as well.)

So far, all the urban legends to which I have been exposed during this campaign season have been meant to make Republicans look good and Democrats look bad. I'm sure that there are Democrats equally guilty of fabricating this stuff; it's just that I haven't received any emails forwarded to me that come from that side of US politics.

I don't suggest that any of these fabricated stories come from the actual campaigns. I don't believe that they do. My guess is that the high-caliber people working in the Bush and Kerry camps aren't so stupid as to waste their time with such hi-jinks...or to risk another swift-boat-like controversy. But obviously there are some malicious people with access to the web who have plenty of time on their hands to concoct gossip which they foist on unsuspecting and sincere people! They should be ashamed!

If you have questions about the accuracy of something forwarded to you via email, go to Google and do a search. (You might want to include the phrase "urban legends" when you do.) Both the mainstream media and urban legend watchdog sites do a good job of tracking down the facts about these "forwards."

Click here for my discussion of an urban legend that was making the rounds earlier in the campaign.

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