# Is this FUD? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371 "2013-10-04T16:44:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/1 "2013-10-04T16:44:29Z")
> [@WSJ](#): > > Said a senior administration official: “We are winning…It doesn’t really matter to us” how long the shutdown lasts “because what matters is the end result.” This ran in the WSJ today and it was from an unnamed, senior administration official. This has only been run in the WSJ and right-wing websites. The WSJ is the only semi-reputable source apart from the various blogs that have run this. Can anyone verify the veracity of this statement or is its verisimilitude akin to Gobbel’s “big lie”? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/2 "2013-10-04T16:47:43Z")
I don’t have an answer, and I don’t even know what FUD is supposed to mean - but it did [remind me of this so I had to share.](http://farm1.staticflickr.com/24/58683008_2dc4c01d94.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/3 "2013-10-04T16:51:44Z")
[FUD](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Fudd) ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/4 "2013-10-04T16:57:50Z")
Maybe [F’ed Up Disinformation](http://www.acronymfinder.com/Fouled-Up-Disinformation-%28polite-form%29-%28FUD%29.html)? ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/5 "2013-10-04T17:01:21Z")
Well, it’s certainly not fud as I use the term occasionally–you know, like when I give my cat some cat fud every morning. Kitty will not eat statements made on background–she demands to know the source. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/6 "2013-10-04T17:19:37Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I don’t have an answer, and I don’t even know what FUD is supposed to mean - but it did [remind me of this so I had to share.](http://farm1.staticflickr.com/24/58683008_2dc4c01d94.jpg) Ditto this exactly. I saw the thread title and wondered if “Is this FUD?” meant “Can I eat this?” ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/7 "2013-10-04T17:41:39Z")
> **[PRUDEN: The cheap tricks of the game](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/3/pruden-the-cheap-tricks-of-the-game/)** > > The games politicians play: Barack Obama is having a lot of fun using the government shutdown to squeeze the public in imaginative ways. The point of the shutdown game is to see who can squeeze hardest, make the most pious speech and listen for the... The Park Service appears to be closing streets on mere whim and caprice. The rangers even closed the parking lot at Mount Vernon, where the plantation home of George Washington is a favorite tourist destination. That was after they barred the new World War II Memorial on the Mall to veterans of World War II. But the government does not own Mount Vernon; it is privately owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. The ladies bought it years ago to preserve it as a national memorial. The feds closed access to the parking lots this week, even though the lots are jointly owned with the Mount Vernon ladies. The rangers are from the government, and they’re only here to help. **“It’s a cheap way to deal with the situation,” an angry Park Service ranger in Washington says of the harassment. “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”** ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/8 "2013-10-04T18:15:38Z")
I think the OP melted. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/9 "2013-10-04T19:49:07Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I don’t have an answer, and I don’t even know what FUD is supposed to mean - but it did [remind me of this so I had to share.](http://farm1.staticflickr.com/24/58683008_2dc4c01d94.jpg) I’ve seen multiple discussions using “FUD” without explaining what it is and your link is EXACTLY what I think of every damn time. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/10 "2013-10-04T19:53:48Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I don’t have an answer, and I don’t even know what FUD is supposed to mean - but it did [remind me of this so I had to share.](http://farm1.staticflickr.com/24/58683008_2dc4c01d94.jpg) We call it dog fud in our house too. What I thought as well. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/11 "2013-10-04T19:54:40Z")
I’m guessing it’s “[Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt)”. from Wiki: Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) is a tactic used in sales, marketing, public relations, politics and propaganda. FUD is generally a strategic attempt to influence perception by disseminating negative and dubious or false information. An individual firm, for example, might use FUD to invite unfavorable opinions and speculation about a competitor’s product; to increase the general estimation of switching costs among current customers; or to maintain leverage over a current business partner who could potentially become a rival. The term originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer hardware industry but has since been used more broadly. FUD is a manifestation of the appeal to fear. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/12 "2013-10-04T20:50:17Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I don’t have an answer, and I don’t even know what FUD is supposed to mean - but it did [remind me of this so I had to share.](http://farm1.staticflickr.com/24/58683008_2dc4c01d94.jpg) This. That’s how I spell it on the shopping list. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/13 "2013-10-04T20:55:26Z")
[This is FUD.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FUD_(brand)) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/14 "2013-10-05T06:19:37Z")
Joe Blow, apparatchik, makes controversial statement. If statement harms your position, Mr. Blow becomes a “disgruntled employee” If statement helps your position, Mr. Blow becomes a “high-ranking official” The important thing to know in situations such as this: What does Fox say? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/15 "2013-10-05T06:21:18Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > [This is FUD.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FUD_(brand)) 😃 That’s what I was thinking of. My grocery store has plenty of “FUD” products. I tried some, and they’re exactly what you’d expect something called “fud” to be. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/16 "2013-10-05T06:48:13Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > This. That’s how I spell it on the shopping list. You put fud on your shopping list? What else do you include, “non-fud items?” ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/17 "2013-10-05T06:55:12Z")
ABC News has picked up the quote - but they are quoting WSJ, not an independent source. ABC quoted the WH press secretary Jay Carney, who tweeted\* > [@Jay Carney](#): > > “We utterly disavow the idea WH doesn’t care when it ends,” Carney tweeted. “House should act now, no strings attached. #JustVote.” And for “stupid quote from the other side”, it nominates: > [@ABC News](#): > > On Thursday, Republican backbencher Rep. Marlin Stutzman illustrated this view in another flash of brutal honesty. > > “We’re not going to be disrespected,” Stutzman said in an interview with the Washington Examiner. “We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.” ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/18 "2013-10-05T07:35:39Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > The important thing to know in situations such as this: What does Fox say? ‘Ding ding ding, da-ding ga-ding da-ding’. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/19 "2013-10-05T09:56:55Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > The rangers are from the government, and they’re only here to help. Yeah, right. Plus, the check is in the mail and I won’t come in your mouth. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![HardlySanguine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HardlySanguine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HardlySanguine)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371/20 "2013-10-05T18:26:52Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/3/pruden-the-cheap-tricks-of-the-game/](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/3/pruden-the-cheap-tricks-of-the-game/) I don’t really follow news/politics much so maybe I am out of touch with articles these days (who knows why I clicked on this one) but geebus, that has to be one of the most blatantly biased pieces I’ve read. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-fud/670371.md?page=2)