Discon/nect: Chain Mail
Chain mail is a phenomenon that I just don’t get. Whether it’s snail mail, e-mail or text message, it’s all Greek.
Why would a person forward chain mail? By chain mail, I mean those ridiculous messages that try to scare you by saying a ghost will come into your room at night and slash your throat if you don’t send this message to everyone in your contact list.
Do these people actually believe that little Sally Jo (who was murdered before e-mail was invented) will hunt you down because you didn’t hit forward? If the answer is yes, I’m scared for the future of our world.
We can’t just forget about the other types of chain messages: those funny jokes, the religious message, the sob story or the propaganda machine (Woodward and Bernstein called it “ratfucking”. I think this term needs to be brought back to the forefront). These other types of chain messages are far more annoying, and possibly dangerous. Read more about these after the jump.
The Joke
Jokes are pretty harmless, I’ll admit. But having to scroll down through all the forwards gets annoying. And most of the time, the joke is old and/or not funny. On the Meredith Scale of Chain Mail Evilness, it gets a 3.
The Evangelical Message
These may also be harmless (unless it takes the militant approach). But annoying? Yes. Granted, the senders don’t feel this way. Perhaps they think they’re “spreading God’s love” or standing up for what they believe in. I find them particularly annoying because they inspire momentary feelings of guilt and/or shame. Send this message to 40 people or you’re a bad Christian! Proclaim your love of Jesus!
Sometimes, I’d consider it. I mean, I don’t want these people to think I’m a godless heathen. Then I’d come to my senses. You are not a bad Christian if you don’t forward chain mail (though I would argue that you’re an annoying Bible-beating Christian if you do). On the Meredith Scale of Chain Mail Evilness, it gets a 8 (Meredith doesn’t believe in making people feel guilt or shame).
Ratfucking
Popular examples of this campaign technique include “Obama is a Muslim” and “Obama is not a natural-born U.S. citizen.” It’s disinformation purposely sent to you in an attempt to persuade you to vote the other way. It’s particularly effective with radical extremists (on either side) and people who don’t use their brains.
Rule #1 in looking at facts presented to you: WHERE DID THE INFORMATION COME FROM? I can’t stress this enough. Is it from a legitimate source, such as The New York Times (actual content, not an advertisement) or an academic journal (with real credentials and academics from real universities and such)? The birther movement was founded on people taking everything at face value and believing that everything is accurate (and devotion to Lou Dobbs). My advice? Become a fact-checker. I recommend Snopes.com. On the Meredith Scale of Chain Mail Evilness, it gets a 10, (see Lou Dobbs, birther issue and/or the “death panels”).
Sob Story
Millie was just minding her own business when the cancer struck. Please please please help her out by donating! Many times, this is a scam. If you don’t know the person, don’t concern yourself. Even if you do know the person (but not that well), don’t concern yourself. That may sound callous, but you can always donate to someone like the American Cancer Association or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. There are too many people out there looking for some easy cash. Faking cancer? It’s happened. On the Meredith Scale of Chain Mail Evilness, it gets a 6.
