Some Stories (Urban Legends) on the Internet May Be False!

Some stories found on the Internet may not be true. No, really? Yes, it's true. There are some stories found on the Internet that are simply false.

These are known as "urban legends". Besides on the web, the stories can also be spreaded via email, or just word of mouth, or office water-cooler talk. In this sense, some may be considered folklore. And the teller of the story may in fact believe that they are true. But when you research and trace the origins of the story, it turns out to be false. Sometimes, the urban legends had some basis of truth, but has been so distorted and exaggerated over time that it no longer resemble any of the truth from which it came. And sometimes they story are completely made-up altogether and is just fiction that makes for good story-telling.

Wikipedia defines urban legend as "An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or, more accurately, a contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of apocryphal stories that those who tell them believe to be true. Like all folklore, contemporary legends are not necessarily false, but they are often distorted, exaggerated, or sensationalized over time."

One example of an urban legend is that Mister Rogers, host of the popular children TV show Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was a former Navy SEAL in Vietnam. If it was true, it would be a good story to hear that a soft-spoken Mr. Rogers who sings the song "Won't You Be My Neighbor" on each episode was a part of a special combat force known as the U.S. Navy SEAL (which stands for "Sea Air and Land".

He usually change out of his jacket into a cardigan while singing the lyrics "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood". Some stories gives account that he wears long-sleeve shirt to cover his tattoos. Other stories claims that he has 150 "kills" in the Vietnam War. And other variations says that he is an Amry sniper sharp-shooter.

But alas, the stories are false as debunked by many sites.

about.com says "Far from hiding a secret past as a trained killer, Fred Rogers was a truly gentle soul who devoted his entire adult life to educating and bettering the lives of children, and as such he deserves to be remembered."

After graduating from college in 1951 with a music degree, he spent the next almost 50 years in broadcasting with no interruption in that career except when he when to get his Bachelor of Divinity degree and became an ordained minister in 1962.

NavySeals.com clears up the myth by pointing out that Mr. Rogers born in 1928 would have been too old to serve in Vietnam at the time. In fact, Mr. Rogers never did serve in the military.

AssociatedContent.com also confirms the rumors to be false.

Snopes.com says that ...

"Folks commonly equate 'urban legend' with 'false' (i.e., "Oh, that's an urban legend!"). Though the vast majority of such tales are pure invention, a handful do turn out to be based on real incidents"

So how do we determine if a story is true of false? There are websites that tracks and debunk such stories. One such site is Snopes.com. And this is what it had to say about the Mr. Rogers rumor...

"Not only did Fred Rogers never served in the military, there are no gaps in his career when he could conceivably have served in the military."^[ref]

It also said that Mr. Rogers wore long sleeve shirts (often with a tie) to maintain formality. Simple explanation.

There is also a TV show MythBusters that debunks myths using the scientific method.

Article written in March 2010. Quotations and Internet examples were as seen at the time of writing, but may have changed by the time of your reading. The author does not knowingly publish anything that is known to be false, unless otherwise marked as fiction or otherwise obvious to be false as indicated by the context.