The Global Grapevine : Why Rumors of Terrorism, Immigration, and Trade Matter

Far from mere idle tales, rumors are a valuable window into our anxieties and fears. Rumors let us talk as a community about some very inflammatory issues--issues that may be embarrassing or disturbing to discuss-allowing us to act as if we are talking about real events, not personal beliefs. We can air our hidden fears and desires without claiming these attitudes as our own. In The Global Grapevine , two leading authorities on rumor, folklore, and urban legend--Gary Alan Fine and Bill Ellis--shed light on what contemporary rumors can tell us about the fears and pressures of globalization. In particular, they examine four major themes that emerge over and over again: rumors about terrorism, about immigration, about international trade, and about tourism. The authors analyze how various rumors underscore American reactions to perceived global threats, show how we interpret our changing world, and highlight fears, fantasies, and cherished beliefs about our place in the world. Along the way the book examines a wide variety of rumors-that the Israelis were behind 9-11, the President knew of the attack in advance, tourists wake up in foreign countries with their kidneys stolen, foreign workers urinate in vats of beer destined to be shipped to America. These rumors, the authors argue, reflect our anxieties and fears about contact with foreign cultures-whether we believe foreign competition to be poisoning the domestic economy or that foreign immigration to be eroding American values. Rumors are the visible tip of a vast iceberg of hidden anxieties. Illuminating the most widely circulated rumors in America in recent years, The Global Grapevine offers an invaluable portrait of what these tales reveal about contemporary society. A Flat World Allows Bad Ideas To Travel Faster. Using Illustrations Ranging From The History Of The Vampire To Modern Rumors About Terrorism, Gary Alan Fine And Bill Ellis Explain What Happens When Cultures Collide, And They Make You A Smarter Citizen Of An Increasingly Connected World. If You Want To Spot The Next Whopper That Appears In Your In-box (or Springs From The Mouth Of A Television Commentator) This Book Is Essential.--. Chip Heath, Author Of Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die In This Readable, Insightful Book, Fine And Ellis Offer A Tight Analysis Of Loose Talk. They Show How Seemingly Unrelated Rumors-9-11 Conspiracy Theories, Warnings About Dangerous Imported Goods, And Stories About Stolen Body Parts-reveal A Common Theme: Many People's Discomfort Regarding Their Growing Experience With And Exposure To What Strikes Them As Foreign. Other Analysts May Cheer That The World Is Shrinking And Getting Flatter, But The Stories We Tell One Another Suggest That Globalization Remains Pretty Scary For Lots Of Folks.--joel Best, Author Of Stat-sporting: A Field Guide To Identifying Dubious Data This Is A Brilliant Piece Of Cultural Criticism. Fine And Ellis Rigorously Scrutinize The Rampant Paranoid Rumors Of Our Time, Explaining How And Why These Fantasies Form, What They Mean, And How We Should Deal With Them. Everyone Who Listens To Talk Radio Or Uses The Internet Should Read This Book.--jan Harold Brunvand, Author Of Encyclopedia Of Urban Legends--jacket. Rumor: Plausible And Credible -- Rumor And September 11th: Understanding The Unthinkable -- A Riot Of Conspiracies -- Migrants: Disease In The Body Politic -- There Goes The Neighborhood: Latino Migrants And Immigration Rumors -- Tourist Troubles: The Travels Of Global Rumor -- The Menace Of International Trade -- Global Trafficking In Bodies -- Whispers On The Borderline. Gary Alan Fine, Bill Ellis. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents......Page 8 Introduction. Rumor: Plausible and Credible......Page 14 1. Rumor and September 11: Understanding the Unthinkable......Page 34 2. A Riot of Conspiracies......Page 64 3. Migrants: Disease in the Body Politic......Page 86 4. “There Goes the Neighborhood”: Latino Migrants and Immigration Rumors......Page 108 5. Tourist Troubles: The Travels of Global Rumor......Page 136 6. The Menace of International Trade......Page 160 7. Global Trafficking in Bodies......Page 188 8. Whispers on the Borderline......Page 214 Notes......Page 234 C......Page 264 I......Page 265 R......Page 266 T......Page 267 Z......Page 268 Contents 8 Introduction. Rumor: Plausible and Credible 14 1. Rumor and September 11: Understanding the Unthinkable 34 2. A Riot of Conspiracies 64 3. Migrants: Disease in the Body Politic 86 4. “There Goes the Neighborhood”: Latino Migrants and Immigration Rumors 108 5. Tourist Troubles: The Travels of Global Rumor 136 6. The Menace of International Trade 160 7. Global Trafficking in Bodies 188 8. Whispers on the Borderline 214 Notes 234 Index 264 A 264 B 264 C 264 D 265 E 265 F 265 G 265 H 265 I 265 J 266 K 266 L 266 M 266 N 266 O 266 P 266 Q 266 R 266 S 267 T 267 U 268 V 268 W 268 Z 268 Introduction: rumor: plausible and credible Rumor and September 11th: understanding the unthinkable A riot of conspiracies Migrants: disease in the body politics "There goes the neighborhood": Latino migrants and immigration rumors Tourist troubles: the travels of global rumor The menace of international trade Global trafficking in bodies Whispers on the borderline. 'The Global Grapevine' documents how Americans grapple with the new global world through everyday thoughts & conversations, & the rumors they spread. Focusing on the threat posed by terrorism, the impact of immigration, the risks involved in international trade & the dangers faced by naive tourism, the book offers a broad survey