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Apr. 3rd, 2003 12:18 pmTwo days ago my coworker told me about the POW rescue. He said that a bunch of POW's had been pulled out of Bagdad in a daring covert operation.
Two days ago I was talking to Tom's friend via EQ, and he gave me a full rundown of the POW rescue that included a lot of details that I have not seen reported anywhere. Details like exactly how all of her companions were tortured and executed, and exactly how a bragging General had given away the information about where she (the POW) was, and other details that no actual reporter had reported to my knowledge.
Yesterday my friend at work was scouring the internet because his friend had told him that Saddam had been confirmed as dead.
Even aside from the much-publicised reporting of rumours that turn out to have little basis in reality (city revolts, chemical weapon factories, etc.), it's amazing what people will tell you that they "heard" or "saw" on the news. Things that they couldn't possibly have heard or seen.
One of the parts of Paul Thereau's "Happy Isles of Oceania" that made me laugh happened while he was visiting the islands of the South Seas during the first gulf war. Many people down there confuse the movies they see with reality, and when war broke out, one of the natives swore to Paul that he'd heard it reported on the news that America was sending Rambo to the Middle East to kick Iraqi butt (essentially). It makes you laugh that anyone could believe something so patently untrue, but the fact is, even the most educated people seem to listen to news of the war and then walk off convinced they've heard something that wasn't reported.
Two days ago I was talking to Tom's friend via EQ, and he gave me a full rundown of the POW rescue that included a lot of details that I have not seen reported anywhere. Details like exactly how all of her companions were tortured and executed, and exactly how a bragging General had given away the information about where she (the POW) was, and other details that no actual reporter had reported to my knowledge.
Yesterday my friend at work was scouring the internet because his friend had told him that Saddam had been confirmed as dead.
Even aside from the much-publicised reporting of rumours that turn out to have little basis in reality (city revolts, chemical weapon factories, etc.), it's amazing what people will tell you that they "heard" or "saw" on the news. Things that they couldn't possibly have heard or seen.
One of the parts of Paul Thereau's "Happy Isles of Oceania" that made me laugh happened while he was visiting the islands of the South Seas during the first gulf war. Many people down there confuse the movies they see with reality, and when war broke out, one of the natives swore to Paul that he'd heard it reported on the news that America was sending Rambo to the Middle East to kick Iraqi butt (essentially). It makes you laugh that anyone could believe something so patently untrue, but the fact is, even the most educated people seem to listen to news of the war and then walk off convinced they've heard something that wasn't reported.
