News Munchies

'Helpful Terrorist' Hoax Smokes Coke

Originally Posted Monday, 30 September 2002 at 12:00 AM
Updated Monday, 20 October 2014 at 11:16 AM

You'd just know that, when Sept. 11 rolled around, pranksters and idiots would be reminded to spread rumors about Arab-appearing miscreants about to do vile things to us. In the current version, they're going to poison our supply of Coca-Cola, or, in some versions, Pepsi-Cola.

The 'Soda Pop Terrorist Warning' is what the Urban Legends page calls it. Snopes.com prefers "Rumors of War (Not the Real Thing)."

In a nutshell, the myth is that in a supermarket, somewhere, a person in a checkout line gave a dollar to a man who, because of his Middle Eastern appearance must have been a terrorist. As a way of thanking his benefactor, this suspicious foreigner offered an ominous warning: "Don't drink Coke this summer" or something similar.

It's a hoax, a re-working of an urban legend that has been around for decades: A suspicious stranger, grateful for some kindness, warns the helpful person of an impending attack of some sort. To no one's surprise, none of these purported attacks ever materializes.

Coca-Cola stewed about this for a while, then decided to publish a statement on their Web site: "These rumors are absolutely false and are causing needless worry. … We always take reports of this nature seriously. You should know that investigations to date, conducted by Federal and local officials, as well as The Coca-Cola Company, have concluded that these rumors have no merit."

Perhaps it's a Pepsi plot.

If so, they're falling victims, too, because later versions of the rumor targeted Pepsi-Cola.

Gives a whole new meaning to "The Pepsi Challenge," doesn't it?

About The Author

Richard B. Barger, ABC, APR

Richard B. Barger, ABC, APR, is well-positioned as CornerBarPR's Chief Curmudgeon; he's our version of Andy Rooney -- loves words, particularly loves to complain about idiocy.

In his spare time, Rich runs the inventively named Barger Consulting, where he conducts strategic communications planning and research, and gives people advice whether they want it or not.

Through the years, Rich has tricked unsuspecting folks into giving him positions as managing editor of the public relations division of a 180-person agency, and as a wire service editor, an economic analyst, a federal investigator, and, bless his little muddy boots, a farmer. Really. He fancies himself a pretty fair country editor and at one time was famous among about half a dozen people as "The Voice of IABC."

At various points in what passes for a career, he's done time as a member of IABC, PRSA, and NSPRA, as well as the Gifted Association of Missouri, the University of Missouri Alumni Association, the Council of Better Business Bureaus (as a Senior Arbitrator), and a handful of church choirs.

Known as "Boom-Boom Barger" in Marching Mizzou, Rich refuses to answer the phone during University of Missouri football or basketball games, plays a hard-edged game of bridge, and is married to a woman he doesn't like to talk about much, because she's smarter and much nicer than he is.

Barger's motto: "Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once."