Category talk:Urban legends

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Cyberlore?

does anybody know what cyberlore is? The previous unsigned comment was added by 192.206.243.9 (contribs/talk), at 14:19 UTC on 25 October 2005.

Online folklore. Those e-mail forwards you get about Bonsai Kittens, ManBeef or the $250 Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe. The internet is a much better vehicle for urban legends than the conventional word-of-mouth. Bp28 05:24, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The interstate highway system is an urban legend? 74.223.3.210 18:21, 16 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Category:Hoaxes as a sub-category of Category:Urban legends?

I don't feel that this is correct. Surely something can be a hoax without being an urban legend? I believe the dependency should be the other way around. Chris Cunningham (talk) 22:20, 11 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

DHMO?

Should dihydrogen monoxide be on the list? It seems like it would be a circulating urban legend. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.8.59.31 (talk) 22:04, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

DHMO seems more suited to 'jokes' then anything. Lots42 (talk) 07:27, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Things that should be included and things that should not

"An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories usually believed by their tellers to be true. As with all folklore and mythology, the designation suggests nothing about the story's veracity, but merely that it is in circulation, exhibits variation over time, and carries some significance that motivates the community in preserving and propagating it." -- wikipedia

Many of the things included on this list (this is one reason, I suppose, why lists are disparaged) do not fit this definition. Some, such as the "Slender Man', are works of fiction and internet phenomena, not in circulation outside certain groups of internet users. Some are hoaxes that do not rise to 'legend' or folklore status. Others may be urban legends but there is nothing in the specific article to justify their inclusion in this category (Gay Mafia). I'm sure that there are also stories that qualify as urban legends that are not included. I urge everyone to consider the definition and make sure that including something on this list is justified. 24.27.31.170 (talk) 20:24, 25 May 2011 (UTC) Eric[reply]

By your definition, the Slender Man fits nicely in an urban legend context. Unless, of course, you're suggesting that "certain groups" of upwards of 70,000 people aren't significant enough to count as a community. And your justification here for the Slender Man not being an urban legend it its status as a work of fiction, despite the definition you provided stating that being called an urban legend "suggests nothing about the story's veracity". In fact, given that the Slender Man is "in circulation, exhibits variation over time, and carries some significance that motivates the community in preserving and propagating" the Mythos, I'd say there's a perfect justification to keep that label. Cougar Draven (talk) 22:01, 25 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's not my definition, it's Wikipedia's. I'm not really taking a position that Slender Man doesn't belong here because I don't know much about it. Maybe it's a bad example. However, I think there is a clear distinction between a work of fiction, even one created by the collaboration of 70,000 people, and folklore or mythology. Cthulhu is not an Urban Legend despite the millions of people who know about Cthulhu, to give another bad example, but one you provoked by using the word "Mythos". Note also that the reason Urban Legends continue is that they are "usually believed by their tellers to be true." If Slender Man is presented as true to people (as a hoax, perhaps) and those people believe it, and tell others, then it becomes an urban legend. In other words, I humbly suggest you misunderstood what I said. ... I did not expect to see a reply to my comment today. I came back to add a couple of examples of urban legends that are not included but should be: The legend that bumblebees should not be able to fly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee#Flight) and the story that the owner of the Drake Hotel thought it was about to burn down, so he sold it to Drake cheap (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Hotel_(Chicago)#Urban_legends). 24.27.31.170 (talk) 21:34, 26 May 2011 (UTC) Eric[reply]

Suffice it to say that I police the Slender Man page. It's kind of a pet project of mine. And if I did misunderstand your statement, I apologize. I'm of the opinion that there are a considerable amount of people who just aren't aware that the Slender Man is in fact a work of fiction. (Also, there's the tulpa theory to think about. Fiction or no, if enough people think and/or believe, it becomes reality, sort of in a Peter Pan "clap your hands if you believe" way. Cougar Draven (talk) 05:04, 30 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]