honestlyreal

Today’s false memory syndrome in relation to dates supposedly appearing in the Back to the Future films reminded me of the Captain Pugwash urban myth.

You’ll probably have been told at some point that the risqué names “Master Bates”, “Seaman Staines”, and “Roger the Cabin Boy” all featured in the popular children’s TV show of the late 20th century. The only slight problem with this hilarious story is that it isn’t true. Master Mate, Barnabas and Tom the Cabin Boy are the closest you’ll actually find. This minor inconvenience didn’t prevent the story from spreading like wildfire when I was a student – it might even still be going around today. The truth was a very poor substitute for the lurid fiction.

Hence the Pugwash Effect: the inherent believability of any old rubbish that invokes childhood nostalgia.