(Mario Goveia wrote: " If they hadn't been so self-righteous they would have known that I did not perpetuate the original hoax, and would have had no reason to oppose the common-sense suggestion I continued to make that people should watch where they sit in a public place, because the fact that the probability of infection from such needles is "low", this does not mean the possibility is "no, and the consequences and lengthy testing are horrendous, even if it turns out there is no infection." )
Mario, To strike an analogy, a few years back there was a strange rumour that did the rounds in the city of Panaji of a snake moving around freely in the ?Samrat Theatre? located in the heart of the city. When a few friends of mine had planned one fine day that they would go to watch a certain ?super-duper hit? film of those times, I casually mentioned to them to be careful as I had heard from someone that there was a snake in the theatre. Subsequently, when I met those friends again, one of them recounted how even though the movie was very good yet he could not enjoy it since, being terrified of snakes, the fear of that snake in the theatre had constantly been lurking in his mind. I immediately realized my folly. Without ascertaining whether the story I had heard was true or false, I had inadvertently played my part in spreading it. And even though my intentions at that time might have been good and honest-- that they should all beware of the snake which, through someone reliable I had heard, was moving around freely in the theatre--I had unintentionally created a fear in their minds. By spreading a rumour, which I was to find later on was entirely untrue, I had played my role in causing an unnecessary alarm and panic. On a similar note Mario, by sending an ?unconfirmed-warning? to thousands on this group, you inadvertently created a ?boogeyman? for others to be scared of. You may have innocently posted the story of the ?Aids-infected needles? on this forum, sincerely believing in its authenticity, but admittedly this story was false. This is what urban legends are all about: stories that sound good but have no basis in fact. They are rumors that keep getting passed on to others by innocent readers who sincerely believe in their authenticity, but which happen to be mere fabrications, distortions and/ or exaggerations. Your ?common-sense suggestion? had its roots in an urban legend that was inherently deceptive and false. That urban legend did not intend to create awareness on this ?so called? important issue. Far from it, the only purpose that particular story was serving was to cause an alarm in the society and create a panic and a kind of phobia. We need to ask ourselves: do we intend to spread rumours, hoaxes and legends or do we intend to spread the truth? Urban legends can not only frighten and alarm us, but can also confirm to our fears, prejudices and superstitions. Let us therefore choose to be the ?stewards of truth? rather than be seen as supporters of ?widely- dispersed misinformations?. We all need to be a part of an important goal of getting as close to the truth as we can. We must refrain from legitimizing the credibility of events which are highly exaggerated, distorted and fabricated. We must stop believing in improbable stories without thinking and must cease to forward copies of such stories to others. By pointing out that your story was false, George and Santosh did nothing wrong. Rather, by pointing out that the probability of being infected was low, Santosh tried to neutralize the damage that you may inadvertently have caused and the alarm/ panic that you may inadvertently have created. The next time we go to the theatres, we will not have a constant fear lurking in our minds of being contaminated with ?Aids-infected needles?. Remember Mario, inaccurate information--whether intentionally or accidentally put in our paths?can tend to have dangerous repercussions. We do not need to create any more phobias in the society. If we do not know what is accurate; we are bound to magnify the problems. Let us therefore refrain from condemning individuals like George or Santosh who are doing a great service to this forum by constantly being the ?guardians of truth?. Cheers Sandeep Heble __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com