Urban legends are a large part of American culture, and these frequently bleak stories are often introduced with the phrase, “I heard this from a friend of a friend.” While the person who tells the story may believe it to be true, there’s a strong chance that it isn’t. In the following post, I’ll list some of the more ridiculous urban legends floating around out there.
1. Coca-Cola came up with the idea of New Coke in order to make people realize how much they liked the original version. While this story is false, there’s nothing fake about the benefit of using Coca Cola coupons.
2. Despite stories to the contrary, the United States government does not grant a seven-year tax holiday to immigrants.
3. Dialing #77 on your cell phone in any state will not put you in contact with highway patrol dispatchers.
4. President Obama did not cancel the National Day of Prayer.
5. There is no upcoming movie that portrays Jesus as gay.
6. There is no new Pepsi can that omits the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance.
7. While there’s nothing wrong with eating asparagus, it doesn’t possess miraculous cancer-fighting abilities as one urban legend claims.
8. If you are an only child, you are not automatically exempted from military service in times of a national draft.
9. Ed McMahon was not Johnny Carson’s commanding officer in the military. In fact, the two men never ever served together.
10. Despite an urban legend to the contrary, a black woman did not serve as a the model for the Statue of Liberty.
So the next time someone tells you a story that was related by a “friend of a friend,” keep in mind that it’s probably not true. If you want fantasy, you’re better off going to the movies (when I see films, I like to use Cinemark coupons).