Rumor (1954)

[Music] rumour rumors that destroy who starts rumors how do they begin well let's look at one one summer day in Detroit some years ago there was a traffic jam on a bridge it had been a hot day tempers were frayed then in the middle of the bridge there was an argument something about a rock thumper if you had been sitting in the car behind it might have looked like this to you now suppose from the car back of you a man called out hey bud what's going on what would you answer here is what you're seeing what would you say what one man did tell another somewhere along the line was it's an argument between a white man and a Negro something about the white man's wife this report moved down the line of cars gradually it took on changes somewhere along the line the rumor had it the Negro was armed with a knife a little further rod was said the Negro had attacked the woman and by the time the rumor reached one residential area it was said there was a wave of attacks by Negroes now let's go back a minute if you had been sitting in a car on the other side of the Loch bumper the incident might have looked like this if you had seen this what word would you have passed down the line Howard you've described it here is what one man said there's an argument between a white man and of Negroes something about the Negroes baby and this report travelled down the line gaining momentum adding details at one point the story ran this way a white man has thrown a Negro child off the bridge and there was a fight a bit further a new detail entered the story the police it was said the police were siding with the white man by the time the rumor reached the Negro section near the end of the bridge it told of a reign of terror on the Negro population thus in the heat of a summer day two different rumors born of one incident did their work of confusion and destruction rumor race riots 34 death Detroit June 22nd 1943 [Music] rumors do you spread rumors just harmless ones maybe how can you tell how can one know the difference between fact and rumor how can we keep from spreading rumors popping your stopper rumor once it's scary what can we do in our own communities that keep rumors from developing we live in a world of tension of which troublemakers can exploit do you help them what should be our defense against this mystery weapon what do you think what should be our defense against rumors we haven't solved the problem so give it further thought won't you because this is one of the problems that challenge our time