Rumor
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Snopes.com, is just one of those forums. Recently it had an article titled “Flight Crew Takes a Knee, Leaving New Orleans Saints Stranded on Runway?” https://www.snopes.com/flight-crew-takes-knee/.
This article stated that the flight crew of New Orleans saints, decided to take a knee and refuse to fly the team, and their coaches, to their destination. Their reasons were because the team, and its coaches, were disrespectful to the national anthem.
This article turned out to be false, and just a rumor.
The original website that published this rumor was a website called FreedumJunkshun.com
Their claim was that both the pilot and copilot had decided they had enough of the team, and players disrespecting the veterans, our flag, and our country. They decided to take matters into their own hands and delay their flight by a day, and take a knee. This rumor was started to stir up more hate, and detestation amongst the NFL, and its players.
Using Robert H. Knapp’s (Knapp’s, 497) classification of rumors, we know that this particular rumor is known as the Wedge driving, Aggression rumor. It’s a rumor designed to divide groups. Ec, veterans versus civilians, activists versus conformists. This rumors motivation is to stir up hate and aggression amongst people
This rumor also touches on Daniel Goleman (Goleman, Dr. Levin, 489) basic anxieties like disaster. What if pandemonium broke out because of the pilot refusing to fly the plane? Fans from all over would be boycotting airports, people’s flights would be delayed. Racial tensions would have escalated. What if the pilots in question were Caucasian? That would’ve struck a chord with the minority population, because in our eyes, they don’t understand the movement, so to mock it would cause tensions to rise. Was it politics that influenced the crew, was it a conspiracy coming from the government itself, to prove a point? That can be the conspiratorial plots. This particular rumor doesn't touch on the death aspect of Goleman's basic anxiety.
According to Robert H, Knapp (497) this rumor does have the basic characteristics to be a good rumor. For one, it memorable. The NFL, especially this particular team, has been in the media a number of times for its players, exercising their rights. So saying that a pilot, and copilot decided to do the same, and refuse to fly, is short, simple, and to the point. No extravagant details present. No particular airport, airline, or pilot’s information to remember. Those details can get distorted. This story will most likely will be picked up by other news sources. Rumors can affect us in many ways. Even the smallest rumor can spiral into a malicious one in record time. The majority of internet forums are based off of rumor, or gossip. All you need is the right condition for a rumor to seem as if it has validity. Sometimes, just being an article, on a well-known source, can be just the fuel to flame a storm of a rumor.
This rumor is prevalent right now in our immediate culture. The only thing this rumor lacks is a humble beginning, there's an absence of an authoritative source.
This rumor is prevalent right now in our immediate culture. The only thing this rumor lacks is a humble beginning, there's an absence of an authoritative source.
Did we learn or gain anything out of this rumor? Well, according to Nicholas Difonzo (512) we are to analyze a rumor, and decide whether it helps you the reader, or how did it help the people. He calls this the “process of sense making” (512) People will believe half of the stuff they read, or hear. This particular article, although false in nature, can ideally spread because of the relevancy now in the world. The media is most likely to generate a rumor like this because they like to generate angst among the people. It's easier to divide than to unite. Unity doesn't sell, and neither does candor. Millions of people will remember a rumor, few will remember the truth.
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http://freedumjunkshun.com/
I can understand why they refuse to go with the team, but they are really causing a lot of conflict between the players and the pilot.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. This rumor does spark aggressive behavior based on what is actually going on in our world as far as the kneeling for the national anthem.
ReplyDeleteThis really makes you think about all the protesting going on. If this story was true, I believe the pilot has a right to not fly the team just as the team has the right to not stand for the national anthem.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very relevant rumor with what is going on now in society now, very believable.
ReplyDeleteThis rumor was started to create I divide between people on a sensitive topic. The rumor is so easy to believe because of all the controversy that surrounds the right of freedom of speech. It was am interesting read.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent example of how a rumor can be used to spark a debate/discussion relevant to current events.
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