| I wouldn't classify myself as a gullible person. For the most part I am suspicious of most things I hear, read or see, which is the real reason why I spend a large part of my day "researching" stories on the Internet. I'm fact-checking, not looking for new music, blogging or discovering what Star Trek character I most resemble.
I may find myself with considerably more free time by following The Museum of Hoaxes site at museumofhoaxes.com, a huge database of hoaxes throughout history that have made suckers out of more than a few. The site has more than 250 pages devoted to the subject, with quick links to Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes, Top 10 College Pranks, a Tall Tale Creature Gallery and a Gullibility Test. From The Left Handed Whopper in 1998 to as far back as 1708, when Jonathan Swift moonlighted as an astrologer foretelling the death of people he didn't like, the site illuminates a side of culture devoted to the draw of the con.
In addition to the online compendium, the site’s creator, Alex Boese, has published a book of the same name, which is available for purchase on the site. |
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