“Snakes in the greens” and rumor in the innercity

AbstractDuring a few warm days of an otherwise dreary winter a rumor spread through a low income neighborhood on the west side of Dayton, Ohio. Through fortuitous circumstances the author gained entrance into the rumor network, interviewed rumor participants, and directly observed the rumor interaction. These data provided the basis for a reformulation of the rumor concept to include the ideas that rumors structure ambiguity, organize futures, and are instrumental in the construction of solidarity and community.