ABSTRACT
Many researchers have presumed that rumor and its problematic sibling, legend, are both bad things that need to be removed from circulation in favor of information worthy of intelligent persons' belief. The "Goodtimes" warning parody could accurately be classified as a burlesque, which takes elements in the original and, step by step, exaggerates them beyond credibility into the realm of farce. Not all legends produce antilegends, and there may well be a good social reason for this lack. Clearly, the dynamics of the antilegend require a conduit that supports both belief in and skepticism about some of the elements of the legend on which it is based. Humor has been recognized as an effective antidote to anxieties that underlie legends, as we see recognized in many of the reactions to the texts discussed. Antilegends do work effectively, in connection with authoritative denials, when they are used self-consciously to counter serious legends.
