Culture · 6 pages · 12 min
Why urban legends have a friend of a friend
The friend of a friend is a witness close enough to trust and too far to question.
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From the opening
Urban legends are contemporary stories told as true events that happened to someone just outside the teller's own circle. The friend of a friend supplies a witness who seems near enough to be real and far enough that the hearer cannot go and ask. The opening covers close enough to seem witnessed, too far away to question, and each retelling shifts the witness.
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Inside
- Close enough to seem witnessed
- Too far away to question
- Each retelling shifts the witness
- Belief can travel without an eyewitness
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Brunvand's friend-of-a-friend attribution in urban legends
- Rumor distinguished from a checkable firsthand report