Rumours, gossip and inaccuracies.
Discussion
I’m posting this because I witnessed a “rumour mill” in action yesterday and it got me thinking about how rumour with incredible inaccuracies spreads so quickly.
The example yesterday wasn’t really in social media setting. It was largely face-to-face.
The setting, a small town /village. As I walked into the village to go to the pub, the main junction was sealed off. It effectively cut the place in half with no access for cars or pedestrians. Because of the closure and layout of the road it was impossible to see what had happened, but there was a very big emergency services response .
A passer by told me someone had been hit by a car. She was with her daughter who being a nurse had offered to help.
They appeared concerned but not overly upset.
An old gent told me there was a Mini there which had its roof cut off by the fire service.
In the pub I was told :
A woman had been crushed by a Range Rover.
“A young lad” had died .
A 5 year old boy was dead.
Two people were dead.
A boy had been hit by a runaway tractor.
A Range Rover had left the road in swerving to avoid a van.
The Range Rover driver was seen wandering around after the crash.
The Range Rover driver had a heart attack.
A madman had been seen racing round in a “brand new” Range Rover just prior to the crash.
A young woman had been seen bullying her way through traffic in a Range Rover just prior to the crash.
The driver was an older lady.
The driver was a very old lady.
Crime scene investigators were searching for something.
The driver was named - different names.
Registration numbers quoted. All different.
All this within a few metres of the crash.
The tragic truth is that the person who died was a man in his 70s struck by a Range Rover which for some reason left the road.
All the above came from outwardly sensible people. There was no glee or excitement . There was actually a very sombre, calm, even eerie atmosphere in the pub and in the village.
It has me wondering about rumours and how grossly inaccurate even far fetched they can be. For example, where did the Mini, tractor and five year old boy rumours come from? Do people just make stuff up?
Story here:
Man dies after being hit by a Range Rover in Ponteland
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24390285.a6...
The example yesterday wasn’t really in social media setting. It was largely face-to-face.
The setting, a small town /village. As I walked into the village to go to the pub, the main junction was sealed off. It effectively cut the place in half with no access for cars or pedestrians. Because of the closure and layout of the road it was impossible to see what had happened, but there was a very big emergency services response .
A passer by told me someone had been hit by a car. She was with her daughter who being a nurse had offered to help.
They appeared concerned but not overly upset.
An old gent told me there was a Mini there which had its roof cut off by the fire service.
In the pub I was told :
A woman had been crushed by a Range Rover.
“A young lad” had died .
A 5 year old boy was dead.
Two people were dead.
A boy had been hit by a runaway tractor.
A Range Rover had left the road in swerving to avoid a van.
The Range Rover driver was seen wandering around after the crash.
The Range Rover driver had a heart attack.
A madman had been seen racing round in a “brand new” Range Rover just prior to the crash.
A young woman had been seen bullying her way through traffic in a Range Rover just prior to the crash.
The driver was an older lady.
The driver was a very old lady.
Crime scene investigators were searching for something.
The driver was named - different names.
Registration numbers quoted. All different.
All this within a few metres of the crash.
The tragic truth is that the person who died was a man in his 70s struck by a Range Rover which for some reason left the road.
All the above came from outwardly sensible people. There was no glee or excitement . There was actually a very sombre, calm, even eerie atmosphere in the pub and in the village.
It has me wondering about rumours and how grossly inaccurate even far fetched they can be. For example, where did the Mini, tractor and five year old boy rumours come from? Do people just make stuff up?
Story here:
Man dies after being hit by a Range Rover in Ponteland
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24390285.a6...
Edited by Wildcat45 on Sunday 16th June 05:56
When Stony Stratford was a staging post for horse-drawn coaches, the passengers who used the coaching inns traded news. News would come in, enhanced news would go out. Two rival inns were The Cock Hotel and The Bull Inn. Hence Cock and Bull Stories.
A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Wildcat45 said:
The setting, a small town /village.
That's your mistake. Move to a city. People mind their own business and you can live next to someone for 30 years and not know their name. Bliss. That’s what I’m interested in.
This incident is an illustration of that rumour mill.
DickyC said:
When Stony Stratford was a staging post for horse-drawn coaches, the passengers who used the coaching inns traded news. News would come in, enhanced news would go out. Two rival inns were The Cock Hotel and The Bull Inn. Hence Cock and Bull Stories.
A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
And Gossip derives from go-sup. Ie go down the pub and get the gen or what’s happening. A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
DickyC said:
When Stony Stratford was a staging post for horse-drawn coaches, the passengers who used the coaching inns traded news. News would come in, enhanced news would go out. Two rival inns were The Cock Hotel and The Bull Inn. Hence Cock and Bull Stories.
A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
Still never been for a beer in Stony. A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
LimaDelta said:
Even in the article linked the headline states 'man' while the caption on the first photo states 'woman'.
Can't expect the media to get it right.Knowing Pont well, used to work there, a car travelling east from Belsay would have driven along a fairly slow length of road so unlikely to have been speeding. i wonder (and here the rumours go) had the driver turned out of North Road whilst the pedestrian was crossing the A696.
Very sad none the less.
Skyedriver said:
LimaDelta said:
Even in the article linked the headline states 'man' while the caption on the first photo states 'woman'.
Can't expect the media to get it right.Knowing Pont well, used to work there, a car travelling east from Belsay would have driven along a fairly slow length of road so unlikely to have been speeding. i wonder (and here the rumours go) had the driver turned out of North Road whilst the pedestrian was crossing the A696.
Very sad none the less.
The car ended up - as far as I can tell - on the green in front of the church.
f
king horrible for everyone. The atmosphere in Oont was really heavy and grim. Old goat behind us is 75, lovely fella but thinks he is 21
Got into a scuffle with some lads breaking into his shed and sadly got a large cut to his head. We were the first people on the scene and helped him etc
He was just pleased they didn’t get away with anything and it was all over
This somehow managed to get onto the local Facebook group and everyone went a bit Italian mafia, the stories got wilder and wilder over a few days
Was interesting when you knew all the facts to actually see how quickly things blow out of proportion
Got into a scuffle with some lads breaking into his shed and sadly got a large cut to his head. We were the first people on the scene and helped him etc
He was just pleased they didn’t get away with anything and it was all over
This somehow managed to get onto the local Facebook group and everyone went a bit Italian mafia, the stories got wilder and wilder over a few days
Was interesting when you knew all the facts to actually see how quickly things blow out of proportion
Edited by Spare tyre on Sunday 16th June 08:52
the-norseman said:
DickyC said:
When Stony Stratford was a staging post for horse-drawn coaches, the passengers who used the coaching inns traded news. News would come in, enhanced news would go out. Two rival inns were The Cock Hotel and The Bull Inn. Hence Cock and Bull Stories.
A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
Still never been for a beer in Stony. A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
That's not a rumour, it's true.
snuffy said:
the-norseman said:
DickyC said:
When Stony Stratford was a staging post for horse-drawn coaches, the passengers who used the coaching inns traded news. News would come in, enhanced news would go out. Two rival inns were The Cock Hotel and The Bull Inn. Hence Cock and Bull Stories.
A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
Still never been for a beer in Stony. A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
That's not a rumour, it's true.
Spare tyre said:
snuffy said:
the-norseman said:
DickyC said:
When Stony Stratford was a staging post for horse-drawn coaches, the passengers who used the coaching inns traded news. News would come in, enhanced news would go out. Two rival inns were The Cock Hotel and The Bull Inn. Hence Cock and Bull Stories.
A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
Still never been for a beer in Stony. A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
That's not a rumour, it's true.
snuffy said:
Spare tyre said:
snuffy said:
the-norseman said:
DickyC said:
When Stony Stratford was a staging post for horse-drawn coaches, the passengers who used the coaching inns traded news. News would come in, enhanced news would go out. Two rival inns were The Cock Hotel and The Bull Inn. Hence Cock and Bull Stories.
A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
Still never been for a beer in Stony. A bloke I met in a pub told me that. Nearly seven feet tall, he was.
That's not a rumour, it's true.
“Yeah he is there - marriage problems”
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