How do they start?

[Allie-Gator]

I was thinking about urban legends and myths and wondering how all of these get started. Some are so unbelievable that it's hard to believe them unless someone presents irrefutable proof. Others are so real they seem like they could have happened and then turn out to be false. How do you think they get started?

 

[Myrddin]

Just a theory, but maybe some people just get bored and try to pass the time by coming up with some of these to scare others.

 

[Isis]

I agree with Myrddin. I think someone makes them up and they just travel by word of mouth, although of course that method of transmission guarantees the legend changes as it's passed on.

 

[Lorey]

I think that most likely someone makes up something, then some ignorant person believes it and then gets others to believe it, and so on, and so on.....

 

[CuriousAlice]

I think that in the "old days" (before the internet and so many TV channels) people would tell more stories than they do now. So people would hear more stories and without the easy ability to look up, they just believed it. Now I think we are just less gullible than we might have been in the past.

 

[Pegasus]

It would be interesting to see how things get started, and who started the myths and why. One of the biggest problems is that some of the stories do seem so real that you can picture them happening - such as beware of this or that - some scam, or something that puts people in danger. In wanting to keep friends and family safe, the story is distributed many times over. I have responded back to some friends to let them know not to worry, and give them the information on where the story was false.

 

[CuriousAlice]

One of the biggest problems is that some of the stories do seem so real that you can picture them happening - such as beware of this or that - some scam, or something that puts people in danger.

Those are some of the toughest ones. The ones that claim a woman or child is missing and are actually fake are horrible. People put in effort and sometimes money to try and find these allegedly missing people. Some people feel like like nobody would ever lie about a missing child and they want to help.