Monday

I'm speaking today at Bergen Community College, as part of a series I do twice a year through the Record. Friends always ask me 'What are you going to speak about?" I'm never quite sure, so I usually just go there and ask what they WANT me to talk about.

 One thing that just irked me -- for the 9,000th time -- was some stupid chain email about all of Michelle Obama's "lackeys" "servants" "attendents" etc.

 I think most of you realize now that 98 percent of chain emails about real people are made up idiots with nothing else to do with their time. They tend to feed off people's fears, prejudices or political persuasion. And some, like this Michelle-o-gram, also take a swipe at the media. 

 As I've said on many occasions here, anyone who wants you to distrust the legitimate mainstream media is not someone to be trusted. Sure, we make mistakes and our editorial pages do promote a certain opinion. But a free press is the hallmark of a democracy and the first thing dictators go after is a free press.

 Newspapers -- and all of the media in this country, for that matter -- are going through an awful time right now. We are trying to survive all sorts of challenges and keep our heads above water.

 When people go after the legit media (and I'm talking now about real news providers, not chat shows, radio loons or supermarket tabloids) it is a direct attack on this country, on you and on the freedoms we all hold dear.

 If I sound like I'm over-reacting, well, maybe I am. But, I am sick of this rhetoric, and of these carefully designed email that are designed to get a gut reaction from people, even though the "facts" they offer are fictional or have been presented in such a way as to be misleading.

 I assume all of these emails are baloney, but since a few (VERY few) are actually positive and CORRECT, I often go to snopes.com to check out their take on the matter. They have a great track record when it comes to these things and their information, in my experience, is correct and well-documented.

 Now, have a good day and

 VIVA LA FREE PRESS!!!!

Comments

[Walter]

Even tho' I generally ignore those types of e-mails (plus they're generally from one person who believes everything they receive), if there is one that piques my interest, I usually check it out on Snopes.Com, even tho' I have recently learned that they tend to report in issues that are favorable to their causes (ie. Liberal Democrat). Evven after I've verified the info as best as I can, I still avoid sending it as a mass mailing, and may send to a select few, noting it was verified by Snopes (Kind of a "Don't Shoot the Meesenger!")

And I will NEVER forget the source of the story about a Christmas Eve dinner with a non-fishing, non-Italian, buxom dinner guest...I almost got my head handed to me ona fish plate when I forwarded it last year!

[nan]

I've received things reported as seen on snopes - that were not really checked at all

[dawniris]

Bill,

I agree. I also think that there is a difference in the chain emails and the mass emailings of legitimate information. In my experience, many of the chain emails tend to have some nasty tone or an ulterior motive, while a mass emailing can simply inform of valuable information.

Like you indicated, chain emails seem to thrive on fear mongering as opposed to sharing information or keeping people informed.

I think that the chain email can often be like gossip: some people cannot (or too lazy to) differentiate between what is gossip and what is pertinent information and the facts.

Too many people now rely on the the tabloids and entertainment style news rather than searching for important, relevant information on anyone or any topic. Yet others quickly believe the gossip and quickly dismiss truth and even the obvious facts.

Even religious information and prayers are not safe; some so called prayers or "religious" messages sent via email tend to take on a nasty tone; some may start out lovely then change into hateful messages that practically send (they try) folks to hell if they don't forward that message (for example: in 10 seconds to 20 people). By the way, these are supposedly Christian messages before anyone assumes otherwise. ;)

I prefer a prayer to remain a real, honest prayer with all of it's sincere and kind hearted intents and purposes, not something that is trying to scare the hell out of people or send them to hell if they don't click send to so many people in so little time.

Personally, I don't believe God is mean like that or want us to be mean like that to each other; I also believe that Jesus knows who believes and who doesn't and who tries and who doesn't whether or not they forward so called religious chain emails.

As far as media, I agree with you, especially about the media and our freedoms, especially relating to our freedom of speach.

But also, there are times when some segments of the population are legitimately frustrated because they are left out or if they are "portrayed" in a unfair or negative light (usually they feel that an unbalanced picture is painted of them); or if a crime against a particular group is under reported in the media, etc.

Unfortunately, there are times when it is some of the legitimate media outlets (papers, tv shows, etc) that do this, whether intentionally or not. That is the kind of thing that will make some people distrust the media in general.

So while newspapers are the foundation for upholding our freedoms, for democracy, the newspapers, tv news, etc are comprised of human beings and some of them just aren't fair.

Because of that, I don't think that everyone who complain and have legitimate concerns about the media aren't to be trusted. Some: yes; all: no.

I think that's good to keep the media honest and in check too. That is not to knock the media completely or as a whole.

I bet that the kind of people writing and hurriedly and breathlessly sending the Michelle Obama email around are the same kind of people who send those mean spirited relgious "prayers" (hoping and praying that folks go to hell which contradicts their claims of trying to "save" folks.)

They are the same one's who don't want to believe the truth or trust the facts but they like to spread lies.

[lwt]

i check snopes on a regular basis. i was forwarded two e-mails a week or two ago that i thought had long since been laid to rest [bill gates and microsoft will pay you to forward this...] and another one that promised a free laptop. oddly enough, in the chain of forwardings, someone said they checked this on snopes and it's true. funny how when i checked it, it wasn't. both times. and i don't think we can put god in a box. you know the one...forward this to everyone you know or it means you are ashamed of jesus. i believe i can best serve jesus by not annoying those who have not accepted him with e-mails. i don't think an e-mail has ever converted anyone.
happily, i have not received the one about michelle obama.

[Linda]

I use my delete key....a lot!

[dawniris]

lwt:

I forgot that one! Thanks for pointing that one out too; I hate when they try to make you feel like you are ashamed of Jesus or don't worship God if you don't do exactly as they say. For me, due to some of the things they write in the email, I don't want to forward to others (despite the "prayers") because it doesn't come across as sincere or loving or thoughtful.

Another thing they say is people who don't forward it to the exact number of people they tell them to in the number of seconds they say do it, the person has no friends (or will be cursed or something) if they don't forward it like they say to!

I mean, they'll add to a prayer all kinds of cruel things to make a person feel bad, guilty (for no reason), scared rather than hopeful or uplifted. Sometimes, rather than worshipping God, it sounds more like the person who wrote the email is more into the devil (and not counting on any of us to really read it, think about it and then decide for ourselves if we want to pass it on).

I love the real prayers or wonderful messages and the beautiful graphics, pictures that sometimes come with them;those pray for you or try to uplift you and are positive; they may or may not ask you to share it (they never demand that you forward it), and they don't try to scare you. Those emails are more kind and thoughtful than the others we referred to.

I never bought into that free laptop thing or the get paid to forward email stuff. They sounded too good to be true; I waited for someone to confirm it by informing me when they got their laptop or got paid. Never happened.

I haven't received the one Bill is talking about either (on Michelle Obama) and I hope I never do get it.

[lwt]

the thing is, once these e-mails start, they go all over the place and back again. imagine if you had started one and now, a year or two later, you are getting it from someone else. what a strange feeling that would be. kind of a power trip or feeling of immortality. because knowing that even if you die tomorrow, your e-mail, asking people to send it on, will get sent on and on.
very rarely do i send stuff like that on, only if i think it will be appreciated by the recipient/s and then with the disclaimer that i didn't expect it to get passed on unless they wanted to share it with someone.

[dawniris]

I agree lwt. But the sad thing is, once it goes all around, I believe a lot of the original content changes and the original writer is not known after a while (I've never seen the "author" of any of these messages). I think that's what happens to some of those prayers: they might start off good but eventually get into the wrong hands for someone to distort the message.

Do you ever get the emails that demand that you send it BACK to the person who sent it to you? What is the point of that? I hate that too! lol! Or the ones that promise you some great fortune or make some kind of prediction i.e. you will get a call at a certain time that day.

Like Linda said: delete! lol!