Dear Alice

We all get them. Forwarded emails generated by someone with too much time on their hands and a soap box that isn't tall enough for their liking, disseminated by all their friends and relatives (including someone who has your address). For the most part, they're all the same. Whether political, religious, charitable or a poor attempt at humor, they clog our inboxes and rarely serve the purpose of educating, uplifting or enlightening any of us.

Most of my family and friends know better than to forward me every single piece of junk they receive. Most of them are as frustrated as I am that the only time you get an email from that one friend of yours is when it's a forwarded piece of junk.

In my family, however, there is one relative that sends out a political piece at least once a week. While I am certain that I have voted for the same party she supports on several occasions, I do not always agree with the messages that she seems to rally behind. Each email arrives with a message to "Pass it on!!" or "Spread the Word" or some other phrase bestowing upon me the immediate need for me to shower my own contact list with her political beliefs.

I thought and thought about how best to handle the situation, but when another message arrived yet again this morning, and I felt that familiar twinge when I see her address in my inbox, I knew I needed to do something.

I sent an email in reply asking that this particular relative please remove me from her blast email list. I refrained from sharing with her my differences in political opinion and my belief that we are all free to make our own choices without assumption or pressure from anyone else. But the thing that gets me the most about all of this, is that the relative at the heart of this matter....is my GREAT AUNT.

Comments

Katrina said…
Yeah, I have that one relative, too. :) This week I wrote him to let him know that the beliefs espoused in most of the emails actually lined up with the opposite party from the one to which he claims to belong...lol! People are so funny about politics. I try to tread lightly, most of the time.
Anonymous said…
I'm a "forwarder" for the most part. I get the most hysterical emails from friends, family and co-workers. But, that's all well and good for us, because we all enjoy it and respectfully don't forward to people whom we know wouldn't appreciate it. However, when it comes to political forwards, here lately I've just been deleting them. Let me be more specific. When it comes to political (or joke) forwards dealing specifically with Mexicans, I delete them. I don't delete them because I either agree or disagree with them, I delete them because the underlying message is always very racist. Now, I hope I haven't opened up a can of worms...I am making NO statements here about what is right or wrong with that situation.
Anonymous said…
i have a sister-in-law that sends every chain letter, stupid joke and sad story that crosses her space. i hate it, but can't say anything due to the fact she's ultra sensitive. so, i would rather hit delete than have to deal with the drama.

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