It must be true, I read it on the internet.
Imagine the scene: Scientists in a Russian observatory receive a top-secret visit from the KGB. They are told to pretend that they can detect radio signals from the moon including a tape of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin filmed in an American studio. In the United Kingdom the staff at Goonhilly Downs radio telescope are having a similar talk from the Secret Service. Meanwhile, NASA manage to convince every single member of their staff to keep this hoax secret for the rest of their lives. When someone is sacked unfairly, they never mention this either as blackmail or revenge. With all the secrets about corruption and lying leaking from every parliament over the years, not one single person ever reveals this secret.
All right, it sounds stupid. But there are people who really believe not only that the first moon landings were not true but that everyone who has evidence for them is lying. And why do they believe it? Because they read it on the internet. There are other similar unintelligent arguments: creationism (the idea that evolution is not supported by scientific evidence) and denial that the holocaust happened (the political version of creationism). About ten minutes of biology or basic history show that these are not serious academic ideas, but they are on the internet and, for some, having a website is more important than having any real evidence.
How about these: There is a company in the United States that sells human meat and even gives recipes for the best meals you can make out of people. Walt Disney is being kept frozen in liquid nitrogen somewhere in one of the Disney parks (it gives a whole new meaning to 'Disney on ice'). The American government secretly attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon themselves with military planes, and four passenger planes simply vanished the same day for no reason. The Vatican have a computer containing the names of every Protestant in the world in preparation for a war they are planning 'very soon'. They must be true because someone on the internet says so.
My favourite silly internet story is that Wikipedia is a serious project. If you ever read the site, ignore the articles and simply click on their 'History' tab. You will see all the changes that people have made to it (and there are a lot of changes as anyone on the internet can write anything). If you want a good laugh, look at the history pages for George W Bush, Tony Blair, Michael Jackson, cattle, or my own favourite: the page about Wikipedia vandalism. Ask yourself this: Would you trust a bank or a hospital that was run that way? Personally, I wouldn't trust them to run a bath.
Glossary
to pretend udawać, że
to detect wykryć
to convince przekonać
a hoax mistyfikacja
to be sacked zostać wyrzuconym
unfairly niesprawiedliwie
blackmail szantaż
revenge zemsta
to leak ujawnić
to reveal wyjawić
evidence dowody
a recipe przepis
liquid nitrogen azot ciekły
to vanish zniknąć
silly głupi
to ignore zignorować
cattle bydło
to run a bath puścić wody do wanny
Some of these statements are false. Can you correct them?
1) The opposite of 'flammable' is 'inflammable'
2) A 'teetotaller' is a person who doesn't drink tea.
3) The past tense of 'hang' is 'hanged'.
4) A 'trunk' is part of a car.
5) The letters 'DVD' mean 'Digital Video Disc'.
6) The letters e.g. and i.e. mean the same thing.
KEY
1) False. 'Inflammable' means the same as 'flammable'. The opposite is 'non-flammable'.
2) False. Teetotallers don't drink alcohol.
3) True, when you talk about executing someone. The usual past tense is 'hung'.
4) True, in American English (it's called the 'boot' in British English). It is also part of a tree, the human body, and an elephant.
5) True, but they also stand for (mean) 'Digital Versatile Disc'.
6) False, although it is a very common mistake. The letters e.g. mean 'for example' and i.e. means 'that is'.
Did you know?
Aluminium is spelled aluminum in the USA because someone sending boxes of it to America made a mistake with the labelling.
An Australian news channel announced the British Queen Mother had died several years too early. They saw a report being prepared 'just in case' and thought it was the latest news.
Did you know…?
The American who bought London Bridge (which is now in the Arizona desert) bought it by accident. He thought he was buying Tower Bridge.
Did you know…?
One of these 'Did you know…?' statements is not true, although all can be found on the internet.