I can´t believe it. P.T. Barnum was right. Very right. People WANT to be deceived. They don´t think real life is interesting enough. They need conspiracies, imaginary friends and lots of cool imagery.
I have a post about the mid-air collision of a 737 from Gol Flight 1907 and a Legacy business jet. I wrote about how people are vultures, asking around for pictures of the accident, with all the letters: “I want to see pictures of the dead bodies” and so on. I call them vultures, sociopaths, etc.
Well, most of the visitors skip to the comments area and ask for pictures.
In a conversation in one of my blogs, I complained about people never reading after the first paragraph of a text, and most who do it, catch nothing. Some readers disagreed. Well, I did what I had to do. Created a post using a plain obviously fake picture - two screenshots from Lost´s pilot. It´s wrong, plain wrong, Evangeline Lilly´s character is right in the front row, you can see her handcuffs. The Oceanic Air logo is visible at the tail of the aircraft, and it looks nothing like Gol´s. The number of seats is wrong, the camera described is a Casio Z750 (great little machine, I own one) using Sony MemorySticks (a big no-no), etc.
Along the pictures, a little story. I wrote it so every single detail is wrong. The number of engines of the aircraft, the explanation that when they fell the falling speed slowed, the name of the passenger owner of the digital camera taking the pictures is a friend of mine, even the Air Force Major in charge of investigations. Antonio Nelson. Rings a bell?
Well, people not only believed it, but started to spread it by mail. Today two of the largest Brazilian portals are showing the story, Terra did the homework, I was contacted by an editor. The Folha de São Paulo never reached me. Oh well, maybe someday they discover Google.
What does it all prove?
People Want to believe. Some, even confronted with the evidence. (i.e. my site claiming authorship and the whole plan unveiled) still think it MAY be real.
Not to mention that since day one THERE WAS A LINK at the end of the post leading to another entry, telling the whole story about the hoax.
I really, really don´t envy James Randi.
Why would I know who is Antonio Nelsen? Or airline logo on tail?
The plane inside looks real, 3 seats- isle- 3 seats. The tail is somewhat similar. Sony brand was not mentioned.
Engines falling apart was a suggestion.
Story - interesting
Comment by Alexander — November 30, 2006 @ 6:37 pm
[...] Check the whole story about the hoax, in english, here. [...]
Pingback by Contraditorium » I Want to Believe. Wanta mesmo? Então toma… — December 8, 2006 @ 11:08 am
Dude, you rock!
I’m a regular reader of Snopes, and I’m always amazed at how many people mistake an obvious joke with an obvious punchline for a true story! I’m amazed at how many people will knee-jerk forward a “true story” or “urgent message” without checking to see if the thing is actually true.
We have taught people not to have critical thinking skills, not to question, and the result is that even the newspapers fall for stories like this. It is an important wake-up call!
Comment by Tracey — December 8, 2006 @ 12:30 pm
[...] Check the whole story about the hoax, in english, here. [...]
Pingback by Exclusivo: As fotos do Acidente do vôo 1907 da Gol de dentro do avião | Fenomenologia — December 8, 2006 @ 3:14 pm
I read snopes, too. Although I’ve never seen “Lost”, I immediately thought they might be photos from a tv show or the movie “Alive” which has a scene that looks similiar to the stills you used.
Even if I hadn’t seen that movie, or gone to snopes looking for the daily hoax, just look at the photos….
The lighting is too good, the picture quality looks like television/film quality work. They look like stills from a video. Who has their camera set to those picture sizes? The lighting is too perfect, and the open back of the plane looks too CGI. Is it me, or does everyone have perfect hair for the amount of wind they should be experiencing, and why would they have the oxygen masks already on in mid-collision?
Comment by Jason — December 8, 2006 @ 6:50 pm
Major Antonio Nelson–>Major Tony Nelson–>The guy who came up with this was obviously a fan of “I Dream of Jeannie.” I’m surprised that Dr. Bellows wasn’t the medical examiner…
Having spent the better part of 10 years flying the 737, I spotted the 747 tail assembly immediately.
Comment by Ken Snyder — December 8, 2006 @ 8:43 pm
Hahahaha, that is hilarious. I just caught this story on Snopes. As soon as I saw the picture, I knew it was from Lost. But even for the people who never saw this show, someone should have asked themselves why someone would be standing up in a plane snapping pictures while the back of the plane detached. That’s sort of like the picture that circulated after 9/11 of the guy standing on the observation deck of one of the twin towers while a plane flew directly at him from behind. It just defies reason that a sane person would be calmly snapping a picture of his friend while a passenger jet rumbled toward them. Or that someone wouldn’t turn around to find out where that incredibly loud noise was coming from. Or that the camera would even survive a fall from 110 stories! Argh! You’re right, people are only too willing to believe anything.
Comment by Ananke — December 8, 2006 @ 11:19 pm
You didn’t happen to attend Drexel?
Comment by Ed Young — December 9, 2006 @ 1:58 pm
Me? Nope.
Comment by Cardoso — December 9, 2006 @ 2:14 pm
I believe you are absolutely correct. I was just hoping all the really stupid people were here in my country. I wonder what the underlying psychological need for all this conspiracy and horror is. Why are humans taking this turn? I fear that they are the majority and those of us who still retain respect for rational, critical thought are rapidly becoming the minority.
HEY, maybe it’s the cell phone microwave towers…….Sorry I had to throw that in there.Ha Ha
Comment by Chuck Henry — December 9, 2006 @ 7:27 pm
Another Snopes reader checking in…I expected to see pictures from “Fight Club”, but I guess “Lost” is a bit more contemporary (and more recognizable, which I guess is the whole point of this exercise…)
“I wonder what the underlying psychological need for all this conspiracy and horror is?”
It’s three generations of being told that There Is A Reason. Shit doesn’t just happen anymore, and nothing is ever your own fault. Someone did these things, and they had a reason. They wanted all the niggers to die, or they wanted to get re-elected, or they were just trying to save a buck. Nobody wants to think about how easy it is to get killed, even though every day we climb into automobiles (a quick jerk of the steering wheel and it’s Game Over) and drink liquids (inhale instead of swallow, your lungs are coated and no Heimlich maneuver will save you.) Or maybe a weak place in an artery wall will give way and your skull cavity fills with blood, dead as sure as a fifty-meter fall will leave you. We don’t want to think about that. And so when something reminds us of that fact, we go to insane lengths to not have to believe it. It isn’t possible that four guys could take over an airplane with razor blades, and then fly an airliner into a building before anyone realized what was happening. No, they must have had help from the inside.
Comment by DensityDuck — December 11, 2006 @ 5:50 pm
I think most conspiracy freaks want a MEANING, a PURPOSE. Not an stupid accident, not fate, but victims of some evil plan.
The South Park episode about 9/11 conspiracies was great. The government was pushing some crackpot websites, because the PEOPLE demanded such conspiracies. They made the Government look big, powerfull and very clever, they could not swallow that it was a plan from some angry arabs.
Comment by Cardoso — December 11, 2006 @ 5:58 pm
Remember: P.T. Barnum made his famous quote in the 19th Century. The world birth rate is a lot higher these days!
Comment by Mad Tom — December 12, 2006 @ 10:53 am
Gol’s seats are orange.
Comment by Sofia — January 20, 2007 @ 9:20 pm