Urban Legend of Car Headlights Essay -- Urban Legends

Lights Out In preparation for this writing assignment, I interviewed about 15 students at the University to collect their urban legends. One legend, often called â€Å"Lights Out,† was mentioned by just about all of the students I interviewed. Those who did not mention it on their own recognized it when I described it. I interviewed a 19-year-old male sophomore who anticipates getting into the School of Business. He transferred from Community College this past fall, and currently lives with a relative in a nearby off-campus home. He went to a small Catholic high school. He recalls first hearing this legend early in high school, probably between freshman and sophomore year. After telling him the purpose of the interview, I began the conversation by asking if he knew any urban legends, to which he replied: Ummm, maybe (pensive)†¦ you mean like the gang killer story? (looks excited)... It’s something like, (change to more serious tone) if you see a car driving on the road, coming toward you with no headlights on, and you flash your headlights at them, they will turn around and chase you down and kill you†¦ I think gangs really do that though (slight smile), so I guess it’s a non-urban legend. He told me the story rather quickly, but in an uncharacteristically serious tone, and maintained eye contact during the performance. The story he told is not really very long or involved with characters and exact places, but I interpret that as an element that makes the story more likely to circulate, since the lack of specificity implies it could happen to anyone, anywhere. Normally, this individual cannot say a single sentence without laughing, joking, or including some kind of sarcasm, but his tone while he quickly reviewed this ... ...ecause those who do get screwed.† It could mean that people who worry about the safety of others instead of their own are at the greatest risk. Works Cited Armstrong, David. (1994, January 23). "Police label gang story a hoax; Rumors of motorists killed in initiation rite spread from coast to coast." The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 7, 2006 from LexisNexis; keyword â€Å"gang headlights legend.† Emery, David. â€Å"Flash Your Headlights and Die!, Netlore Archive: Resurgence of a terrifying urban legend about aspiring gang members opening fire on oncoming drivers who innocently flashed their headlights† (10 paragraphs). Retrieved April 7, 2006 from http://www.urbanlegends.about.com/library/blbyol.htm. Mikkelson, Barbara. (2005, October 29). â€Å"Lights Out!† (31 paragraphs). Retrieved April 7, 2006 from http://www.snopes.com/horrors/madmen/lightsout.asp.