Published: October 26, 2009 11:51 am      

Urban legends vs. fact

Recent rumors La Fiesta was serving dog meat circulated throughout Ada. With the Christmas shopping season soon to be upon us, another even more frightening urban legend will soon be forwarded far and wide. In this terrifying tale, women who smell a perfume sample are in fact sniffing a drug that can induce unconsciousness within seconds with a single sniff. Both of these rumors are false.

Most people who pass on e-mail rumors are trying to be helpful. They live by the motto “better safe than sorry.” But passing along false and frightening information is not helpful. The allegations against La Fiesta could have ruined a business and cost a local family their livelihood.

A deeper look into urban legends often reveals an underlying racist or sexist message. The tale of La Fiesta serving dog meat is not new or original. Mexican and Chinese restaurants are frequently alleged to serve dog or cat meat. Yet one rarely hears such tales about American establishments, and when they do surface they are more readily dismissed.

As for the perfume-wielding villains, a woman is far more likely to be struck by a meteorite than she is to encounter poisoned perfume. Again, scratch the surface and one finds a tale that keeps women frightened in their everyday lives. When preparing for Christmas shopping, shoppers should worry about whether their shoes are appropriate for the amount of walking they will do, not the non-danger posed by some annoying but harmless soul trying to make extra Christmas money selling cheap perfume.

What should you do when you receive yet another e-mail forward? Delete it. There are no known documented instances where a person or a pet’s life, limb or sanity has been saved by information contained in a forwarded e-mail. If you really must pass it on, check it out first.

Researching an e-mail forward takes less than two minutes. A favorite tool for researching urban legends and other rumors is Snopes (http://www.snopes.com). Snopes is run by two amateur folklorists who research the claims in a rumor and document their research with links and citations of print materials. If you really want to stay on top of things, check out their “What’s New” section weekly. Even if a tale claims to be local, chances are it or a similar tale has been thoroughly researched by Snopes.