The newsgroup alt.folklore.urban (AFU) is devoted to the
discussion and debunking of urban legends and other related
issues. This is the Introduction to the Web version of the
Frequently Asked Questions/ Frequently Posted Legends list for
AFU.
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About the AFU FAQ
Frequency
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The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list for alt.folklore.urban
is posted approximately twice a month to the alt.folklore.urban,
news.answers, and alt.answers newsgroups with an expiration date
approximately one month from the date of posting. If the FAQ is
not available on AFU at your site, check the other newsgroups
mentioned above.
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Anonymous FTP
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The five part FAQ for alt.folklore.urban is also available via anonymous ftp
at rtfm.mit.edu. You can retrieve them by grabbing the following
files:
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/pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part1
/pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part2
/pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part3
/pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part4
/pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part5
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Or heck, just do:
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/pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part*
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E-Mail
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If you do not have anonymous ftp access, rtfm.mit.edu can
send the FAQ to you via email. Send an e-mail message to
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu, subject ignored, and the body
containing:
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send usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/*
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TAFKAC
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The FAQ and various sundry information are also available via
the Web from tafkac.org. Thanks
to Jason Heimbaugh for making the original FTP archive happen, and to
Andy Warinner and Emily Kelly for helping him with the Web version.
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World-Wide Web
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There is a HTML version of the FAQ at:
Yours truly, Sean Willard, has also done up a version of the FAQ
with links to TAFKAC at:
[You're soaking in it.]
For you folks in the Old World, check out Arthur Goldstuck's
(South African, geddit?) site at http://www.legends.org.za/arthur.
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Introduction To The
Newsgroup AFU
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This is alt.folklore.urban -- the newsgroup where nonsense is
revered as an artform, and debunking has been taken to new
heights.
The group has broadened its god-given mandate from a place for
discussing urban legends (ULs) to a place for confirming or
disproving beliefs and facts of all kinds, including origin of
vernacular ("The whole nine yards", "Sniping like a bald
giraffe"), common scientific fallacies, obscure points of history,
stories of pranks, the location of Foucalt's pendulums, Why "Space
1999" was better than "Star Trek: TOS," "What types of salmon
are there?" and so on. In other words, it's a great place to get a
reality check on anything that "a friend" told you, or to compare
notes about odd things. Bear in mind though that the FAQ tries, in
its own confused way, to focus more on UL relevant topics.
As a result, you will find items in the classic urban legend mold
(e.g., food contamination legends), as well as old wives tales, and
other oddball facts, trivia, and stories.
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An urban legend:
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appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying
forms.
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contains elements of humor or horror (the horror often
"punishes" someone who flouts society's conventions).
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makes good storytelling.
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does not have to be false, although most are. ULs often
have a basis in fact, but it's their life after-the-fact
(particularly in reference to the second and third points)
that gives them particular interest.
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Urban folklore is not restricted to events that supposedly
happened in urban areas. As Jan Brunvand notes in The Baby
Train, "... these stories reflect urban life and attitudes,
even if they're not told told exclusively about things that
supposedly happened in big cities."
As far as etymology is concerned, Jan Brunvand credits the
noted folklorist Richard Dorson with coining the term "urban
legend" (after initially referring to them as "urban belief
tales"). The first use of the term (by Dorson) that Brunvand
has found was in a book of essays edited by Tristram Potter
Coffin entitled Our Living Traditions published in 1968.
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Religion And Urban
Legends
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Issues of religious faith per se, while occasionally
fitting the mode of legends are not really appropriate for
urban legend discussion. They involve a dimension beyond
the immediate concerns of urban legends (though it may be
reasonably argued that they arise out of the same sorts
of human concerns). Similarly, issues of mythology (a la
Joseph Campbell or Mircea Eliade, et al.) while potentially
fascinating on their own merits, are not really relevant for
discussion in an urban legends newsgroup either.
To the extent their discussion sheds insights into popular
urban legends, no problem. Otherwise, it really belongs in
talk.religion.misc or some other newsgroup.
Religion (of whatever stripe) is a significant and real
institution in the lives of many peoples. As a result,
it can and will give rise to urban legends and to this
extent, its discussion is appropriate for AFU. The
veracity of the institution is irrelevant since its
influence is undeniable.
You can argue the veracity of the tenets of any religion
you want, however that argument doesn't belong in AFU.
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The Frequently Asked Questions List has been
maintained by Terry Chan since July 1991 and by Sean Willard since
June 1998. Its inception and spirit
was due to Peter van der Linden in February
1991.
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Three Notes To New
Readers
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We encourage you to post any stories you suspect may be an UL.
Funny or whatever. Details matter! Please try to give as much
as possible. But, be advised that many of the stories in the FAQ
have been hashed over. If you wish to debate them, be prepared
to substantiate your claim.
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The weasely :-) symbol is frowned upon in this group. Any
questions, see Phil Gustafson who will gladly rearrange your
diodes for you and charge you two-fifty for it. Of course, there
is no good reason why doing so should be a capital crime (virtual
or otherwise), though you do leave yourself open to scorn,
ridicule, and bad breath if you do use them. By the way, it's no
big deal. Get a life.
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There are also reports of a BOA going on.
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A Note To Old And Would Be
Old Readers
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If you must troll, bear in mind that trolling outside of AFU
is pretty weak.
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The purpose of summarizing these frequently-seen legends is to
provide a guide to veracity and their experience in this newsgroup.
Most ULs cannot be traced back to original true incidents, but some,
particularly the more recent ones can be. There are ULs which may,
coincidentally, have a true manifestation, but a true manifestation
does not deprive a UL of its legendary status. However, since many
if not most ULs are false, where possible, I include a comment
referring to a true incident, subject to sufficient evidence, of
course.
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A Digression On Urban
Legends And "Falsehood"
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Occasionally, there is a post to the effect of: "That actually
happened you st*p*d, f*ck*ng, b*st*rds, Jan Harold Brunvand is
Polish, the FAQ list is wrong, the sun rises in the West and it's
not an urban legend." As noted elsewhere in this list and by astute
individuals on the net, an UL does not have to be false. If we
take the example of "The Unsolvable Math Problem" (see below), we
find that mathematician George Dantzig is the probable individual
involved. So is this story no longer an UL? Jan Harold Brunvand
addresses this issue thusly:
"Despite finding its [The Unsolvable Math Problem] apparent
origin, I continue to accept anonymous versions as legendary.
Here's why.
"An oral story is a story, whatever its origin. As long as a
story continues to circulate in different variations, partly
by word of mouth, we may regard it as folklore. But probably
'The Unsolvable Math Problem' legend should no longer be
discussed as strictly 'apocryphal,' since we now seem to have
found its source, and the deviations from the original incident
are easily recognized and are not excessive."
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- JHB, Curses! Broiled Again!, p. 282
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Veracity is interesting but far from the only thing when it comes
to the study of urban legends.
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Meanwhile, Back To Our
Regularly Scheduled Program . . .
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I have also begun to collect references to specific volumes of
JHB's to document various classic ULs. This is a slow and on-going
process. Acronyms for Jan Harold Brunvand's books in the list
below are:
| TVH |
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The Vanishing Hitchhiker
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The Mexican Pet
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| | TCD |
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The Choking Doberman
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| | CBA |
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Curses! Broiled Again
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The Baby Train
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Related newsgroups to consider when posting an article which may be
'folklore':
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| alt.folklore.computers
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guess what this one is about?
| | alt.folklore.science
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"Does hot water freeze faster than cold?" Heh.
| | alt.folklore.college
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Lots of the same old stuff, but why not?
| | alt.folklore.ghost-stories
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Spooky!
| | alt.folklore.suburban
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Joel Furr moderated, low-volume group.
| | alt.folklore.info
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Terry Wood moderated, very low-volume group.
| | alt.folklore.military
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What exactly is "Puff the Magic Dragon" about?
| | alt.fan.cecil-adams
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For those who want the dope, straight or not
| | sci.skeptic
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for those with lots of time on their hands
| | alt.tasteless
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frequently more appropriate than not.
| | alt.usage.english
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pretty self-explanatory, dontcha think?
| | alt.flame
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just a thought else hold that thought
| | alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.d
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the others are for *pictures* only.
| | alt.religion.kibology
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the mother of all newsgroups
| | rec.arts.startrek.misc
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Anything about "Lost in Space" will do.
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Nominations For The Official
Motto Of A.F.U.
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[One free clue: if youse post with one of the following in your
article, youse takes youse chances in this newsgroup.]
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"It could have happened, so it must be true."
"Sheesh!"
"Sorry to inject some facts into this newsgroup..."
"It COULD have happened so it MUST have happened"
"Bula Vinaka"
"I read it on USE[less]NET so it must be true."
"You st*p*d f*ck*ng b*st*rds..."
"The way I heard it..."
"I read it in the paper..."
"I think it's stupid. We collect all these business cards, and it turns
out nobody wants them."
"Mumpsimus"
"Furrfu!"
"Bzzzzt!"
"No Facts but..."
"And as for the voracity [sic] of the source, this is my GRANDMOTHER
you're talking about."
"True story as far as anyone knows. No particular reason why it should
be doubted."
"I can't vouch for the veracity of your story. But there's enough
stupidity out there that I'll believe it."
"He might have. That alone is enough to prove..."
"Are you saying that some soaps are not detergents but that no detergents
are soaps?"
"Well, looking at my couch, I could see how this would happen"
"Excuse me. But can anyone tell me what's going on here?"
"I'm not making this up. I've seen a wargame of the battle of Stalingrad
which includes an optional counter for mine dogs, so it must be
true."
"I will not describe it so don't even bother asking me about
it."
"My girlfriend has seen people doing this. Sources don't come more
reliable."
"If you doubt this crap, Ive [sic] got a copy I could quote."
"I heard the story. It wasn't cocaine, it was a cat."
"Exaggeration makes a better story."
"Yup. I've heard that one too so it must be true."
"I didn't keep any references as I didn't think it would be a
subject on AFU."
"I do not post speculation or bullshit to this newsgroup."
"Sounds like bullshit to me."
"I must say, with all due respect, the tone of your reply is typical of
much of the dialog that goes on on this network and newsgroup. Any
apparent weakness or oversight, real or not, becomes the occasion for
an attack on the basic intelligence of the person who reveals it -- in
this case the lecturer whose talk some fifteen years ago I sketchily
summarized."
"I can't remember where I heard that, so it must be true."
"Your intuition is excellent, but another viewpoint could be
helpful."
"...you're still wrong, even taking your pedantry at face
value."
"Well, this has nothing to do with San Francisco or pus,
but..."
"Yes a film of that does exist. Some kids I once knew in high school
once saw it."
"[f]rankly I couldn't give a fig what you all say, this
happens[...]"
"Home address and plane fare on request, punk."
"If it isn't true, it should be, and if we could afford it, it
would be."
"Why don't you just select your silly MOTTO and get on with it."
"i wasnt thinking...obviously this doesnt matter to my
point..."
"I believe it because I have already heard other versions of
it..."
"I'm extremely sceptical about this being an urban legend; after all,
the fellow who sent _me_ the letter is an attorney."
"If you mess around with a really great screw you're in danger of
losing your ass?"
"This may be the single dumbest argument I've ever engaged in, but your
rock-solid surety in taking on such a counterintuitive position
intrigues me."
"You bet your ass I am."
"I trust that this ensures me a lasting place in the FAQ."
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AFU Man Of The
Year
B1FF (1990)
| STella (1991)
| Trelford Pinkerton (1992)
| Phil Gustafson (1993)
| Terry Chan (1994)
| Lee Rudolph (1994)
| Kim Scheinberg (1994)
| Harry Tepper and Michele Teasley (1996 A.L.)
| snopes (1996)
| Ian York (1996)
| Bo Bradham (1997)
| Ray (not Dick) Depew (1998)
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Speculation On Captain James T. Kirk's Middle
Name
'Terry'
| 'Tirebiter'
| 'Tennessee'
| 'Tyrone'
| 'Tin-Plated Dictator with Delusions of Godhood'
| 'Teriyaki'
| 'Thermocephalic'
| 'Tribble Stuffer'
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Official AFU
Mascot
| My pet King snake, Elvis
| | Peter's pet dalmatian dog, Pixel
| | snopes' pet cat, Snopes
| | little gator's non-biological gator, harvee
| | Cindy's pet troll, Steinar
| | Nigel's pet human, Joel Furr
| | Weasels! Weasels! Weasels!
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Hack Etymologies For The
Word 'POSH'
| Puke On Shoes Here
| | Port Out, Starboard Home
| | Passed Out, She Hurled
| | Post Office: Shergold's Hospital
| | Pulmonary -- Oxygenated Supply to Heart
| | Port Out, Sherry Home
| | Prow Outward, Stern Homeward
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Official AFU
Photographers
| Dan Wright and Patrick S. Clark (ret.)
| | Joe "Not Not Him" DiMaggio
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Official AFU
Hatchetman
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Official Food Of
AFU
Chicken Molé
Red Velvet Cake
Poinsettia Salad
Kentucky Fried Chicken
little gator's Deep Sh*t Cookies
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[to get the cookie recipe via email, send a message with the words,
"send deepshit" in the body to server@harvee.billerica.ma.us.]
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Live (only) Monkey Brains on the Half Skull
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Official Big Dic Of AFU
The OED or Winston Churchill (tie)
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Not The Official Song Of AFU
She Bop
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