> > Who is this critter anyway ??
> 
> Jimmy Hoffa was the president of the teamsters union (truck 
> drivers), which had somewhat of an association with the mob.  
> In the late 1960s or early 1970s he did something to piss off 
> the mob bosses, then mysteriously disappeared one day.  
> Rumors have abounded about exactly where he ended up ever 
> since then. 

What is most interesting about it is how little actual fact exists and how
strongly it affected the reputation of the Mob in the US. Hoffa was a VIP
(Very Important Person) with a very public profile. When he "turned up
missing" the rumors were started somehow that it was the mob that did it.
His alleged association with the mob left a lot of people saying things like
"live by the sword, die by the sword" or "see what happens when you fall in
with the wrong crowd?"

So the mob was then feared even more and people would both try harder to
avoid coming under their influence and also be less likely to defy them if
they did.

The key point is that there is NO evidence that the mob actually killed him
(or, for that matter, no solid evidence that he was involved with them) and
yet the rumor and publicity had a major effect.

It has been said that people in other countries see the USA as a place where
the mob is everywhere and has great power. If they do, it is a better kept
secret I have ever found. But just like the myth of pink tofu in California,
that is the impression that people get. I've lived in SoCal since '92 and
have NEVER seen or heard of anyone actually eating, finding or otherwise
verifying the existence of pink tofu. Watch someone post that they did see
it <grin>. But it is NOT on the menu in any restaurant I've ever been in,
and I've eaten at some really interesting places here.

Pink tofu and where Hoffa is buried are great examples of the human mind
going off into speculation. The fact that people do this has always bothered
me for some reason and one reason why I love "Myth Busters" so much. Not
really sure why it does bother me... I guess I wish people were less
afraid/fascinated of/by the unknown and more grounded in reality. But we
can't deny that it is a common topic of conversation and a part of our
"culture" such as it is...

---
James.
 

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