<off topic - re: ragingbull.lycos.com >
Internet speeds spread of Charlotte cigar myth
Tuesday, December 30, 1997
By DAVID BORAKS, STAFF WRITER
For the past couple of years, a tall tale has circulated on the Internet about a Charlotte man, a box of fancy cigars and an insurance policy. How do I say this politely? It's too good to be true, a fib, a myth, an urban legend.
In e-mail messages or postings to newsgroups such as alt .smokers.cigars, the story usually starts something like this: ``A Charlotte, N.C., man, having purchased a case of rare, very expensive cigars, insured them against - get this - fire. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of fabulous cigars, and having yet to make a single premium payment on the policy, the man filed a claim.''
According to the story, the man sues his insurer, saying the cigars were destroyed in ``a series of small fires.'' He wins the suit and a $15,000 payment. But after he cashes the check, the insurance company has him arrested on arson charges, pointing to his admission.
In the end, the man lands in jail - or so the story goes.
Urban myths like this used to circulate by word of mouth. Later, they turned up in photocopies and faxes passed from office to office. Now, says Robert Schrag, a communications professor at N.C. State University, they spread faster on the Internet. And that makes it harder than ever to trim a tall tale down to size.
``What it is is the contemporary version of alligators in the sewers, but it just moves so much more quickly,'' Schrag said.
Like most urban legends, the cigar story's lack of veracity hasn't stopped it from reappearing regularly. In fact it's fast joining the ranks of the all-time greatest urban and Internet myths. You've probably heard at least one of these:
* The woman who was charged $250 for a cookie recipe from Neiman Marcus.
* The U.S. Navy (or Air Force) pilots who saw missiles just before the crash of TWA Flight 800.
* The e-mail messages labeled ``Join the Crew'' or ``Good Times'' that will destroy your computer if you read them.
Somewhat sheepishly, I've tried to verify the cigar story. But searches of court records and newspaper files fail to turn up a single case or N.C. news article matching the incident. Nobody seems quite sure where the story came from. And that's the beauty of an Internet legend - its origins can be quickly obscured in a trail of wasted electrons.
Says Schrag: ``You get one message and you can kick it out to the four lists of colleagues and friends that you deal with. What might take three weeks of conversation takes 30 seconds (with e-mail).''
Reach David Boraks at (704) 358-5235 or dboraks@charlotteobserver.com .
charlotte.com
See also:
snopes2.com |
