Urban Legends

The definition of an urban legend (from dictionary.com) is a folkloric and often sensational tale about modern life that is repeated in the media and by other means, making it more believable to some.

Another definition (from http://tafkac.org/) an urban legend:

• appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying forms
• contains elements of humor or horror (the horror often "punishes" someone who flouts society's conventions).
• makes good storytelling.
• does NOT have to be false, although most are. ULs often have a basis in fact, but it's their life after-the-fact (particularly in reference to the second and third points) that gives them particular interest."

My definition of an urban legend consists of something being scary like waking up in a bathtub full of ice without a kidney.

The two urban legends I recognized was the alligator in the sewer legend and the temporary tattoos that have been coated with LSD, those are really popular. When I was a kid I actually believed the alligator one, but since this legend has been around for so long and has been disproved many times, I don't believe it anymore. Another urban legend I have known about since I was a child was the Bloody Mary urban legend and until this day I still won't look in the mirror and say her name, it creeps me out.

It's hard to believe whether these new urban legends are true or not because some of them have supposed scientific proven facts and people who know someone that it happened to. Just like dialing #77 to get away from a rapist. I've never heard of this before, but the person swears it happened to their friend: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/fakecop.asp

I never heard of the "Deadly Soda Cans" legend where people can die of Leptospirosis by drinking straight out the can due to dried rat urine (disgusting!): http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/raturine.asp

The third one I've never heard of was lead being in popular lipsticks: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/lipstick.asp

The web is so prone to these types of stories because people like to be entertained and are easily deceived by rumors and stories.

Why urban legends get passed (http://people.howstuffworks.com/urban-legend1.htm)

A person might pass on non-cautionary information simply because it is funny or interesting. When you first hear the story, you are completely amazed that such a thing has occurred. When told correctly, a good urban legend will have you on the edge of your seat. It's human nature to want to spread this feeling to others, and be the one who's got everyone waiting to hear how the story turns out. Even if you hear it as a made-up joke, you might be tempted to personalize the tale by claiming it happened to a friend. Basically, people love to tell a good story. Another reason such stories get passed on is because the details make them seem real. You may have heard stories of children being kidnapped from a specific location of a local department store, or you may have heard about various gang initiations (more on this later) that occurred in a specific part of your town. Since you are familiar with the setting -- you know it's a real place -- the story sounds real. This level of specificity also plays into your own fears and anxieties about what could happen to you in the places you visit regularly.

Urban Legends and the Internet (http://people.howstuffworks.com/urban-legend4.htm)

Forwarded e-mail legends are often the work of one or more pranksters, not the product of many different storytellers. For these authors, the thrill is seeing how far a legend will spread. As with word-of-mouth legends, there are all sorts of e-mail hoaxes. Cautionary legends are very common in e-mail forwards, often focusing on made-up computer viruses or Internet scams. Even a skeptical person might forward this sort of message, just in case it's true. A similar sort of e-mail legend is the charity or petition appeal, which outlines a good cause or a horrible miscarriage of justice and then instructs you to add your name to a petition and send it on to everybody you know. There are real e-mail petitions, of course, and these do help out good causes. It can be tricky to spot a hoax, but one indicator is that the e-mail includes no address to send the list to when it is completed. Additionally, if a message begins with "This is not a hoax or urban legend," it probably is.