Anatomy Of A Rumor

Walking through a hallway at a crowded high school can often be a daunting task for some students. A sophomore walks slowly, keeping her head down as people yell nasty, horrendous things about her new boyfriend, who is a senior. The rumors were flying that she was only with him because he was a jock and she was just doing his homework, or that he is only taking to her because he knocked her up at a party a couple of weeks ago. This is something that all too many students have to deal with almost daily. In “A Psychology of a Rumor,” Knapp defines rumor “as a proposition for belief of topical reference disseminated without official verification” (496). However, in “Anatomy of a Rumor,” written by Daniel Goleman it is suggested that “rumors are

In “Paul is Dead!” written by Alan Glenn it is stated that the rumor circulating was that “McCartney had died three years previously in a horrific car crash” (500). The rumor lead to people purchasing The Beatles music to listen for clues that might lead them to the truth with in the rumor. The rumor was started by a college student by the name of Fred LaBour. This particular rumor fed off of people’s anxiety of death. Another example of how rumors can be good for business is found in a news article on the Tuscaloosa News webpage, stating that people are beginning to fear that when “Barack Obama is sworn into office in January, he and the more powerful Democratic majority in Congress are going to pass new limits on firearms and raise taxes on ammunition” (When Rumors Can Be Good Business). People began to become distressed when they thought that their ammunition and gun sales would diminish, so they bought everything that they could get their hands on. BY buying every gun and ammunition that they could get their hands on the market went up and the value of guns

In “The Rumor,” Updike shows how the rumor strained the marriage of the popular New York couple who owned a small art gallery. Sharon Whittier began to believe that the rumor had some truth behind it just because it was ridiculous. She thought about the time that they had been in New York, and how they hadn’t been spending as much time with each other as normal. In her opinion, the rumor could have easily been true! She began to take notice that the rumor was everywhere. “The rumor amused him […] to notice how she helplessly watched to see if in the metropolitan throngs his eyes now followed young men as once they had noticed and followed young women” (Updike). Whittier began to question Frank’s feminine mannerisms, and if they’re could be someone fighting her for her husband. This is an example of the wedge-driving aggression rumor, because it is effective in “dividing groups and destroying loyalties” (497). The rumor in this situation, is an example of dividing loyalty between Frank and his wife