Σύμφωνα με την ελληνική Βικιπαίδεια, οι αστικοί μύθοι αποτελούν ιστορίες ή θρύλους — συνήθως φανταστικών — γεγονότων που διαδίδονται μαζικά. Εναλλακτικά θα μπορούσαν να χαρακτηριστο
ύν ως ευρέως διαδεδομένες φήμες. Ωστόσο, δεν είναι απαραιτήτως δημιουργήματα της φαντασίας, καθώς αρκετοί μύθοι στηρίζονται σε πραγματικά γεγονότα. Κάποιοι αστικοί μύθοι έχουν καταφέρει να επιβιώσουν για αρκετά χρόνια με μικρές παραλλαγές. Για τη διάδοση τους είναι συνήθης η χρήση του ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου. Δείτε παρακάτω το ΤΟΠ-25 των αστικών μύθων. Συμβαίνει και στις καλύτερες οικογένειες… Στο Νο21 δεσπόζει η Ελλάδα με τον γιγαντιαίο σκελετό που βρέθηκε. Αλήθεια, μήπως το πιστέψατε;
1. Mr. Rogers Was a Marine Sniper / Navy Seal
Internet rumors allege that mild-mannered children’s TV show host Fred Rogers had a former secret career as a trained assassin. Status: False
2. Bill Gates’ 11 Rules of Life
Circulating via email, the text of a speech allegedly given by Bill Gates in which he sets out 11 rules of life for today’s high school students. Status: Misattributed
3. Barack Obama Is a Muslim
Email rumor alleges that U.S. presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is a Muslim who has lied about his religious background, including his claim to being a devout Christian. Status: False
4. Satan’s Face in the Smoke on 9/11
Some people say photos and video taken on 9/11/01 show the face of Satan looming in the fire and smoke. Status: Eye of the beholder
5. Hercules, World’s Biggest Dog (Photo)
Emailed image of a gargantuan dog named Hercules, purportedly the Guinness Record holder for World’s Biggest Dog. Status: Fake
6. Lady Gaga Is a Hermaphrodite
An online concert video appears to show a little «something extra» peeking out from under Lady Gaga’s miniskirt. Status: False
7. Cell Phone Numbers to Go Public
Forwarded email warns that a directory of cell phone numbers will soon be published and urges users to enter their cell phone numbers on the federal Do Not Call Registry to prevent calls from telemarketers. Status: Mostly false
8. Nostradamus Predicted the 9/11 Attacks
Internet rumors claim 16th-century astrologer Nostradamus predicted the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in his writings. Status: False
9. Jamie Lee Curtis Is a Hermaphrodite
Longstanding rumors say actress Jamie Lee Curtis was born with male sex organs and underwent a sex change operation as an infant. Status: Dubious
10. The Tourist Guy of 9/11 (Photos)
A snapshot purportedly taken atop one of the World Trade Center twin towers seconds before the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. Status: False
11. Giant Skeleton Found in Middle East (Photo)
«Recent gas exploration activity in the southeast region of the Arabian desert uncovered skeletal remains of a human of phenomenal size…» Status: Fake
12. Gen. Black Jack Pershing vs. Muslim Terrorists
Did U.S. General ‘Black Jack’ Pershing rid the Philippines of Islamic extremism in 1911 by executing a group of Muslim terrorists and burying them in a grave filled with pig’s blood and entrails? Status: False
13. Do They Eat Babies in China?
Internet scuttlebutt claims aborted fetuses and dead babies are cooked and eaten in China. Status: False14. Breast Infestation (Photo / Video)
Emailed image and video purport to document the medical case of a female anthropologist who failed to seek treatment for a rash and wound up with an infestation of larvae in her breast. Status: Partly true
15. Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do
Forwarded email purports to clue readers in on various ‘unknown’ tips and tricks for cell phone use, including dialing 112 to access a worldwide emergency network. Status: Mostly false
16. Snopes Exposed – Is Snopes.com Biased?
Forwarded email alleges that the urban legend debunking site Snopes.com is ‘owned by a flaming liberal’ who is ‘in the tank for Obama’ and can’t be trusted to provide reliable information. Status: False
17. Obama Fires Cattle Guards in Colorado
Forwarded email claims that President Obama, upon learning there are over 100,000 cattle guards in Colorado, ordered half of them to be fired immediately. Status: False
18. Ciara’s Secret Sex-Change Operation
Forwarded email claims that hip-hop/R&B star Ciara was born male and is either a secret transvestite or underwent a sex-change operation to become a transsexual. Status: False
19. Richard Gere and the Gerbil
Several years ago, «they» say, Richard Gere was admitted into the emergency room of a Los Angeles hospital with a foreign object lodged in his rectum: a gerbil. Status: False
20. H.B. 1388: Obama Orders Resettlement of Hamas Refugees in U.S.A.
Forwarded email claims President Obama has funded a $20 million resettlement of Hamas refugees to the United States via H.R. 1388 (aka H.B. 1388), a bill supposedly passed ‘behind our backs’ in Congress. Status: False
21. Giant Skeletons Found in Greece (Photos)
Hoax images purport to show skeletons of giant human beings (Nephilim or Canaanites) allegedly found in an archaeological dig in Greece. Status: Fake
22. Brown Recluse Spider Bite (Photos)
Emailed pictures purport to show the progressive deterioration of a necrotic wound caused by the bite of a poisonous brown recluse spider. Status: Unknown
23. Eminem Is Dead
Online rumors claim hip hop star Eminem died in a car crash. Status: False
24. Muslim Sign in Harwin Central Mall
A sign posted on the door of a shop in Houston’s Harwin Central Mall says the store will be closed on September 11 to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Ali, purportedly a 9/11 terrorist. Status: See details
25. 9/11 Tear Drop Memorial (Photos)
Circulating via email, photos of ‘Tear Drop Memorial’ designed by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli to commemorate the victims of 9/11. Status: Authentic
Πηγή: about.com
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