As a purveyor of information, I think I have developed a habit that my friends and relatives may perceive as bitchy. Whenever I receive a forward in my inbox about some kid dying with cancer or (just today) 23,000 UPS uniforms missing and believed to be stolen by terrorists, I have to check the story on Snopes. After I have confirmed or, most often, found the story to be false, I Reply To All and let John Public know they should not be fooled by the latest falsity.
I have, only once, found the details in one of these emails to be true. The one email I received that was true was about a statue made by an Iraqi whose origins seemed very far fetched. Alas, my disbelief was short lived.
I will go on record to say the following:
- I will not stop “replying to all” with a message that the email you just sent me is no more than a figment of someone’s imagination. You sent the urban legend to me and everyone you know. Everyone deserves to know that it is not true and that you willy nilly send forwards to people. (though the majority of your contacts probably already knows that)
- I rather dislike urban legends that are created for the sole purpose of either making people cry or afraid.
- I really hate email forwards of this nature.
–Jane, on record