What do you mean there's no Santa Claus?

[snopes]

Comment: Regarding the story linking Easy Eddie and Butch O'Hare - because
it's not a complete fabrication and the information which portends a moral
lesson isn't actually able to be refuted or verified what's the harm in
letting it stand?
You do well when you're exposing complete hog wash but, really, can't you
leave us a little optimism?

[Ieuan ab Arthur]

Of course we can leave you a little optimism. Hey, what's wrong with the contents of an e-mail tale if it is not exactly the truth. What harm can it do?

By the by, I happen to own the Brooklyn Bridge and have to sell it due to some recent market setbacks with my swampland in Florida. Would you be interested in purchasing the bridge? I'm sure an optimistic person such as you could make a go of it.

By the by, I'm also willing to sell the swampland if the right buyer comes along.

Ta ra 'wan,

Ieuan "First" ab Arthur

[marrya]

Well, Virginia, you're old enough now....

[snopes]

Comment: I understand the importance of a site like this when it comes to
scams. But sometimes I hear wonderful stories and then some jerk posts
another snopes.com message that it isn't true.

For that reason I hate snopes.com. We need stories... we need hope and we
need to sometimes believe in things that aren't true... and I believe that
your site has really damaged a great thing... the legend and the myth...

I wish you people would be more selective with your process, but since you
aren't I have (as have many of my friends now) asked all my friends on
every social network to never EVER post anything from your site...
especially when I read a great story that inspires... I don't want snopes
ruining it... snopes has ruined so much already.

I hate forwards, so I don't read to many of these urban legends, but
once-in-a-while I do... to be inspired.

So please stop.

[ToadMagnet]

I feel your pain, dude ... I was never so disheartened as when I learned that Mr. Ed was not, in fact, a zebra. Zebras are so much more interesting than horses - not as exciting as unicorns, of course, but thinking Mr. Ed was a unicorn would just be silly.

[Photo Bob]

Yeah! That's what's wrong with America!! Why oh why must we change the way things have been done since the beginning of time???

I staunchley support everybuddy's doG given write to pass on rumors and inyouendo as firm hard fact. Whut is it hurting if I belive that my nayber is a terrorist because he has a yellow sticker on his mailbox? nowon, that's who, but becuz I herd that about him i am now abel to stop him from doing anythung that wuud hert me like sticiking poisen perfom in my face or hiding roach eggs in my tacos.

We need to beleve in Sant Clause and the Ether Bunny and that president Nobama is Kenyan. It is the onlee way or socitey can survive. Long leve the Americane way of live!!!

[Mad Jay]

whaahh!!! Truth is coming in way of my truthiness

[Auburn Red]

How can I put this plainly, this is an URBAN LEGEND SITE:
You know the concept of an Urban Legend site like this is to determine whether stories handed to us, like the glurges or religious stories, are true or false. If you didn't grasp that central fundamental idea before you read those stories, then I can't help you. You could read them in those Chicken Soup books (where probably most of them came from). They don't care whether the stories are true or false, or in the latest warm and fuzzy emails that your church/temple/synagogue whatever friends and family send you.

Auburn "Was that plain enough for you?" Red

[Esprise Me]

This is a bit of a logic problem. If "debunking" a story makes it no longer inspirational, then that means mere parables or fables cannot inspire optimism; only true stories can. But if only true stories have that power, then spreading false stories as if they were true, and drawing upon them for strength makes us vulnerable. Sure, blame snopes, but what if someone else pointed out the emperor's nudity? Wouldn't you rather build your hopes upon a solid foundation?

Then, of course, there's the fact that many of these stories are actually quite dark, if you examine them, and do nothing to bolster our sense of safety or fairness. The one that comes most readily to mind is the one about the woman who prayed in the alley, and the rapist who saw angels appear beside her and so raped someone else instead. But just going by the one mentioned specifically in the complaint:

The Butch O'Hare UL tries to show that people can be redeemed by confessing their sins, and thereby save their children. But the real story shows that an apple can fall far from the tree; that we are each in charge of our own destiny, and no matter what our parents did or failed to do for us, we can write our own narrative that eclipses theirs. I find that more compelling than the fake version.

[Dasla]

Originally Posted by Esprise Me

This is a bit of a logic problem. If "debunking" a story makes it no longer inspirational, then that means mere parables or fables cannot inspire optimism; only true stories can. But if only true stories have that power, then spreading false stories as if they were true, and drawing upon them for strength makes us vulnerable. Sure, blame snopes, but what if someone else pointed out the emperor's nudity? Wouldn't you rather build your hopes upon a solid foundation?

This is exactly the point I was going to make when I read all the other post but you put it so much better then I would have. I don't think any of the elders of indigenious people believe the morality tales they tell the youth of their tribes are literally true. They are meant to be illustrative.