2008 Woodie Awards
Rumors keep churning out of the rumor mill
Gossip has been around since the beginning of time.
Sam Sotheara
Issue date: 10/21/05 Section: Opinion
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You graduated high school, started paying your own bills. You're not an adult, but you refer to yourself as one (Paying bills does not make you an adult; many adults don't act like adults either). Now you're in college, where there are no liaisons, retarded rules, in a new school environment, and you're finally going to do your homework.
It's time to start fresh, and then you meet some folks from high school. Unfortunately, they still remember the time you tried to ride a cow drunk, while nude, at the homecoming game. But wait.
That never happened. You didn't do any of that. You got chased by a cow during the halftime event, that's about it. The incident really went through some alterations, didn't it? You wouldn't call it an incident, event or scenario anymore, but a rumor now.
How did it go from what it was to how it is now? The creation of rumors is an art form. Start with an original idea, revise, add, subtract, until you get a tale that's believable, but not quite gossip (Gossip is a retired rumor that's been passed around more times than Jennifer Lopez).
There are two parts to a rumor: the structure and the function. They both must work simultaneously and efficiently, in order to sustain believability. Before a rumor is born, like any art piece, the artist must be inspired.
With rumors, original ideas are easily motivated. Inspiration materializes from your neighbor's odd moans at night, couples fighting outside a Jack in the Box, and the old-fashioned "I'll just make something up, because I hate his or her mannerism."
Once the original idea has been conjured, narration and dialogue sessions begin. If you haven't noticed, many rumors are in third person points of views. third person rumors usually begin with "I saw, overheard and was there when it happened," which is a first sign what you are hearing probably isn't true. For example: "Dude, I hella saw your neighbor at the gay parade in Frisco last Saturday."
Unlike art pieces, rumors evolve from one mouth to another, hence why the fourth-person point of view exists. The fourth person is the first person to critique the original rumor and make revisions. These adjustments change the piece to the "I know someone who was there."
It's time to start fresh, and then you meet some folks from high school. Unfortunately, they still remember the time you tried to ride a cow drunk, while nude, at the homecoming game. But wait.
That never happened. You didn't do any of that. You got chased by a cow during the halftime event, that's about it. The incident really went through some alterations, didn't it? You wouldn't call it an incident, event or scenario anymore, but a rumor now.
How did it go from what it was to how it is now? The creation of rumors is an art form. Start with an original idea, revise, add, subtract, until you get a tale that's believable, but not quite gossip (Gossip is a retired rumor that's been passed around more times than Jennifer Lopez).
There are two parts to a rumor: the structure and the function. They both must work simultaneously and efficiently, in order to sustain believability. Before a rumor is born, like any art piece, the artist must be inspired.
With rumors, original ideas are easily motivated. Inspiration materializes from your neighbor's odd moans at night, couples fighting outside a Jack in the Box, and the old-fashioned "I'll just make something up, because I hate his or her mannerism."
Once the original idea has been conjured, narration and dialogue sessions begin. If you haven't noticed, many rumors are in third person points of views. third person rumors usually begin with "I saw, overheard and was there when it happened," which is a first sign what you are hearing probably isn't true. For example: "Dude, I hella saw your neighbor at the gay parade in Frisco last Saturday."
Unlike art pieces, rumors evolve from one mouth to another, hence why the fourth-person point of view exists. The fourth person is the first person to critique the original rumor and make revisions. These adjustments change the piece to the "I know someone who was there."