We all get them. Those crazy, can’t-be-true forwarded emails that your Aunt Matilda has sent out to 162 unsuspecting recipients with one click of her I’m-retired-so-I’ve-got-plenty-of-time finger. And of course, we do the responsible thing and delete them, right? OK, well maybe not all of them. Some of them are just too juicy and fun not to read!
But do you ever wonder if there’s anywhere you can go on the Web to see if ol’ Aunt Matilda knows what she’s talking about? There is indeed! It’s called Snopes.com.
According to the Snopes website, the site “…employs the more expansive popular (if not academically inaccurate) use of ”urban legend” as a term that embraces not only urban legends but also common fallacies, misinformation, old wives’ tales, strange news stories, rumors, celebrity gossip, and similar items.” (Snopes FAQ)
The site is easy to navigate. You can either search for a rumor you’ve already heard of or search by category. Each entry cuts to the chase with a simple “True” or “False” listed at the top followed by an explanation that’s fun, informative, and easy to read. You could say Snopes is sort of the Mythbusters of the Internet world.
And if the name “Snopes” sounds familiar to some of you English majors, there’s a reason. Think William Faulkner. Yep, the Snopes family. That’s where the website got its name. Pretty fitting, don’t you think?
So, the next time Auntie sends you yet another email warning you about the dangers lurking in your residence hall plumbing or telling you to beware of some guy going around burning barns, check it out on Snopes.com!
-Ms. Hood
