I want to lay my cards on the table: I hate forwarded emails. First, I hate them as a matter of principle. Second, I hate them because they promote a sense of guilt if not passed on. This is a new version of a chain letter, and those are wrong for so many reasons. Third, forwarded emails often disseminate disinformation and utter falsities. They might take something remotely true and twist it and turn it into lies. Fourth, they are normally a form of angst from more radical or fundamentalist thought, and thus should always be read or not read with caution. Now that I've got that off my chest, allow to elaborate.
In the past 3 weeks, I have received 3 emails about a particular candidate running for a particular office. This candidate is caricatured as a Muslim, the anti-Christ, a raging liberal, anti-God, anti-American, and on and on. This candidate might be liberal, but most other claims are egregious offenses to the truth or at best gross overstatements of what is only minimally true. The type of lies spewed about this candidate are unfortunate. These emails promote fear-mongering, a lack of rational dialogue, and they sanctify ignorance. These are NOT Christian virtues. Sadly, though, most of them come in the guise of Christian ethics. Only 1 of the 3 emails sent to me had factually true information, and it didn't take too many liberties with this candidate's positions. The email represented this candidate almost fairly. I will say, however, that the email did caricature many liberal positions that are morally gray at best. And so a strict "Christian" denial of these liberal positions evidences more of a political ideology than a religious one.
My political ideology runs through the lens of my religious convictions, and truth is paramount to those convictions. And I think my political stances have been evident through this blog, so you may have discerned that I might vote a particular way. But if you want to lambaste a particular candidate, do so on his character, his stance on issues, and his public performance (both in media and senatorial voting) thus far.
And in short, do not send me forwarded emails.
10/28/08
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
Idea: copy & paste the text of this post (with minor modifications) in a reply to each person who sends you such a forward.
I get those types of emails all the time from my grandma. It gets really annoying.
Maybe you should reply back to the sender with a picture of a middle finger. That would get the message across. :)
Daniel... always resorting to the crass response in the face of disagreement. Have you become so saturated in the world of technology that you have forgotten how to respond with civility and dignity? Come, let us smoke the pipe together and speak in a gentlemanly manner, discussing the virtues of our friend's volume, The Soul in Cyberspace. (Besides, the last time I flipped off my grandma, things didn't turn out too well.)
This is fantastic. I shall copy it and send it to everyone I know, encouraging them to do the same.
Funny Gentlemen,
Are you guys serious, posts 1 and 4, Ben and Kev?
Am I to fight fire with fire?
Post 1 was a serious consideration... but Kev's joke (I think) might be a little more lighthearted way to handle the situation. My thought was to throw water on the fire; Kev's thing, if put into practice, would potentially use fire to make fire look really silly...?
I just got a forwarded email from my dad calling Obama an angry black man trying to punish the nation for the sins of the past. I agree with you Strunk. Forwarded emails are about as useful in discovering truth as Jeff Haanen giving kind, caring counseling sessions. Blah. Politics...
Post a Comment