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Original poster

To get so irritated when people pretend things happened to them that clearly didn't?

257 replies

CalamityKate · 04/04/2012 13:01

I was watching This Morning earlier and they had an email from a woman who trotted out the whole "Dug Up Rabbit" story. Of course Colleen and Ruth and Eammon had a right old laugh about it.

Which is lovely, but it didn't happen. It's an urban myth that's been repeated and repeated and repeated - often by celebrities on chat shows.

Snopes

It REALLY irritates me when people do this. Why lie? What on earth is the point of emailing a programme, pretending that something happened to you when it didn't?

I've seen it on forums too - people tell a story that is either clearly a lie (as in the Snopes example) or it just doesn't ring true and you just KNOW it's either completely made up or VERY heavily embellished.

I was actually tempted to email This Morning Blush

OP posts:
elvisaintdead · 04/04/2012 17:00

One of my relatives does this and it drives me mad. She tells stories about when we were kids that simply did not happen and she tells them right in front of us - she must know we know they are not true?! Usually I bite my lip but on the odd occasion it has annoyed me so much I have been moved to say" Funny, I don't remember that at all" and without batting an eyelid she will say "oh that's right, it was your sister, not you now I come to think..."

WTF?? I don't know why she does it as the tales are just silly daft tales about things we supposedly said or did and aren't even that funny. If they were when we little kids sure, maybe I could have forgotten but this is stuff about wehn we were teens. It bugs the hell out of me!

Eggsits · 04/04/2012 17:20

Goodness - was reading this and enjoying it when I suddenly remembered that I do know a Jennifer Taylor! She was always Jen or Jennifer, never Jenny - but .......

nickelhasababy · 04/04/2012 17:24

can someone please explain the Jenny Taylor thing?

I've tried to merge it in my head, but getting nowhere!
Confused

nickelhasababy · 04/04/2012 17:25

oh genitalia Hmm

EduStudent · 04/04/2012 17:25

Oh God, the picking up the wallet and getting some 'inside' advice to avoid London/Birmingham/the local shopping centre one is utterly ridiculous.

Unless your my DM, who takes it as gospel Hmm

PooshTun · 04/04/2012 17:27

I first heard the dug up rabbit story about 5 years ago while watching the US court room drama series Boston Legal. One of the lawyers related this story from "her" childhood to the jury.

Has anyone heard of the Kentucky Fried Rat story? I've heard it at least 5 times and each time the story teller swears it happened to his/her friend. Basically, the 'friend' took a KFC meal into the cinema, bit into it in the dark and liquid squirted. It turned out to be a rat that somehow ended up getting accidentally? coated and fried.

FoxyRoxy · 04/04/2012 17:29

My aunts neighbour glitterised her fanjo before a smear. She grabbed what she thought was deodorant and sprayed her undercarriage (that part is the worst for me) but it was glitter hairspray. I don't see why variations of this couldn't have happened to more than one person.

I've heard this exact story several times!

I've heard La-a and most of the others as well. Why do people bother!

StateofConfusion · 04/04/2012 17:30

I have an old school friend who is updating her facebook weekly of how old her child who she 'miscarried' would be, funny how it wasn't mentioned until the dd and the boyfriend whom she claims is the dad didn't sleep with her until a month after she would have concieved and she was a virgin!

Delusional that one!

EndoplasmicReticulum · 04/04/2012 17:34

Someone I know swears this happened to them:

www.snopes.com/horrors/food/tumor.asp

doesn't seem likely though.

The most common one from my student days was the Captain Pugwash rude names story. Not true. People used to swear they remembered the rude names, but it still isn't true.

There really did used to be a local newsreader called Chris Peacock when I lived down south. I think they started referring to him as Christopher after a while.

LookAtAllTheseFucksIGive · 04/04/2012 17:44

Does that mean Michael Oxlong isn't a real name? :o

squoosh · 04/04/2012 17:46

There was a baby called Drew Peacock in one of the papers a few years ago. I saw it with mine own eyes. The parents didn't realise it sounded a bit off until they googled it to see if there were any other famous Droopy Cocks.

DaDerDaDer · 04/04/2012 17:52

I know two women, who do this repeatedly, on a smaller but more insidious scale.

Conversations with them involve exaggerated and made up conversations they've had.

Eg they may say "carol said she hates her mother"

You think 'gosh carol never gave me that impression'

Or, something like "fionas husband is very controlling'

You think 'gosh he seems so nice'

Or 'susie said i should help out more with the pfa'

You think 'gosh that's outrageous i didn't realise Susie was like that.

Or 'DD's teacher said DD was her favourite pupil'

You think 'gosh how lovely for you to hear that bit unprofessional though.'

It then very gradually dawns on you that what they are repeating as factual events, are actually just the thoughts in their head and they seem to lack the filter between reality and their feelings/thoughts.

They pretend to know people very well and be in their confidence, and you then discover the other person barely knows who they are.

They like to be 'in the know' about everything, so confidently offer information on all sorts giving the impression they have been told this directly. Anything you may know, they know already, nod smugly and provide additional flimsy information.

As I say Ive met two women like this in the past ten years, it's taken me a while to suss it and I've found it hard to comprehend.

It's different from exaggerating a funny story, it's more subtle, and more insidious.

Anyone else met these types?

Silverlace · 04/04/2012 17:56

I have a friend who has told me a story several times that I first heard in the 1980s and swears it happened to her friend's mum last year. Someone buys a yucca plant from M&S (it is always M&S in the story). Anyway the plant hisses when watered and soon dies. It is taken back to the shop and upon examination a nest of poisonous spiders is found in the root. Various scenarios follow - shop is evacuated, family has house stripped by M&S and spiders found in duvet etc etc.

TheCountessOlenska · 04/04/2012 18:01

I think I might be weird in that I don't mind if people re-tell urban myths or exaggerate stories . . . I assume that they are trying to entertain/amuse me and I prefer that to sitting in deathly silence or hearing a really boring true story Grin Good luck to 'em I say!

fudgywudgy · 04/04/2012 18:03

What is the stamp story?

LookAtAllTheseFucksIGive · 04/04/2012 18:04

I haven't heard that one Silverlace. I'm sure I'll hear a John Lewis version in due course though. :o

SarahJessicaFarter · 04/04/2012 18:12

Stratters there are no traffic lights anywhere in Woodhall Spa, that should have been the first clue Wink

TunipTheVegemal · 04/04/2012 18:15

My MIL was convinced we should not let the children go on roundabouts alone at Disneyland because of the story that some parents were waving to their child on a roundabout and then the next time the roundabout came round the child had disappeared, so the whole place was put on lockdown and the child stopped at the exit with two strangers..... only she said it had happened to her hairdresser!
She is normally very intelligent. Just very trusting I suppose.

TwinkleTwinklyStars · 04/04/2012 18:20

I've hear a similar one to that Silverlace.

It involved a plant bought from our local morrisons by a friend of a colleague.
The store was evacuated and their house (and the store) had to be fumigated, apparently they also received a large compensation cheque.

You think something like that would at least have made the local paper.

a few weeks ago the main headline was 'Man kicked by cow', i'm pretty sure they would have jumped on the story of poisonous spiders infesting a supermarket!

catpark · 04/04/2012 18:29

Silverlace that story has been going for years ( Early 80's at least) but it wasn't a yucca plant. It was a cactus plant that was brought back from someones holiday. The houseowners noticed it seemed to move and was getting fatter. One day it made a funny noise and a big shudder. They were frightened and left the house just before the cactus exploded and hundereds of spiders came pouring out !

Silverlace · 04/04/2012 18:36

Another one featuring poor old M&S that does the rounds.

A woman buys a nightie and wears it but comes out in a rash. She takes it back and it is investigated. Turns out that the nightie has embalming fluid on it, the implication being it has been worn by a corpse!

I try to keep a straight face when people tell me these stories as gospel that it really did happen to their Auntie's boss's daughter.

Stratters · 04/04/2012 18:41

I know Sarah. That's what makes it so funny for me. Grin

I did bother to put that little snippet in the first time I posted this little gem on here. DMum wouldn't have it though, even though I pointed out that said friend would never drive around with a knife under her seat.

She still believes her.

queenrollo · 04/04/2012 18:50

Chris Peacock always comes into conversation when we see our friends from down south. I think he might still be reading local news down there.

stratters I once stood in Woodhall Spa Post Office trying not have an aneuryism at two old ladies having an argument over a 'chap'.....it was like a senior version of Youth Club as it was obviously pension day