Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Ridiculous Forwards: 2/7/06

I'm getting too many "ridiculous forwards" that are not researched. I think we need to encourage people to question their sources before sending these forwards. Today's ridiculous forward:

Claim: A new Pepsi can design omits the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. (Emailer wants people to boycott this corporate offender as some kind of religious infidel?)

Status: False: Read History of This Internet Hoax.
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My reply to the sender of the email (always needs a personal touch):

Dear NP,

This is an obvious hoax, I would encourage you to develop critical thinking and research skills that will help you to learn how to investigate reports like this before forwarding them to people (and would be glad to supply you with resources to quickly check up on email forwards). Also when sending a forwarded email it is usually considered to be good etiquette to remove the earlier addresses (the reasoning for this is that spammers can collect addresses from forwards like this).

Just in case you are wondering I have no concern whether my soda cans, or anything else, including money, and other documents, have any reference to "god"? In fact I would prefer that they don't, as I view religion to be a deeply personal affair and do not want my government, corporations, or society to legislate/advertise/dictate what we can or should worship (or not worship).

Additionally, I would encourage everyone to quit buying all soft drinks, as they are unhealthy and serve no nutritional basis ...

Thivai

6 comments:

Arkady said...

Insufficient daily outrage syndrome is terrible thing, Thivai. One would think the world troubling enough without searching for evil on soda cans. The contents are awful already and that should be the end of it. It's worse that there was no offense, even inconsequential, in the first place.

Susannity said...

I get about one of these false stories forwarded to me twice a month and usually link the appropriate urban legends/false stories link for the sender. Some of the stories almost sound true and often appear substantiated - very clever - so I can understand why many accept them as they are.

Anonymous said...

Ah, but it's trickier when the sender is your mother ....

Michael said...

J.,

Yes there is plenty to keep us occupied, but the forwards are seeking to enrage through simplistic assumptions that our society is rabidly anti-christian, when it is, mainstream-wise, definitely not ...

Susanne,

That is usually my practice too (a big thanks to the SNOPES project!)

Terry,

I just did a reply to my mother a couple weeks back when she sent me the urban legend about insane insurance claims--all of them false.

Who better to informa than our love ones (although you are correct in can be a balancing act not to offend those that are closest to us)

Susannity said...

I just did one to my father-in-law on the Oliver North one. He took it well and forwarded my comments onto the person who sent it to him, who was a retired military cousin. He took it well. =)

Michael said...

Most of my family takes it well... although I'v had a couple disown me (quit talking to me) during the 2004 elections.