Urban Myth: Believe me, this really happened

Urban Myth: Believe me, this really happened

Have you heard the one about the Indonesian driver taking a
call on his cell phone at a gas station in Jakarta?

The phone fired off sparks, the fuel exploded and the man was
incinerated, which is why Australian gas stations prohibit the
use of cellular phones on their forecourts.

True? Well the first part isn't, but the second is.

Neither HP manufacturers nor oil refiners seem to have found
any proof that chatting while filling the tank can be explosive,
though the cost may ignite tempers. But that hasn't stopped the
ban on HP use at gas stations Down Under.

The unfortunate, infamous and mythical Indonesian motorist
takes his place in folklore along with the Australian family who
took their elderly Indonesian relative on a car trip from Perth
to Sydney.

This is one long journey across some very arid and empty
country.

Along the way the visitor passed away. The flummoxed family
wrapped their kin's corpse in a sheet and tied it on the roof.
They then headed for the nearest police station, more than 1,000
kilometers distant through searing heat.

Eventually they arrived and rushed inside to report the
tragedy.

But when they came out the car had been stolen! Neither
vehicle nor relative has been seen since.

How do I -- and just about every other Australian - know this
story? Well a policeman's cousin told it to me. Or was it his
neighbor? Anyway, I'm sure the source was authentic. Mind you,
the journey may have been from Adelaide to Darwin, though it
could have been the other way around, and the deceased may have
come from Malaysia.

What it does prove is that urban myths aren't confined to
Indonesia, though this country does seem to manufacture more than
most, with Australia running a close second.

The story of the South American venomous spider under the
toilet seat in a Jakarta restaurant is well known - but may have
been made up by a rival eatery. Everyone knows it's true, even if
the restaurant's name keeps getting changed. They got the "facts"
from a waitress who saw the bite on the corpse. Sorry, her niece.

Also widely circulated is the yarn about the Indonesian worker
who tumbled into a huge vat in a cool drink factory. His body
wasn't discovered for several days and by then thousands of
bottles have been consumed round the archipelago.

Funny this, but the same tragedy happened in Australia --
except that the dissolved employee was working in a brewery. Of
course.

It's astonishing how many are prepared to pass on weird SMS
messages from unknown people, and by doing so give the stories
unwarranted authority.

Unfortunately not all are a giggle; rumors about church and
mosque desecrations, terrorist targets and bomb locations have
the potential to cause serious panic. If you haven't had a few of
these recently then your cell phone isn't working or you've run
out of credit.

Aphrodisiacs always feature in urban legends, probably because
reputable medicine manufacturers have to keep their claims in the
realm of the proven. The latest Australian myth suggests a diet
of crushed emu eggshells can lift a limp libido, but the
scientific community remains unaroused. However, emu farmers are
reaping profits.

Why do so many of us prefer the implausible to the plausible?
Professional journalists spend most of their time checking the
accuracy of reports only to have them tossed aside in favor of
the fantastic. Word of mouth is more potent than truth.

Superstitious neighbors say that in the trees outside my gate
lurk spirits ready to pounce on the unsuspecting at nightfall.
Which is why everyone is indoors at dusk except the incredulous
Westerner.

Modern men don't believe such old Javanese tales. I'm more
concerned with the power blackouts. I've been told these have
nothing to do with the wet season or poor line maintenance.

The problem is space aliens sucking electricity out of the
transformer on the corner to feed their death rays. A colleague
whispered me about this, and he should know. His father-in-law
has a good friend whose aunt works in PLN. -- Duncan Graham