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WotD: Urban myth
Have you ever heard a story that sounded almost too strange to be true?
It was probably an urban myth.
An urban myth is a modern story that many people believe to be true but cannot be proven.
Urban myths are usually passed from person to person by word of mouth, or today, through social media.
They often feel real because they happen to “a friend of a friend,” someone you almost know, but not quite.
This is what makes an urban myth so easy to believe.
Urban myths are different from old fairy tales.
They are set in the modern world and feel very current.
Sometimes an urban myth contains a small piece of truth, but the details grow and change each time it’s told.
Over time, the story becomes much bigger than the original facts.
Canada has many fascinating examples of this kind of story.
One well-known Canadian urban myth is the Screaming Tunnel near Niagara Falls, Ontario.
According to this urban myth, if you light a match inside the tunnel, a ghostly wind will blow it out, and you will hear a woman scream.
Another popular Canadian urban myth is the Ogopogo, a giant sea creature, similar to the Loch Ness Monster, said to live in Okanagan Lake in British Columbia.
Many people claim to have seen it, but there is no scientific proof that it exists.
Then there is the story of Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, perhaps Canada’s most famous urban myth.
This large, hairy creature is said to roam the forests of British Columbia.
Rooted in Indigenous legend, Sasquatch has been reported for generations, yet no solid evidence has ever been found.
However, many people believe in it.
So, why do urban myths stay alive?
Because everyone loves a good story.
The next time you hear an unbelievable tale, ask yourself, “Is this fact, or just another urban myth?”
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 70.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.
