Just how gullible are people? A proposal.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Maybe a rumour stating that if you use a mobile while pumping petrol, there's a risk of explosion? There's actually one out there saying that mobiles give you cancer; not sure about the truth in that, so many people say different things.

[lordlundar]

Maybe a rumour stating that if you use a mobile while pumping petrol, there's a risk of explosion? There's actually one out there saying that mobiles give you cancer; not sure about the truth in that, so many people say different things.

Been done and the mythbusters tested it to no avail.

And raps, I'll say this right now. I'm out. I won't help. There's plenty of proof if you look for it and even benign rumors get people offended when it gets called out. If you're still alive when that happens, you can bet people are going to come after you with lawsuits just because they don't like being played.

Bad idea all around and I won't be a part of it.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I really doubt anyone will be able to bring lawsuits against Raps when Ryan Giggs isn't going to be able to sue Twitter.

[Rapscallion]

Depends on the type of rumour.

I'm thinking, if we do this, of something that's both bizarre, amusing, and non-harmful. As I went to bed last night, I came up an idea of maybe an obesity 'fact', such as if the heaviest ten percent of the US gathered on the golden gate bridge it would buckle under the weight.

Something like that would be blatantly false - you'd never get over thirty million people on that bridge. Actually, now I think about it that one could be true. Anyway, some sort of ridiculous 'fact' that people could and would believe would be the sort of fellow.

Rapscallion

[Nyoibo]

How about that "if you got every obese persom in the world on one continent it would throw the earths axis off."? Or something along that vein?

[RootedPhoenix]

I, like lordlundar, don't want o be a part of the rumor.

It might start out harmless, but we have no way of knowing how it will get twisted on the way.

[Andara Bledin]

There's actually one out there saying that mobiles give you cancer; not sure about the truth in that, so many people say different things.

It's not a rumor, it's something that's been tested repeatedly, actually, and it's gone from the rumor that they could to flat out denying that it was possible, to the phone industry suppressing evidence that they did... and currently, there is media hype headlines going "OMG, cell phones could totally give you cancer" attached to research that says, "Well, we can't really tell for another ten years or so until older people had cell phones when they were kids, but we're pretty sure it's a possibility," which pretty much says that so far, there isn't actually any evidence that it happens and it would be unethical to do a test to prove that it can't happen.

Now, back to the idea of starting a rumor, if we were to do it, it would be a very good idea to not include any groups or descriptions that could be seen as hurtful. So the "fat people" idea should go straight in the rubbish.

In fact, it would be best to leave people out of it entirely. Go with some odd "fact" from nature or based on an object or, say, history.

^-.-^

[Eisa]

^I agree with Andara. Not something involving people.

Penguins really can fly!

[HYHYBT]

How about that "if you got every obese persom in the world on one continent it would throw the earths axis off."? Or something along that vein?

That might work nicely; it fails a probability test, not only because of the size of the earth but because, raising my hand, pretty well most of the fat people are *already* on one continent.

"Cell phones increase cancer risk at about the same level that coffee and pickles do" apparently doesn't make people panic enough, so they keep cutting it off at the first five words

[Ladeeda]

What about something with a date, like... like in 2012, Home Depot is going to have a Valentine's Day Sale.

You know.... rope.

[Plaidman]

If every obese person jumps at the same time, it would cause massive earthquakes that could potentionally split the earth in half.

[Andara Bledin]

So, it turns out that all you need to get people, or the news outlets anyway, to believe a pile of steaming bullshit is a press release.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

Just please don't make it anything dangerous, like the one going around now that you should throw flour (a flammable powder capable of exploding) on fires to put them out.

Maybe the theory is it will burn through the fuel in the explosion so quickly that the fire will snuff itself out like setting a back fire.

Kind of proud of myself for knowing this fact and knowing it's why you don't smoke near a grain silo.

[Nyoibo]

Maybe the theory is it will burn through the fuel in the explosion so quickly that the fire will snuff itself out like setting a back fire.

That's how they put out oil well fires.

[jackfaire]

You know it occurs to me that even better than a rumor online would be a pseudo PSA. You know the type some drug company comes up with something that is either a straight placebo or treats something that no one really thought of as a problem.

"Do you move around in your sleep well you could be suffering from Nocturnal Movitis!"

Anyway then these companies start airing a bunch of commercials to raise awareness "get checked if you have dada" over and over until people are thinking to themselves, "Oh my god I have that"

Then when everyone is good and aware suddenly your commercials air with the solution to the problem. Oh thank god someone was working on a treatment the whole time see how effective PSAs are WOOHOO!!!