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Forum: Urban Legends, Hoaxes and Myths |
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Date: |
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Author: Thomen, Tina <thethomens@adelphia.net> |
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Subject Re: Urban Legends, Hoaxes and Myths |
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Hello everyone, I have received countless Internet
myths, hoaxes and urban legends from both work and personal sources. My well-meaning mother often forwards the
medical-related emails. Last week, I
received the warning about decongestant medicines containing
phenylpropanalamin, reported to increase the likelihood of strokes. After
reviewing the Hoaxbusters’ “Inconsequential Warnings” site, I realized this
warning is outdated and drug companies had indeed reformulated products
containing this element beginning in 2001. Another medical-related email from
my mother involves the unsubstantiated warning that underarm deodorants
increase rates for breast cancer. Besides medical warnings, I
mostly dealt with financial scams while working as a bank manager. Again, I felt that the elderly were more vulnerable
and trusting in these situations. The
foreign lottery scam is extremely appealing, promising recipients thousands
of dollars in return for their account and routing number to automatically
debit the processing fee. Identity
theft and phishing scams have plagued the financial industry. The ramifications of this crisis have
increased costs for consumers as financial institutions must raise fees to
cover the costs of security. We need to authenticate these
emails and scams to protect both ourselves and the economic viability of
businesses which must spend millions of dollars to protect their brand. The need to protect personal information
remains foremost. Tell-tale signs of
these hoaxes and scams often promise the sky with little effort---just a
little personal information. Urban
legends often follow a narrative style that presents farfetched, yet
plausible, stories. These tales appeal
to our sense of the dramatic, justifying common fears. Coming full circle, I think the
medical-related hoaxes thrive on this element of fear. As our society struggles with rising
healthcare and drug costs, these slanderous attacks only magnify the problems
as companies scramble to protect their reputation. The best way to authenticate these medical
hoaxes is to contact the FDA and CDC websites. The http://ciac.llnl.gov/ site is also available for
authentication of other types of hoaxes.
We also need to self-monitor one another, sharing these authentication
sources with well-meaning loved ones.
This was a valuble assignment. Take care, Tina |
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Forum: Urban Legends, Hoaxes and Myths |
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Date: |
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Author: Thomen, Tina <thethomens@adelphia.net> |
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Subject Re: Urban Legends, Hoaxes and Myths |
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Hi Courtney, I am
always considering the one phrase you wrote: "This is where
the letter plays on your fears of survival, loneliness, or losing friends and
family to get you to do something." There is an odd pressure to
forward these emails so that people don't assume that you are ignoring them
or that you suddenly don't appreciate them. At work, a friend of mine
set the example and expectation for colleauges and family members.
While she values her relationships with these folks, she simply does not believe
in most of these chain letters. She informs people in advance that she
will not forward emails, we discussed it constantly at the water cooler , at
lunch, etc - the word was out! I have taken this approach and found it
works well. People know that I will delete most things that come my
way. Life is crazy enough without the additional clutter. We only
have so many hours in a day! Take care,
Tina |
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