[Ads-l] fud

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The Wikipedia entry for "Fear, uncertainty, and doubt" presents 1975
citations for FUD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki "Fear,_uncertainty,_and_doubt"

[Begin excerpt]
The similar formulation "doubts, fears, and uncertainties" first
appeared in 1693.[4][5] The phrase "fear, uncertainty, and doubt"
first appeared in the 1920s.[6][7] It is also sometimes rendered as
"fear, uncertainty, and disinformation".[8]

By 1975, "FUD" was appearing in contexts of marketing, sales,[9] and
in public relations:[10]

One of the messages dealt with is FUD—the fear, uncertainty and doubt
on the part of customer and sales person alike that stifles the
approach and greeting.[9]

[Footnote 9]  "The search for self". Clothes. 10 (14–24). New York,
NY, USA: PRADS, Inc.: 19 1975-10-01. Archived from the original on
2024-09-06. Retrieved 2011-06-10. […] One of the messages dealt with
is FUD—the fear, uncertainty and doubt on the part of customer and
sales person alike that stifles the approach and greeting. […]

 [Footnote 10] Harris, Rhonda (1998). The Complete Sales Letter Book.
Armonk: Sharpe Professional. ISBN 0-7656-0083-8.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 10:20 AM Jonathan Lighter
<00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Thanks for the tip.
>
> 1991 _Richmond Times-Dispatch_ (Aug. 11) Business Sec.1 [GenealogyBank]:
> Fud is short for fear, uncertainty, and doubt, says John L. McElroy, Jr.,
> Wheat's chairman and chief executive officer.
>
> 1994 _L.A. Times_ (Oct. 30) B-10 [Nespapers.com]: Fear, uncertainty, and
> doubt...The FUD Factor."
>
> JL
>
> On Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 9:54 AM Dennis During <
> 00001bcaf94bd005-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > I had heard of FUD as the reason why IT guys (in the days of Big  Iron)
> > bought IBM products. "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM."
> >
> > On Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 8:43 AM Jonathan Lighter <
> > 00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > Chip Massey, former FBI hostage negotiator, on CNN this morning:
> > >
> > > "We call this 'fud' - 'fear, uncertainty, and doubt.'"  (As experienced
> > by
> > > crime victims and families."
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > > --
> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Dennis C. During
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org