But of course. But in a sense, you have to kind of feel sorry for the columnists who are charged with finding such "man on the street" wisdom. Very few "men on the street" = or "women on the street" - have anything interesting to say, or the ability to say anything in an interesting way. How many bartenders are "savvy, ironic" offering "insight"? If a columnist's job is to fill his or her column with such men on the street insights, the temptation to make them up is going to be pretty strong.
Well, I don't, and I'm very familiar with Barbacle's writing from that period.
The 'lie' is a damnable lie because it is offered to give authority (therefore, false authority) based on the special knowledge and exposure of the speaker.
So it's a form of rhetorical 'cheating'.