It sounds like, up until this hoax was discovered, this woman was having a blast.
― jeff, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:19 (sixteen years ago) link
It is said that half the population of Russia claimed to have been present at the storming of the Winter Palace.
― Aimless, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:19 (sixteen years ago) link
But there's an extra manipulative trick here, though -- she's relying on people failing to question her story given the horrific nature of the circumstances. She's taking advantage of the good faith of sympathizers.
― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:19 (sixteen years ago) link
it reminded me of fanfic, too, esp all the shit about almost being married to this heroic guy who died.
i wouldn't be surprised if this is a recognized disorder
― gff, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:20 (sixteen years ago) link
For that last bit -- reaching out to the parents of the man she claimed rescued her, she should be fed to the lions.
― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:20 (sixteen years ago) link
i don't think people who do shit like this admit to themselves they're making it all up
― gabbneb, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:21 (sixteen years ago) link
this seems like some twisted wanting to be type of the cool crowd type shit.
― Jordan Sargent, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:21 (sixteen years ago) link
nice of the times to feature the mayor so prominently!
― gff, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:21 (sixteen years ago) link
-- gabbneb, Thursday, September 27, 2007 1:21 PM (5 seconds ago) Bookmark Link
eventually they believe it and "i'm a wtc survivor" becomes second nature
alex nyc otm about the mother of the dude who "saved" her
― Jordan Sargent, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:22 (sixteen years ago) link
isn't munchausen syndrome when you claim to be a "sufferer" (and in some cases hurt yourself, but not necessarily so, you can lie about having had an injury/whatever)?
anyway, you can label it whatever, but it's still despicable.
― stevienixed, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Hmm, whoever said "personality disorder" above is OTM. I think there is some kind of mental illness involved with this, rather than her just being an "attention whore." It's not really something she should be scolded for, as pathetic as it seems. She's got some serious issues there.
I knew someone in college like this, a kind of pathological liar. Claimed all sorts of crazy stuff that clearly did not fly, but was incredibly sincere about it. The guy was really nice, and people were torn between hating him for making all this crap up and feeling sorry for him for having such a serious problem.
― Mark Clemente, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:23 (sixteen years ago) link
i wonder if she really was in mourning for her 'fiance'?
otm
― gff, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:24 (sixteen years ago) link
Anyone who has met a pathological liar (as I have) will understand that the compulsion to make one's life more fascinating to others is a prime symptom. Just saying, not diagnosing.
― Aimless, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:24 (sixteen years ago) link
It's just the regular Munchausen syndrome, IMHO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchausen_syndrome , none of the other descriptions of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factitious_disorder seem to fit.
The only other examples I seem to be able to find are fake holocaust survivors:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binjamin_Wilkomirski http://www.isurvived.org/4Debates/SollyGanor/DeliStrummer-discredited.html
but there's no mention of a possible syndrome/affliction there.
― StanM, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:24 (sixteen years ago) link
I definitely agree. I imagine she really believed all the stuff she was saying. I'm sure there was a kind of sincerity in going to the parents of the her (claimed) rescuer.
― Mark Clemente, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:25 (sixteen years ago) link
it's a lack of self confidence thing also~ she's likely never had any attention bestowed on her like she had with this story, plus she gave herself a romance (which ended in a shakespearean tragedy kinda way), plus another man saved her life selflessly, plus she was sort of heroic and giving. she wrote her own script beautifully.
― omar little, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:28 (sixteen years ago) link
let's get Sean Penn to direct
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:29 (sixteen years ago) link
no wait, Ang Lee
Just like all the people who said they were at the Beatles Shea stadium concert-they probably actually think they were there.
There was a guy who died about a month ago who lied for about 30 years that he was an ex-major league baseball player. He even had his wife fooled, and toured the banquet circuit on the stories. When he died, the real guy, who is alive and kicking, had the strange experience of reading his own obituary. He then set everybody straight. This, I guess, happens a lot.
― Bill Magill, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:31 (sixteen years ago) link
this story annoys people like me who actually did survive those attacks
― omar little, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:32 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah that is what I meant up above about "dissociative" - this type of thing is symptomatic of a psychological disorder, otherwise, why not make a load of money playing poker
― El Tomboto, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:32 (sixteen years ago) link
lol Bill Magill and I read Rick Reilly
― El Tomboto, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:33 (sixteen years ago) link
and yeah I am beginning to get the idea this happens a LOT A LOT A LOT more than we think it does
― El Tomboto, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:35 (sixteen years ago) link
*develops sudden suspicions of tombot*
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:36 (sixteen years ago) link
there are a lot of pathological liars out there, some small-scale, some big scale. i wonder how many people claim to have been in dealey plaza? i think jim garrison based his case on testimony from people who were actually sleeping off a hangover in fort worth.
― omar little, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:39 (sixteen years ago) link
here's the story about the serial Pittsburgh Steeler impersonator
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2860426
He's pretended to be like three different players on the team. On the surface it seems like a straight-up con but why would you keep doing it over and over after being arrested? CRAAZY
― El Tomboto, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:41 (sixteen years ago) link
Ishmael wasn't even ON the Pequod.
― rogermexico., Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:41 (sixteen years ago) link
did you hear about that guy who impersonated a world-class impersonator, he made it into the Guinness Book of World Records
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:44 (sixteen years ago) link
"lol Bill Magill and I read Rick Reilly"
That's where I got it from. I don't get the impression that guy pocketed a great deal from it either. I think he just got swept up in it. The real ex-player didn't seem to be too upset about it.
― Bill Magill, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:47 (sixteen years ago) link
cf every staff meeting at every job ever
― gff, Thursday, 27 September 2007 18:48 (sixteen years ago) link
reminds me of an article i read (in Jane magazine?) about a girl who was clearing her conscience after having lied back in college about being a rape victim and then continuing to lie about it for years. there it was a case of her blurting it out when fighting with her boyfriend on the phone in a misguided ploy for immediate sympathy and attention - like a trump card. but then some friend overheard her and the whole thing spiralled out of control, so it got harder and harder to admit that it was a lie. which makes sense i guess. a person might have this need for attention or validation and small or stupid lies evolve into these unimaginably huge ones just because the person has painted themselves into a corner.
― Kim, Thursday, 27 September 2007 19:01 (sixteen years ago) link
uhhh-yup.
― El Tomboto, Thursday, 27 September 2007 19:11 (sixteen years ago) link
"But there's an extra manipulative trick here, though -- she's relying on people failing to question her story given the horrific nature of the circumstances. She's taking advantage of the good faith of sympathizers."
That's how propaganda works, and why it's easy for governments to find civilians who will be complicit in its spread. Which is why the "Let's Roll" story, for example -- which is as full of holes as the cheese shop around the corner from me -- has managed to thrive so nicely without critical examination (nutsy conspiracy theorists not counting as critical examination).
― Nubbelverbrennung, Thursday, 27 September 2007 19:30 (sixteen years ago) link
I never believed that Flight 93/Let's Roll malarkey for a minute
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 27 September 2007 19:30 (sixteen years ago) link
Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 27 September 2007 19:43 (sixteen years ago) link
Larry Appleton made huge outrageous lies that he almost talked himself into believing, and every time the whole thing got sorted out in 22 minutes.
― Abbott, Thursday, 27 September 2007 20:06 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1696977/posts HAHA
― Heave Ho, Thursday, 27 September 2007 20:15 (sixteen years ago) link
That is the worst headline ever. As Christian Bale sang in Newsies, "If I hate the headline, I'll make up a headline."
― Abbott, Thursday, 27 September 2007 20:19 (sixteen years ago) link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Badge_of_Courage
― Heave Ho, Thursday, 27 September 2007 20:19 (sixteen years ago) link
Reminds me of the 18 year old girl who attended Stanford, living in the dorms, for 8 months without being a student there.
Azia Kim
― nickn, Thursday, 27 September 2007 21:30 (sixteen years ago) link
-- Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, September 27, 2007 11:44 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link
that was me.
― max, Thursday, 27 September 2007 21:39 (sixteen years ago) link
that's an amazxing shakey impression, i was totally taken in
― gabbneb, Thursday, 27 September 2007 21:40 (sixteen years ago) link
no rachel ray ref no credibility
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 27 September 2007 21:43 (sixteen years ago) link
Remember when there were like 3 Alex in NYCs and eight or nine Dr Morbiuses running around?
― El Tomboto, Thursday, 27 September 2007 21:46 (sixteen years ago) link
HOW DID THEY FOOL SO MANY PEOPLE
― El Tomboto, Thursday, 27 September 2007 21:47 (sixteen years ago) link
There was that news story from last year about the bloke who told everyone he wrote Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, it went pretty well until he died and the man who really wrote it had his obituary printed in the papars
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/arts/music/28bikini.html?ex=1317096000&en=c049ae10c803ce44&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
― V, Thursday, 27 September 2007 22:09 (sixteen years ago) link
But there was an extra manipulative trick there, though -- he was relying on people failing to question his story given the horrific nature of the circumstances. He was taking advantage of the good faith of sympathizers.
― omar little, Thursday, 27 September 2007 22:14 (sixteen years ago) link
I am just hell of gullible, so when I encounter compulsive liars I am enchanted for a day or two and then just irritated–they're only entertaining for so long. Plus they infringe on the legitimacy of my TRUE true-life tales which are occasionally improbable.
― Abbott, Thursday, 27 September 2007 22:16 (sixteen years ago) link
Here's the UK vers. of this.
― Raw Patrick, Thursday, 27 September 2007 22:35 (sixteen years ago) link
^^^ whoa really?
― gff, Friday, 28 September 2007 15:52 (sixteen years ago) link
Who the hell was that? I was on here in 2001 and I don't remember that!
― Dr.C, Friday, 28 September 2007 15:59 (sixteen years ago) link
Tawana Brawley
― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 28 September 2007 16:08 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh I do vaguely recall that....
― Laurel, Friday, 28 September 2007 16:16 (sixteen years ago) link
what tania head did is a lot like what most of the country did just more so
also tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head tania head
― jhøshea, Friday, 28 September 2007 16:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Don't famous historical traumas spawn these type of lies? I remember something about how in around 1900 there were far more people claiming to be veterans of Gettysburg than had actually fought there.
9/11 is just the latest trauma--and it's a bit easier to expose BS nowadays. Still, you have Rudy attempting to claim he spent as much time at Ground Zero as the rescue workers, etc.
― mulla atari, Friday, 28 September 2007 16:25 (sixteen years ago) link
http://i23.tinypic.com/igzyth.jpg
― jhøshea, Friday, 28 September 2007 16:47 (sixteen years ago) link
Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia Ms. Head, who sometimes uses the first name Alicia
― tom, Friday, 28 September 2007 17:21 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.wondermark.com/comics/340.gif
― nabisco, Friday, 28 September 2007 17:46 (sixteen years ago) link
He was trying to claim a share of the payout $$$$.
that's what's interesting about this one, as far as anyone can tell she didn't get any money out of it except for charity. seemingly was more for attention / sympathy / give aimless life a purpose
since we're collecting all these hoaxers now, there was also this presidential photographer who claimed to have taken the famous JFK Jr. shot and a lot of other stuff .... when his obit ran a couple of weeks ago, a bunch of retired press-pool photographers saw their work being credited to someone else
Known For Famous Photos, Not All of Them His http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/nyregion/15photographer.html
― dmr, Friday, 28 September 2007 17:52 (sixteen years ago) link
Does no one remember the former ILX regular who, after his girlfriend turned up alive in NYC a few days post 9/11, ended up entirely making up the story of the deaths of his two friends in the WTC, getting time off work to "grieve" for them, even going so far as to throw "benefit gigs" in London in their honour?
That's all I could think of this morning when I read the story.
Yeah, this stuff is unfortunately a lot more common than is comfortable.
-- Klaus M. Flanger, Friday, September 28, 2007 3:49 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link
paul strange, kate st clares ex
― and what, Friday, 28 September 2007 18:26 (sixteen years ago) link
wow that is mental. and yeah it must be really common!
― gff, Friday, 28 September 2007 18:54 (sixteen years ago) link
u guys i founded al qaeda and am therefor indirectly responsible for 9/11. it's not what i intended. sorry. also i am hulk hogan.
― jhøshea, Friday, 28 September 2007 18:57 (sixteen years ago) link
sorry I caused all that cancer
― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 28 September 2007 19:01 (sixteen years ago) link
http://i20.tinypic.com/2cp4zk0.jpg
― jhøshea, Friday, 28 September 2007 19:01 (sixteen years ago) link
Juelz Santana should be in there somewhere.
― mulla atari, Saturday, 29 September 2007 02:42 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aJX.sej6xrYE&refer=home
"Morgan Stanley, the second-largest securities firm, will pay $12.5 million to settle regulatory claims it wrongly withheld e-mails in arbitration cases by saying they were lost in the Sept. 11 attacks"
― StanM, Sunday, 30 September 2007 19:01 (sixteen years ago) link
Also, there's that episode of Curb Your Enthusiam where a rabbi's brother in law was killed in NYC on 9/11. He was going around yelling "I know someone who was killed on 9/11!" until it was discovered that the brother in law was killed by a bike messenger and not in the WTC.
― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 30 September 2007 23:50 (sixteen years ago) link
she should be given the electric chair
― max r, Sunday, 30 September 2007 23:51 (sixteen years ago) link
Gosh, that reminds me of when my mom said that "She should commit suicide over this" re: Britney's performance on VMAs.
― roxymuzak, Monday, 1 October 2007 00:32 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/the-life-and-death-of-jesse-james/17427/?page=1
― El Tomboto, Friday, 12 October 2007 01:27 (sixteen years ago) link
I am developing a distant fascination with this
― El Tomboto, Friday, 12 October 2007 01:28 (sixteen years ago) link
I would have chalked that whole story up to being... well, a story (as the guy is a writer ffs!) but then theres that youtube video....
― Trayce, Friday, 12 October 2007 01:50 (sixteen years ago) link
where was the youtube video Trayce?
― J0hn D., Friday, 12 October 2007 02:29 (sixteen years ago) link
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XmPDGZPnYl0
(as per post on the noizeboard)
― Trayce, Friday, 12 October 2007 02:31 (sixteen years ago) link
I guess it doesnt do much to add to the story but it certainly fits with what the guy described.
― Trayce, Friday, 12 October 2007 02:32 (sixteen years ago) link
and pictured, on the last page of the article
― jeff, Friday, 12 October 2007 03:24 (sixteen years ago) link
Harlan Ellison fans are a CREEEEEEEEEEPY bunch.
― Nubbelverbrennung, Friday, 12 October 2007 08:10 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2001/06/44245
― El Tomboto, Friday, 12 October 2007 10:46 (sixteen years ago) link
in fight club of course this gets played for laughs
― El Tomboto, Friday, 12 October 2007 10:48 (sixteen years ago) link