Sunday, January 02, 2011

I may be screwed...and not the good way

Firstly...Happy 2011 everyone. I hope it is the best year for you and many wonderful things happen. If not, well find someone to blame.

So, to todays topic. I got ANOTHER email forward from BigD. It's ANOTHER O.bama is the devil/anti'christ/muslim/terrorist...etc. It really hit a nerve. I firmly believe that everyone should be allowed their own beliefs and freedom of speech. I also believe that I don't have to agree.

Let me tell you firstly...I do not think our President is outstanding. I don't think he is satan either. This most recent email questioned something that a very simple g.oogle search would clarify or demolish. I made a decision that will most likely cause marital ramifications as BigD never thinks he is wrong. Ever.

I am on the list of "forwards" that he sends these emails too....a list of hundreds. BigD, because of his career and involvement with several organizations has many email contacts. Most are government type employees, or friends of long-standing. Well......this morning I sorta snapped and hit the dreaded (or cherished) 'reply-all' button and proceeded to very sweetly (taking his feelings well into account) tell him that he needs to quit buying into the rhetoric and chicken-little emails that he receives and forwarding them BEFORE even wondering if they are true.

He is of the thought that if it is written....well hell, it must be true. This drives me insane. He needs to get off the bandwagon and sit down and really think about what he KNOWS, and if he doesn't know, take the time (maybe 2-5 seconds) to do a quick online search to see if what he is forwarding is factual.

So, I typed a sweet reply all, non-confrontational, not degrading (though the snark in me was dying to leap onto the keyboard) and told him that he is a smart man and to check his facts. I then kindly asked him (and the hundreds of people on his email list) to read the following article and give it some thought. So, now I ask you to do the same. I would love to know what you think.

http://ireaderreview.com/2011/01/01/ot-divide-and-conquer-vs-shared-purpose (this blog is also a terrific one to subscribe to for free books for your K.indle---this person sends out an email several times a week with lists of current (many genre) books that are free on A.mazon for a short period of time. I have found some great new authors reading a free book. Yeah, some are duds..but hey..free so I can delete if they don't snag my attention).

Feedback on the article please :-)

9 comments:

Yo-yo Mama said...

THAT KIND OF STUFF MAKES ME INSANE!!

I prefer to find the snopes disclaimer to whatever was forwarded and do a reply all with that and let the website do the talking...then again, who ever reads those stupid forwards anyway??

In his line of work, that really is in poor form. Politics and religion are a no-no.

preppyplayer said...

I always agree with you, why doesn't he? LOL
I do think you are a brave one, but you speak the truth.
As for our pres, Have any of them been 100% great?
I voted for him and will see if I will again- jury is still out.
Happy new year friend!

Jerry said...

That is a great article, OHN.

Thanks for turning me on to it.

Unknown said...

I think you handled it very well. Whenever someone forwards an email to everyone on their list, they're annoying at least some of them, which is poor form.

I once schooled a teenaged cousin who forwarded something that was completely untrue according to Snopes. It wasn't political, but that wasn't the point. I suggested that she check things before forwarding them and she insisted that she didn't care about accuracy, only forwarding without thinking. I pointed out that people who didn't know her as well as family might think she was dumb for believing and forwarding such things. I don't know if she stopped completely, but she left the cousins off her forwards in the future.

Claudya Martinez said...

I love that you speak your mind. I'm off to read the article.

Claudya Martinez said...

Great article. Insightful and oh so true.

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Emily T. Thomas said...

Thank you for your kind comment on the post I wrote about my mom. It means more than you know.
-Em
www.16ballsintheair.com

tz said...

I agree with Yoyo mama, i find the snopes artical about the untruth of the email and hit a reply all -- I actually had somene write me back and said she didn't care if it was untrue she would do anything in her power to make sure he wasn't elected (this was pre-election) because he was evil....huh? wht do you do with that?

hubby and I are also in a 'mixed' marriage...he introduces himself as republican and says his wife is just wrong...sadly this makes me laugh...but whatever...

good luck!