| Spunkball Warning | |
|
| |
| Netlore Archive: Are teens attacking cars with homemade firebombs in a game called 'Spunkball'? |
By David Emery
An email rumor circulating since January 2000 alleges that teenagers "all throughout the country" are tossing homemade firebombs into randomly chosen vehicles as part of a violent game called "Spunkball."
The claims remain completely unsubstantiated.
Despite allegations that two people have died in Spunkball attacks and "uncountable injuries" have occurred along with "thousands of dollars in damage," there have been no news reports or police alerts confirming that any such crimes have occurred anywhere. Until and unless more information becomes available from reliable sources, there's no reason to take this rumor seriously.
This is the text as originally circulated:
|
Date: Tuesday, February 01, 2000
Subject: SPUNKBALL WARNING SPUNKBALL WARNING: I just wanted to warn all of my friends about something that has been occurring more and more lately, all through out the country. Groups of teenagers have been caught, in alarming numbers, playing a new and dangerous game called Spunkball. Spunkball consists of a group of teens in a car pulling up to a stop light, and looking around for a car stopped near by with an open window. When one is spotted, the teens shout, "Spunkball," and throw a gasoline soaked rag that has been wrapped in aluminum foil threw the open window. On the outside of the foil is attatched a small fire cracker, with the fuse lit. When the fire cracker explodes, it shreds the foil, and the rag is ignited, causing a large flame that may catch the interior of the car on fire. Spunkball playing has already claimed two lives, caused uncountable injuries due to burns, and caused thousands of dollars in damage to automobiles. The best defense, say authorities, is to keep all windows rolled up when stopped at traffic lights, as only cars with windows down are being targeted. If you are at a red-light and hear a shout of "Spunkball," and notice something come flying in your window, the best thing to do is to have all passengers immediately exit the vehicle. DO NOT try to retrieve the object, as it will ignite once the fire cracker explodes. PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT. |
This is very similar to Internet alerts proliferating over the past few years concerning a supposed "initiation rite" wherein aspiring gang members supposedly turn off their car headlights at night and open fire on good samaritans who flash their own lights in response. The latter has been known for some time to be an urban legend, debunked by countless police departments, gang experts and news sources since the early '90s. The spunkball warning is in the same vein.
Still, people find both rumors plausible enough to pass along, which bespeaks a general fear of teenage violence in America and perhaps a disquieting sense that it has gone out of control. In spite of a grain of truth to that perception — in 1999 the American Academy of Pediatrics observed that the U.S. has the highest youth homicide and suicide rates of the 26 wealthiest nations — rumors like these exaggerate the scope of such phenomena, not to mention the danger it poses to the average citizen.
Like all types of folklore, rumors — even false ones — have something to teach us about the culture in which we live. They illuminate our common hopes, frustrations, and especially our fears. While youth violence is not a new problem by any means, it's one Americans have become acutely sensitive to in the wake of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings and similar incidents that followed. It's also a problem for which there are no simple solutions, leaving the many people with a sense of powerlessness and dread — always the best fodder for urban legends.
Further reading:
Urban Legend Zeitgeist
Commentary on "Spunkball" hoaxFlash Your Headlights and Die!
Tall tale of gangsters opening fire on good samaritansBackseat Killers and Ankle-Slashers
More legends of random teenage violence
