Tuesday, July 8. 2008Value of political email forwards
My friend Shelly forwarded me this email recently, and I "replied all" with a note that I give no credibility to these types of messages. My contention is that email messages like this, though they may have some basis on facts, are sensationalist and intended to skew popular opinion in a way that is subversive and manipulative. Also, I feel that it's irresponsible to forward these types of messages; they reflect poorly on the sender regardless of intention and whether or not the list of recipients includes people that have an ability to analyze their contents. The message lists no sources and its language is clearly extremely biased. I didn't feel that this opinion was up for debate, but apparently it can be considered a valuable part of the election process. Feel free to discuss in comments below.
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Paul,
Where is my response on your blog? It sounds when I read it, like you are trying to solicite negative responses, not a friendly debate. I DID give you sources...where are they? I copied and pasted them. I even said that people should talk, share and keep issues in front of them when making major decisions. Because you only shared one side of our conversation, this blog has no credibility.
Shelly, you're welcome to repost them. I didn't want to take credit for your work.
"My contention is that email messages like this, though they may have some basis on facts, are sensationalist and intended to skew popular opinion in a way that is subversive and manipulative. Also, I feel that it's irresponsible to forward these types of messages; they reflect poorly on the sender regardless of intention and whether or not the list of recipients includes people that have an ability to analyze their contents. The message lists no sources and its language is clearly extremely biased."
This is a perfect description of the problem. I came across your blog while trying to find a polite way to reply to a business contact - one who consistently feels the need to forward me small-minded political tirades. I think these types of memorandums have no place in the corporate e-mail world. Thanks.
I am often reminded of video game lingo when reading these kind of emails sent. "Screenshot or it didn't happen." Instead of sending viral emails to friends, send a link to the source. If I find that source credible, I'll believe it, but from what was posted here, I would probably just delete it since I know I can send an email to my friends with numbers on it, too. Then again, I'd delete it anyway because I really don't like politics.
This has been debunked by snopes
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/taxes.asp |
Paul WhitakerThis is my personal blog. I also have a technical blog on MSDN.
I'm a software developer, a super geek, and a traveler. I'm passionate about people, technology and writing. I live in Washington, DC with my two cats Cassie and Squeaker. Syndicate This BlogBlog AdministrationPopular Entries
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