rumor
On March 2018 a video was posted by a Ecuador news site Al' Di'a of a man at a gas station pumping gas he was accompanied by his children who were inside the car at the time playing with their cell phones. While the father was pumping gas the car exploded with the children inside. According to news reports the cell phone and Wi-Fi signals caused the explosion. It has been said that using cell phones while pumping gas can cause an explosion, but there has been no evidence to support this claim. The same video first appeared October 2017 from the same news site. The video shows a car at the gas pump a man is pumping gas and a woman outside of the car there were no children inside the car. While the guy is pumping gas, the car explodes. According to O Globo newspaper Erica Lima Thiengo Siqeuria 27 and Francisco Jose' Gomes da Costa were killed during the explosion. This information is false. This is a prime example of how rumors spread. ( https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cell-phone-explosion-gas-station/)
A rumor is "talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source (www.merriam-webster.com)". According to Robert Knapp a rumor is "a proposition for belief of topical reference disseminated without official verification" (Knapp p. 496). A rumor can be truthful or a lie, but it can also hurt someone's reputation. Knapp states, that "rumors have three basic characteristics (Knapp p. 496)'". The first characteristic is it has a "distinct and characteristic mode of transmission-mostly by word of mouth, second the rumor provides information, and third the rumor satisfies (Knapp p. 496)". "There are three basic types of rumors: pipe dream or wish rumor, the bogie rumor, and the wedge-driving aggression rumor. The pipe dream or wish rumor this rumor express the wishes and hopes of those among they circulate. They can be identified with wishful thinking. The bogie rumor it is derived from fears and anxieties it ranges all the way from rumors with a dour and pessimistic quality to the panic rumors. The wedge-driving aggression rumor it divides groups and destroy loyalties; its essential motivation is aggression or hatred, this rumor turns out to be directed against elements of our own population or our allies (Knapp p. 496)". Based of the above rumor, this rumor is considered the bogie rumor. Knapp states, "no successful rumor may exceed a length or complexity greater than the memory span of the group through which it passes (Knapp p. 497)". This is believed to be true "the farther a rumor is removed from known or confirmed fact, the more easily it seems to get twisted when passed on (Knapp p. 498)".
In all honesty, a rumor can go as far as we allow it. The crazy thing about rumors is we tell them, but we don't realize that it can get out of hand, get twisted around, or hurt someone's feelings and reputation. According to Knapp, for a successful rumor to thrive it "must adapt itself to the immediate as well as to the traditional circumstances of the group; it must ride the tide of current swings in public opinion and interest (Knapp p. 498)". When we hear gossip we should do lots of research to make sure the rumor is correct, before we discuss it with someone.
A rumor is "talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source (www.merriam-webster.com)". According to Robert Knapp a rumor is "a proposition for belief of topical reference disseminated without official verification" (Knapp p. 496). A rumor can be truthful or a lie, but it can also hurt someone's reputation. Knapp states, that "rumors have three basic characteristics (Knapp p. 496)'". The first characteristic is it has a "distinct and characteristic mode of transmission-mostly by word of mouth, second the rumor provides information, and third the rumor satisfies (Knapp p. 496)". "There are three basic types of rumors: pipe dream or wish rumor, the bogie rumor, and the wedge-driving aggression rumor. The pipe dream or wish rumor this rumor express the wishes and hopes of those among they circulate. They can be identified with wishful thinking. The bogie rumor it is derived from fears and anxieties it ranges all the way from rumors with a dour and pessimistic quality to the panic rumors. The wedge-driving aggression rumor it divides groups and destroy loyalties; its essential motivation is aggression or hatred, this rumor turns out to be directed against elements of our own population or our allies (Knapp p. 496)". Based of the above rumor, this rumor is considered the bogie rumor. Knapp states, "no successful rumor may exceed a length or complexity greater than the memory span of the group through which it passes (Knapp p. 497)". This is believed to be true "the farther a rumor is removed from known or confirmed fact, the more easily it seems to get twisted when passed on (Knapp p. 498)".
In all honesty, a rumor can go as far as we allow it. The crazy thing about rumors is we tell them, but we don't realize that it can get out of hand, get twisted around, or hurt someone's feelings and reputation. According to Knapp, for a successful rumor to thrive it "must adapt itself to the immediate as well as to the traditional circumstances of the group; it must ride the tide of current swings in public opinion and interest (Knapp p. 498)". When we hear gossip we should do lots of research to make sure the rumor is correct, before we discuss it with someone.
That is one wild rumor! I can't believe people would believe in such a thing. There being a correlation between gas pumps and phone signals doesn't even seem plausible.This really go to show how easily rumors can get out of hand. I really liked how you discussed the way the rumor had been distorted and the different stages of the rumor while it was changing. I would have liked to read more about which elements of the rumor made it a good one, but liked how you classified the rumor in more than one way considering its nature. I really enjoyed hearing about this absurd rumor.
ReplyDeleteI have always heard that you should not use the cell phone when you was pumping gas. I have always wondered if it was actually true. When i was younger i was always scared to be on my phone when my family was pumping gas, and still to this day i am scared to bring my phone around a gas pump. Now that i know that it was a lie it make be feel less nervous and now i don't have to worry. I also learned what a Bogie, wish/pipe dream, and wedge drive aggression rumor was. I also enjoyed reading this rumor.
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