# Snopes to the rescue! (sort of) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 24, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372 "2001-10-24T20:01:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/21 "2001-10-25T06:54:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > **Sadly, the times that I’ve done this, I have actually gotten responses that read, “Well, how does this Snopes guy know it’s not true?” :rolleyes:** Jesus Christ I hate this too. “Ummmmm…yeah sure. Lets ignore a reputable website and trust some damn chain mail you got from some guy you don’t even know.” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/22 "2001-10-25T07:29:52Z")
I actually had to admonish my mother several times for repeatedly forwarding me drivel like this. _Mom, THIS IS NOT THE WAY WE GET NEWS!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/23 "2001-10-25T11:18:44Z")
[hijack] OK, this cow-orker business is starting to get to me. The correct hyphenation is, of course, co-worker. Scott Adams (the Dilbert Guy) had a funny bit in which he began referring to them as cow-workers, because it was similar to his experiences on the dairy farm of his youth. But I don’t understand this cow-orker business. Is this some kind of inside joke that I’m not getting? What’s the deal here??? **I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE!!!** Thank you. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/24 "2001-10-25T12:27:59Z")
“Cow-orker” was common on certain Usenet newsgroups long before Scott Adams tried to claim credit for it. The first mi-shyphenation was a typo, but it caught on, because 1. jokes involving cows are funny and b. jokes involving cows and funny words _(“Ork! Ork! Ork!”)_ are **very** funny. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/25 "2001-10-25T12:35:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beelzebubba \* > \*\*[hijack] > OK, this cow-orker business is starting to get to me. The correct hyphenation is, of course, co-worker. Scott Adams (the Dilbert Guy) had a funny bit in which he began referring to them as cow-workers, because it was similar to his experiences on the dairy farm of his youth. But I don’t understand this cow-orker business. Is this some kind of inside joke that I’m not getting? What’s the deal here??? > > _I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE!!!_ > > Thank you. > [/hijack] \*\* The denziens of the SDMB have a habit of picking up on a misspelling and use the same misspelling until it becomes passé (e.g.: manny, inslut). “Cow-orker” may be a combination of this, the usage in Dilbert, and a disparaging remark with regard to the worker in question. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/26 "2001-10-25T12:55:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jadailey \* > \*\*A couple of years ago, a local radio station was talking about the alleged Paul Harvey “the rest of the story” regarding Mel Gibson and how the movie _The Man Without a Face_ was based on his own life. Which is and was absurd. Someone called to debunk the story, and somebody else called, saying the debunker had no proof that it WASN’T true. > > So, who has the proof that it WAS? > > :rolleyes: \*\* Paul Harvey’s son is the writer for his Rest of the Story and was probably responsible for that piece. There should be a disclaimer at the beginning of those reports. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/27 "2001-10-25T13:16:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Legomancer \* > > \*\* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > i wish you will stop complaining about everybody message that sent out you don’t known wether it is true or not. if you don’t like the message that comes out just erase it from your computer and stop telling everybody what to beleive just because you domn’t like what is said that find it you disagree > > > > I’m so glad this person is employed. \*\* > > Not only is she employed, her job is the next level higher than mine! 😃 At least she’s not in any chain of command (yet). \*\* Hesus Kristi this thought scares me more than ANY Anthrax news. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/28 "2001-10-25T13:40:23Z")
About a year ago someone sent out the “cancer fundraiser” e-mail to a listserv I’m on. I’m afraid I came down on it rather hard in my reply to all (attaching the snopes link, like a good Doper). Someone wrote back the whole “delete it, it doesn’t do any harm.” And I came back hard on them to…(to paraphrase): "No harm? I’m a sysadmin. Last weekend I spent six hours rebuilding a mail server in part because someone had seen fit to send this sort of thing to every person in the company. That’s six hours that I could have been home with my kids. Its lost time and productivity for the company I work for when no one can get their e-mail. E-mail may look free to you, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t costs associated with it. But that’s small potatoes, if you would have followed the link, you’d see that this particular chain letter has caused resource issues at the ACS. They do good work - most of it with minimal resources. They’ve had to move resources from raising money to fight cancer, to answering questions about this untrue e-mail. Meaning that you are actually hurting the cause of finding a cure for cancer, not helping it when you forward this thing." I got back - “I’m sorry, I guess I didn’t really understand the implications of forwarding this sort of thing. I’ll check before I forward from now on.” ---
**Author:** ![Kiki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kiki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiki)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/29 "2001-10-25T13:50:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Wrong Girl \* > **The other day, she told me about the girl whose Afghan boyfriend told her not to go to malls on Halloween, and we actually got into a fight about it. I went to Snopes, and read to her about how terrorists wouldn’t tell people their future plans, etc. Her response: “Who are they to presume to know what terrorists are thinking?” Um, I don’t know…the CIA and FBI, maybe? (Which was where these quotes were from.)** My mom got the same e-mail. She asked me if I was going to take the kids trick or treating at the mall and I, of course, told her “no.” (Why the hell would I go to a mall for Halloween anyway?!?) Then she told me about the e-mail she got saying the terrorists are going to attack the US malls on Halloween. I just laughed and asked her why she would believe such a thing. She said, “I got the e-mail from Blah Blah, he’s really high up in our Amway organization.” “Oh,” I said. “You’re going to believe that’s true just because someone high up in _Amway_ sent you the e-mail?” “Yeah. He’s really high up in the Amway organization. And, you never know. It could be true.” She said. (Yeah, _Amyway_ makes it more credible. :rolleyes: ) I told her she should look these things up on Snopes before she forwards them on and she said the same thing most people have been saying… “How do you know the information on Snopes is true?” Why is it so hard to get ignorant people to see the light? Anyway, I went to Snopes and found the appropriate links and decided to forward them, along with a link to the FBI press release saying the UL was false. I sent it to my mom and everyone she forwarded that stupid e-mail to. No one has even bothered to respond back to me to say “Thank you” or “Fuck you.” Oh well. I tried to do my part to fight ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/30 "2001-10-25T14:00:39Z")
**Dangerosa,** with your permission I’m going to copy your post to a text file and use it as a model for the next time I have to debunk some piece of inane drivel. Otay? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/31 "2001-10-25T14:15:30Z")
Just last week I sent a gushing letter to them telling them that I thought that they were heros. I received a very nice and humble reply from Barbara Mikkelson. I send Snopes link replies all the time. A few people have stopped sending me their crap which is fine by me. Better yet, several people have learned to check Snopes first before they send out stupid bullshit. Haj Hater of Ignorance ---
**Author:** ![Venoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Venoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venoma)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/32 "2001-10-25T14:27:17Z")
I’m sick and tired of receiving this crap. I used to admin a couple of servers as volunteer, and when I see someone send out a HOAX to an ENTIRE COMPANY (1000 people?) without taking the time to check if it’s true (esp when it’s a virus hoax, that info is readily available at ANY AV site) it riles me. I snapped once and sent a ‘reply to all’ to the whole company, stating that it was a hoax, providing the relevant link, and asking people please NOT to forward it on. The offender replied to me that he hadn’t had time to check, I replied to him that it had taken me 2 minutes to find. My boss told me in the future I should only respond to the offender, but strangely enough the server admins were silent (imagining them cackling in the back room) I have also may have lost a friend because she kept sending me this shit, and I told her straight out I would kick her ass repeatedly if she didn’t bother to check it out first. (she sends to her entire address book.) haven’t heard from her since. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/33 "2001-10-25T14:29:26Z")
My only, only problem with SNopes, and I know I’ll get flamed for this, are the annoying and silly little phrases that Barbara Mikkelson feels she must insert at the end of each entry. They’re not funny, they’re seldom clever, and in my opinion, they somewhat undermine the site. I never liked that stuff on usenet and I like it less on the site. Apart from that, however, I totally dig snopes. Though to be honest, I have gotten out of the habit of informing people about urban legends. Call me a bad soldier in the fight against ignorance, but my experience is that telling people that something they have sent you is an urban legend is about the same as replying with, “Your mother was a drunken whore, your god is false, and your political party is a bunch of clowns. In addition, your significant other turns tricks for crack.” The response you get is usually the same. ---
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/34 "2001-10-25T14:52:28Z")
i had started a new thread, but i think it should really be part of this thread: > [@](#): > > Don’t go to the bathroom on October 28th. CIA intelligence reports that a major plot is planned for that day. Anyone who takes a poop on the 28th will be bitten on the ass by an alligator. Reports indicate that organized groups of alligators are planning to rise up into unsuspecting American’s toilet bowls and bite them when they are doing their dirty business. > > I usually don’t send emails like this, but I got this information from a reliable source. It came from a friend of a friend whose cousin is dating this girl whose brother knows this guy whose wife knows this lady whose husband buys hotdogs from this guy who knows a shoeshine guy who shines the shoes of a mailroom worker who has a friend who’s drug dealer sells drugs to another mailroom worker who works in the CIA building. He apparently overheard two guys talking in the bathroom about alligators and came to the conclusion that we are going to be attacked. So it must be true. > > [sub]collected from [snopes.com](http://snopes.com), [rumors of war (the naked truth)](http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/naked.htm)[/sub] mods, close my [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=95180), please? ---
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/35 "2001-10-25T14:54:15Z")
oh damn, messed up the code. [this](http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/naked.htm) is the page on snopes. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/36 "2001-10-25T19:06:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > > **Sadly, the times that I’ve done this, I have actually gotten responses that read, “Well, how does this Snopes guy know it’s not true?” :rolleyes:** > > Esprix, have you been talking to my mother??? That is a verbatim (and oft-repeated) quote from her. \*\* See, I debunked some of my mom’s forwards, virus hoaxes and such, and she sent me an email saying \*\* > [@](#): > > what is the name of the web site where you checkout urban legends? Love > Mom\*\* I love my Mom. Haven’t gotten another forward from her since. 😃 Steven ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/37 "2001-10-25T23:18:01Z")
Scarlett, go for it. Edit appropriately, we don’t want that post becoming another UL. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/38 "2001-10-25T23:50:29Z")
You people think you’ve got it bad… My father used to send every piece of drivel that came his way to everyone in his address book. I got sick of saying “Dad, that’s not true”, “Dad, that won’t happen”, “Dad, it’s a fake” so in the end I sat him down one night and introduced him to Snopes. I hoped that he would use it, and was thrilled a couple of days later when I got a message from him on iCQ asking what the address was for “that Urban Legend page”. He’s using it! What I failed to realise is that my father is an incurable stirrer, and that I’d overstated how much I hate getting the chain mail. Now he checks it out on Snopes, _but forwards it to me anyway just to annoy the crap out of me_. So I’ve stopped him sending the rest of the world into a panic over these ULs, but he’s sitting there at his computer chuckling and forwarding them to me and me alone just to drive me nuts! ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/39 "2001-10-25T23:54:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spritle \* > **I always thought a Reality Check was how you paid your shrink.** I remember when my reality check bounced… ---
**Author:** ![Winnowill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@Winnowill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnowill)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372/40 "2001-10-26T04:09:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by jadailey \* > > \*\*A couple of years ago, a local radio station was talking about the alleged Paul Harvey “the rest of the story” regarding Mel Gibson and how the movie _The Man Without a Face_ was based on his own life. Which is and was absurd. Someone called to debunk the story, and somebody else called, saying the debunker had no proof that it WASN’T true. > > > > So, who has the proof that it WAS? > > > > :rolleyes: \*\* > > Paul Harvey’s son is the writer for his Rest of the Story and was probably responsible for that piece. There should be a disclaimer at the beginning of those reports. \*\* In the event that it had actually BEEN on Paul Harvey, then, yeah. But Paul Harvey has said repeatedly that he never did the piece. Which should have ended it right there, but didn’t - people still called in and said “Well, maybe Harvey never said it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.” Considering that the whole thing was about the Paul Harvey piece, I’d say that that was pretty conclusive evidence that it ISN’T true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snopes-to-the-rescue-sort-of/89372.md?page=3)