So what do you do when you get one of those forwarded emails with a message or joke that is politically offensive or contains misinformation? Yesterday I got one sent by a friend from my church that some of you may have seen - a picture of crosses in the National Cemetery with a tagline to the effect that the ACLU is trying to have them removed.
In the past I have mostly ignored these messages and just deleted them, or sometimes replied asking to be taken off their email list. Once in a while I have let my emotions get the better of me and responded with something sarcastic, even on occasion replying to all who were included on the original post. Lately if I respond I have tried to be polite, taking the position that it is a matter of education, and pointing out websites where the sender can inform himself on the issue.
Living as I do in Texas and not being especially outspoken about my politics, acquaintances may just assume that I share their conservative viewpoint, or maybe they just don’t care. Why are they corresponding with me on this matter in the first place? Do they think things like this are true and want to make me aware, are they trying to change my opinion on the subject, or do they just think it is humorous and never thought about whether it is true or not? Maybe they feel a need to reach out to me in some way and just hit the forward button without considering the content. At any rate it does not seem right to just let things pass without comment, but I don’t really like to get “worked up” over things like this and get a reputation as a hot-head.
So what do you do?
Comments (6)
I delete them all. I only forward things to people I know will enjoy the content. ANd those are few and far between. I refuse to fall into to the “you must forward or Doom will fall” trap. I delete delete delete.
If it sounds like a hoax to me, I do a google search and try to find something that disproves the email. Then I email the sender and sometimes all recipients with a link to the information. The other stuff I just delete. What I really hate are messages that say “Forward this to 5 people and you will get a special blessing.” Well, I guess I hate all emotional blackmail, whether it’s doom or blessing.
Mostly, I delete all forwarded emails like that. The humor is rarely funny, and the information is rarely important or interesting. I’d much rather read what my friends think than what somebody else thought that was passed along umpteen number of times.
I’ll never bake the Neiman Marcus cookies,or make a claim with Microsoft that is too good to be true. Much of what I get that is political I may agree with, but I don’t read it. Not interested in canned junk sent through email.
But unless you are very upset and offended, I wouldn’t bother take on the fight to stop it (with your friends who send it on to you). It is like tilting at windmills and probably not worth the effort. Delete is silent, but powerful.
However, if they ask your opinion, then tell them. They may be surprised.
I very seldom respond to e-mails that urge me to do this or do that or never break this chain or send this to x number of people………..I also report spam if I don’t recognize the sender or if the subject matter contains something illegal or about buying medicines, etc. It’s a pain but rarely takes more than a few minutes to delete or report spam…….
If I’ve actually opened it and read it, I delete it. Like Kathy, if it’s a hoax, I’ll search for the real information and have forwarded that on a couple of occasions. I think a lot of people just get into auto-pilot mode and forward to their heart’s content without really thinking about it.
I detest junk e-mail.
If it comes from a known commodity whose politics I know–and the content is outrageous–, I may do a snopes.com check on its authenticity and direct that person to snopes.com. Usually I will delete even those, and I never respond to those who want something forwarded to all of my friends. Generally, I avoid “eye contact” with these e-mails. My only regret is that they haven’t wasted 37 cents.
thelrd in TEXAS
ps–I have rarely flamed an e-mail out in response, and usually I have regretted it.