Urban Legend-eering
posted by Lang'uid Squal'or, a student of transexual arts on March 13, 2002
Ok we all love urban legends- you know, spiders in the cactus, bloody hook on the door handle, "terrorist" attack on the world trade center, etc, and I'm sure there are several great websites dedicated to this study, debunking of same.
Here's one such site, the Urban Legend Research Center; basically one dude with a sharp looking site and a sense of humor. His "caseworker/researcher" style is funny I think.
ANYWAY, allow me to direct your attentions to this page, http://www.ulrc.com.au/html/report.asp?CaseFile=ULRR0088&Page=1&View=Request , one of the many ULs based on the Sept 11 tragedy. In the FAA response to his queries, that agency says "There are many charities and volunteer organizations around the country which would appreciate donated time and effort. This would be a more productive enterprise than creating hoaxes."
I certainly agree, but I also am left to wonder about the nagging feeling that creating hoaxes IS an important part of a balanced cultural/social diet. But I'm at a loss to articulate why..!
Any takers?