Rules and Exceptions

Death has never been a cause to celebrate. The exception is Abacha. Abacha was a President and a dictator. He lived in west Africa when he could. He stashed all monies he laid hands on in Swiss banks. His people hoped that he should die. He died in power. His death was not announced until a successor was found. He was the president of Nigeria. Nigeria is a neighbour to Cameroon ... or Cameroon is a to neighbour of Nigeria, it all depends on which side of Bakassi you stand. End of analogies. I've never felt so good taking about "ABACHA".

The Psychology of Rumour

Originality - People are not essentially stupid...Africans are even less so cos of the many pressing issues they deal with daily. That said, few days go by without millions of people falling for hoax warnings of a "dangerous new virus, for which there is no cure". This is despite the e-mails invariably being phrased in near identical terms.

Fear - Paul Marsden is an evolutionary psychologist whose consultancy - Brand Genetics - helps business create "contagious" products and ideas. He says our brains are overloaded with information we encounter in everyday life. "In evolutionary terms our minds are still more suited to the savannah than the supermarket." So in the modern world, anything which corresponds to the crucial things in life, such as sex appeal, status or survival, will "cut through the data fog and capture our attention". The bogus e-mail warnings of a link between anti-perspirant and breast cancer which circulated in 1999 appealed to a more potent fear. The warning claimed that anti-perspirant stopped toxins being purged through the armpits, and the build-up of them led to cancer. It might sound plausible but it is untrue. The American Cancer Society's website felt compelled to reassure people that there was no scientific evidence for the claim.

Status - Being the first person to warn all your friends of something really nasty, or funny, or salacious, or dangerous puts you in a stronger position than them. Paul Marsden says:
"Humans are inveterate copiers - we very rarely design an idea of our own. We are keen to be seen with an idea as we feel it increases our status." Originating something that has "wow" factor for your pals can be gratifying, as well as bolstering your sense of importance.

Contacts - Technology has changed the rumour business, says Mr Marsden.
"Mobile phones and the internet have totally restructured our communication networks. Rumours once built up slowly and steadily, now they can spread like an epidemic." He says rumours can spread particularly quickly through people who are "socially promiscuous" - ie those who know a lot of people.

Firstly, obviously, because they have better contacts books, and more e-mail addresses. And secondly because "these people also have a higher degree of perceived status". In other words, they tend to be opinion makers and are more likely to be believed. So perhaps the adage of the 21st century rumour mill should be: "It's not what you know, it's whom you hear it from."

NB - Despite this, dead men don't walk.

Courtesy of the BBC