Gerbilling

For a hazard relating to piloting a monowheel, see monowheel gerbiling
Gerbils are the most common rodents to be allegedly inserted.

Gerbilling, also known as gerbil stuffing or gerbil shooting, is an urban legend[1] that describes a supposed sexual practice of inserting small live animals (usually gerbils but also mice, hamsters, rats and various other rodents) into the human rectum to obtain stimulation. Some variations of the legend suggest that the rodent be covered in a psychoactive substance such as cocaine prior to being inserted.

Overview

According to folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand, accounts of gerbilling were first recorded in 1984 and initially were said to involve a mouse and an unidentified man. In subsequent versions of the story, the animal was a gerbil and the story applied to several male celebrities.[1][2] Rumors surrounding various male celebrities engaging in gerbilling have become persistent urban legends.[1][3][4]

According to Snopes.com writers, gerbilling is simply an unverified and persistent urban legend that is pure fiction.[1]

Dan Savage, a well-known sex-advice columnist who frequently discusses unusual sexual practices, has stated that he has never received a first-hand or even a second-hand account of the practice.[5]

Mike Walker, a National Enquirer gossip columnist, spent months attempting to verify the gerbilling rumors about a celebrity. "I've never worked harder on a story in my life," Walker told the Palm Beach Post in 1995. After much investigation, he was unable to find any evidence that a gerbilling incident ever happened: "I'm convinced that it's nothing more than an urban legend."[6]

As of the mid-1980s, there were no reports in peer-reviewed medical literature describing gerbilling.[7][8]

Nonetheless, the practice of gerbilling remains in popular culture. A February 2015 episode of Family Feud featured a woman who immediately answered "a gerbil" when host Steve Harvey asked "Name something a doctor would pull out of a person." The response produced prolonged laughter from the audience and a stunned silence from Harvey; even the other contestant at the podium bursted out laughing over her response. The clip of the scene from the episode quickly went viral.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Barbara and David P. Mikkelson (2001-11-18). "From Gere to eternity". Urban Legends Reference Pages. snopes.com. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ Brunvand, Jan Harold (2001). "The Colo-Rectal Mouse". Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. W.W. Norton & Company. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-57607-076-5. ISBN 9781576070765
  3. ↑ Brunvand, Jan Harold (2001). "Gerbiling". Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. W.W. Norton & Company. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-57607-076-5. ISBN 9781576070765
  4. ↑ "Gerbilling Mishap Injures Two". About.com. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  5. ↑ Dan Savage (March 20, 2013). "Gerbils? Again?". thestranger.com.
  6. ↑ Young, Paul (2002). L.A. Exposed: Strange Myths and Curious Legends in the City of Angels. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 20. ISBN 978-0312206468.
  7. ↑ Adams, Cecil (1986). "Is It True What they Say About Gerbils?" The Straight Dope, March 28, 1986.
  8. ↑ Busch, D. B.; Starling, J. R. (1986). "Rectal foreign bodies: case reports and a comprehensive review of the world's literature". Surgery 100 (3): 512–519. PMID 3738771.
  9. ↑ She said what? Possibly the most awkward answer ever shouted on game show KSTU (02/12/2015)

Further reading

External links