|
?:reviewBody
|
-
Example: [Collected via e-mail, August 2009] Swine Flu AdviceIf you wake up looking like this, don't go to work! Origins: We've received a fair number of Is this real? inquiries from readers about the e-mail reproduced above, and it's one of those items that leaves us scratching our heads and asking ourselves, Is what real? Swine flu is a real malady, and those who contract it might experience a variety of symptoms (e.g., unusual tiredness, headache, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, coughing, loss of appetite, aching muscles, diarrhea, vomiting), but actually turning into a human-porcine hybrid is not among them. Presumably, most of our correspondents are questioning the reality of whatever is pictured in the accompanying photograph. The picture is, in effect, a real photograph of an imaginary object — it's the work of artist Patricia Piccinini, a piece identified as Surrogate (for the Northern Hairynosed Wombat). Ms. Piccinini's genetic manipulation-themed sculptures have perplexed many viewers to the extent that her work is the subject of a separate article on our site. We've also received quite a few inquiries about a similar item: Subject: Warning about canned meatIf you receive an email from the Department of Health,Telling you not to eat pork from cans, Because of swine flu......Ignore it.It's just spam. This item, too, is mere humor — porcine punnery playing on the duality of the word spam carrying a meaning of both unwanted, intrusive e-mail and a canned food product made from pork.
(en)
|
![[This page as RDF]](http://data.gesis.org/claimskg/static/rdf-icon.gif){kind=icon}