# Urban legends - why do some people keep repeating them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110 "2011-02-12T06:26:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/41 "2011-02-15T03:13:20Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Some repeat them to trick stupid people. And almost everyone likes to think there’s someone more stupid than themselves. Some people have to reach down to Orangello’s parents because everyone else is above them. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/42 "2011-02-15T03:16:52Z")
I heard that people repeat urban legends because there is a virus going around that causes people to lose critical thinking skills, and simply repeat whatever crap they hear. It’s true! My uncle was friends with a guy in the CIA who was tracking this virus as it swept across North America. It was developed by the Russians during the cold war, and got out of the lab by accident. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/43 "2011-02-15T03:16:55Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > The point of the “unusual names” urban legends is that the parent giving the baby the unusual name is not trying to be creative. The assumption in these urban legends is that the parent is so stupid and gullible that he or she believes the doctors or nurses in the hospital when they suggest a weird name for the baby just to screw with them or that they are so stupid and ignorant that when they see a word that they don’t know the meaning or pronunciation of that they will use an unusual pronunciation of it for their baby. I think the point of many of these legends is that the parents are not merely stupid, they’re stupid and _pretentious_. I mean, it doesn’t take much intelligence to just name your kid Bob or Susie, but the legendary parent who’s both stupid and…well…“uppity” goes for a name like Chlamydia that they think sounds sophisticated but is actually ridiculously inappropriate. The legendary mother of Lemonjello and Oranjello probably is just meant to be stupid though, since she apparently couldn’t think of any names for her babies and just called them after the hospital’s dessert of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/44 "2011-02-15T06:42:17Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Asma Nothing strange or quirky about this one. It’s an Arabic girl’s name meaning something along the lines of “eminent, lofty,” or “supreme.” I have a coworker with this name, and she pronounces it “ESS-muh.” ---
**Author:** ![SevenOfTeemingMillions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@SevenOfTeemingMillions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SevenOfTeemingMillions)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/45 "2011-02-15T07:11:44Z")
It was surfing for info on an urban legend that led me to the Straight Dope site. 🙂 My friends and I often share urban legends and ghost stories because we enjoy them. But I tend to regret the ghost stories (and movies) when I’m alone at night. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/46 "2011-02-15T08:12:43Z")
Imho, there’s relatively a very small group of people in the world who think truth is important. Most of them are on these boards. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/47 "2011-02-15T10:48:45Z")
Let’s not fall into the trap of thinking black folks have the market cornered on stupid names. Personally, I rather call someone Orangello than: **Pilot Inspektor** (son of Beth Riesgraf & Jason Lee) **Fifi-Trixibelle** (daughter of Paula Yates & Bob Geldof) **Audio Science** (son of Shannyn Sossaman & Dallas Clayton) mmm ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/48 "2011-02-15T10:57:21Z")
When I taught riding lessons (horses) I had ordinary middle class white kids as students named: England Paris (England’s little bro, and yes it was where each was conceived) Mystic (last name Powers) Meadow and I knew a girl named Hurricane. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110/49 "2011-02-15T13:06:46Z")
> [@saje](#): > > and I knew a girl named Hurricane. Bet she was a blast… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-legends-why-do-some-people-keep-repeating-them/571110.md?page=2)