Spammy Emails

I got an email today. You know, one of those kind that people pass around that are usually wildly inaccurate. The kind of email that gets passed around because it says what people WANT it to say, because it accords with their beliefs, not necessarily because it's has any basis in fact.

Too many people adhere to this philosophy - "Don't confuse me with facts."

Well, if my computer had a speed dial, I'd probably put in Truth or Fiction and Snopes, because if I get an email that half-way interests me, the first thing I want to know is HOW ACCURATE IS IT???? Is this for real, or a bunch of bull?

As it turns out, part of the one I got today was totally real. Well, actually, that's not so unusual. Whoever cooks these things up likes to take a nugget of truth, and then add their own version of truth along side. Then you have to pick out what parts are true and what aren't.

Today's email would have been fine if they had put the author's signature under what he actually wrote, and then left the part they added on as from an anonymous source or something. Instead, it was signed at the bottom:

"My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein"

I don't think it's either honest or respectful of people to put words in Ben Stein's mouth. Or anyone else's mouth. I don't care if it's religious, political or whatever kind of email. . . let's stick to the truth. And if what you're sending out is just your opinion, let's have the guts, indeed, let's just have the courage of our convictions to say so. Otherwise, just don't bother saying it.

Yeah, I'm tired of these emails that fill up my in-box that have no relationship to the real world. I'm tired of hearing that Harry Potter books have given rise to Satanism in kids, the latest flu pandemic we aren't being told about, the ACLU has filed a suit to have all military cross-shaped headstones removed,the FCC is removing religious broadcasts from radio and tv, look out for dangerous spiders under toilet seats, Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ, Disney & Microsoft will pay you to forward emails, send this email 10 times and something great will pop up on your screen, and then there's all the obvious Photoshopped Fauxtographs - give me a break!

Before you get all bent out of shape about the information in an email, how about making sure it's true and worth getting in a dither about?

I mean, what are people thinking to believe all this stuff!???!
Oh yeah, that's the problem. . . who's bothering to think?