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"Did you hear....?"

Chris Farmer RSS / 30.08.2010. u 15:57

This is going to be tricky.

The thing is about rumors: all you need is the vaguest and most oblique insinuation of something for it to begin passing along great unseen chains of whispers and embellishments until everyone directly interested and indirectly uninterested - and some people quite frankly exasperated - suddenly knows. It passes into common knowledge. And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the best rumors are then apotheosized into the greatest of all possible forms of human knowledge.

They become the TRUTH.

Belgrade is not such a small city, demographically speaking. But in real terms it is approximately the size of goldfish bowl. Why I said this is going to be tricky is because the mere idea of writing about rumors (even about "rumors" as a plural noun and at all about any specific rumor) implies that there is some juicy tidbit lurking in the back of the writer's mind causing him to think about writing about rumors. A hidden truth is implied.

And it is positively untrue that I am doing PR for the Queen of England.

Rumors are generally born of speculation. Somewhere in the deep background there is probably some actual fact - a guy stumbles upon some small fraction of information which led him to wonder and guess about its origin, background, and meaning. Then, unable to find any other supporting facts, the guy tells another guy: "I bet that means that...." And the guy who receives this speculation passes it on like this: "I heard that...." And then rumoristic truths are born.

Rumoristic is not a word.

In the time I have been living here, which is rapidly becoming immense, I have heard hundreds of these Truth Rumors. I have been the subject of one or two (at least of which I am aware) and have probably started a few dozen as well. Unintentionally, of course. All it takes is a bit of idle talk at the water-cooler or a stray thought given voice at a cocktail party and suddenly the rumor takes on a life force which is as vigorous as a garden weed.

Coupled with the fascination people have about spreading rumors all over the world, there is another element which makes rumoring in the White City much more pernicious: the urge to report. Many is the time where I have met someone on the street, or in a shop, or anywhere, and just as I have turned to leave, the person's mobile phone has been activated. He must now report: "Hey, I just saw Chris. He was wearing something green. He seemed in a hurry."  The reporter sends his report and, at times, this report is reported further along the chain (altered a little as these things happen) until, by the time I arrive back in the office, the report is fed to me as Information.

"I heard you looked green and were in a hurry to throw up..."

Now, let it be said that the reason for this blog is only because I did indeed hear an interesting and patently untrue rumor recently. It is all the more interesting because it seems that it is connected with a person or persons unknown whom I may or may not know and I have understood the details may be products of a lively imagination. Or not.

But I resist the urge to report.

Atačmenti



Komentari (10)

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mlekac mlekac 17:33 30.08.2010

Nice one, Chris

I'm not sure how much can you read on our language, but if you can, by all means ask friends to find you one old book - collection of articles which our great comedy writer, Branislav Nusic AKA Ben Akiba, had wrote in "Politika" newspaper somewhere in the beginning of XX century. One of those short stories is about him measuring how long does it take for the rumor to spread around the Belgrade...

You'll see that things didn't changed much

Yes, Belgrade is now much bigger, but technology is faster, so I'd guess, it's approximately about the same amount of time.

BTW, most fullish one I've heard about myself had originated from one person who hadspotted me buying beetroot on the market... I'll leave to your imagination to figure out follow up.
maksa83 maksa83 19:05 30.08.2010

pesma


rade.radumilo rade.radumilo 19:34 30.08.2010

Radio Mileva

There is a folk name for a rumor network in Serbia. It's called Radio "Mileva" and it thwarts even Einstein's limitations regarding information spread speed limit.
alselone alselone 07:14 31.08.2010

Have you not heard?

jinks jinks 10:13 01.09.2010

What is

the difference between rumoring and spin doctoring. Is the rumoring only one of the subtechniques used by spinners.
Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 12:43 01.09.2010

Re: What is

jinks
the difference between rumoring and spin doctoring. Is the rumoring only one of the subtechniques used by spinners.


Interesting question….

In order to be a Spin Doctor, you really need to have an element of truth with which to begin. This truth is then twisted and shaped and stretched and molded in such a way that the story (the REAL story) is told in a way which reflects positively. A good Spin Doctor is not a liar – he is someone who shifts the perspective from negative to positive (or the other way around I suppose).

Rumor-mongering, however, is a different animal altogether. Beginning with a fact or a shred of truth is optional. A rumor can be as fictional as Yoknapatawpha County or the Serbian budget projections for 2014.

If you compare rumor with spin, you will see the following distinction: Spin Doctors generally work with an established undesirable, ugly fact and try to make it acceptable or good. Rumoring works with unfounded or speculative ideas which may not exist in reality and tries to turn them into Fact.

And once the Rumorists are successful in rumoring a rumor into existence, you will then need a Spin Doctor to make it sound ok.
maksa83 maksa83 13:06 01.09.2010

Re: What is

If you compare rumor with spin, you will see the following distinction: Spin Doctors generally work with an established undesirable, ugly fact and try to make it acceptable or good.

There's a fancy name for that now.

It's called PR.
Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 15:13 01.09.2010

Re: What is

maksa83
If you compare rumor with spin, you will see the following distinction: Spin Doctors generally work with an established undesirable, ugly fact and try to make it acceptable or good.

There's a fancy name for that now.It's called PR.



Honi soit qui mal y pense....

Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 09:59 02.09.2010

Re: :-)

The one in "Gossip in Rumors" has a look that says I-know-something-you-don't-know!

Q:Why is the truth always less satisfying than a good rumor?
A: The truth is a full stop. Rumors are an ellipsis....


CBF

The Queen of England has not yet issued a denial of my denial that I am doing her PR. Maybe the rumor has become true?
Oracle Oracle 10:42 02.09.2010

Re: :-)

I ‘ve noticed that look I-know-something-you-don't-know, too

Arhiva

   

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