Friday, March 11, 2005

How to Tell an Urban Legend

About Urban Legends

The telling of an Urban Legend seems to be a way for our society to satisfy it's need for rituals.When you tell one of these tales you're like a tribal elder explaining the workings of an unexplainable universe to your tribe. You're imparting wisdom, protecting them from harm and if you do it well enough they will pass your wisdom on by lunch time.

The telling of an Urban Legend is a ritual even if it's done while standing around a water cooler at work or during lunch time at school or in a car park with your friends.

For example during this ritual you could be telling them about this story you heard from a friend last night that involved a cactus they snuck back over the boarder from Mexico that exploded in their house and all of these black widow spiders came crawling out and...well, you add the rest if you want. That's how urban legends work after all.

No comments: