Are YOU a schmaltz peddler?

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Pergamum

Ordinary Guy (TM)
I have many facebook and email friends who are purveyors (and forwarders) of schmaltzy/sentimental emails, sappy forwards and other annoying emails.

How varied and diverse these emails are! I could write a poem about all of them (from herbal remedies, male enlargement ads, support the troops, student-teacher wisdom, Jesus with American flags, American eagles next to Christian symbols, Twin Towers stuff, Don't-break-the-chain-stuff, ...etc....)

How do I talk to a relative about their "email chain letter" problem?

Also, how do we make sure we are not doing the same thing?


I have an acquaintance who bombards me with animal shelter emails, but I couldn't care less and almost wrote back, "Gas those ugly dogs." How do I not upset someone because I don't share their zeal for unwanted animals and would rather feed them to the homeless.

Now...here's the rub

I was wanting to call an intervention and point out that I am tired of animal shelter news, etc,....but I myself send out missionary prayer letters and updates. Some of these inevitably go to people who are busy and haven't the time to read them.


Do I just delete these emails? Do I talk to my relatives?

Also, how do we alert supporters without annoying them? How do we not end up as unwanted spam or the equivalent of some anecdotal email about an atheist professor and a student in the back row, etc.....


p.s. I would LOVE to hear the origins of the most popular viral emails. Where do these things come from?
 
I delete them and don't say anything, but I don't think it would be rude to respond politely to them asking not to be forwarded anymore. If they think your prayer letters and updates are the same as "Save These Poor Dogs" or "Don't Break the Chain..." emails then shame on them. I don't always get to read updates from people I support as thoroughly as I would like, but I think most people are glad to get the types of emails you send out Perg.
 
I use the delete button/function on just about anything that has FWD in the subject. If someone asks me if I read it, I tell them that any e-mails I receive that have FWD in the subject line were most likely deleted due to the unmerciful spamming I get from people who have lifted my address from FWDed e-mails that the sender was not kind enough to send me as a BCC (run on sentence, I know).

If I get a haha that I'd like to share, I clean it up by deleting everyone else's data and change the subject line. As far as who makes them up? I would guess people with graphic arts skills that have entirely too much time available between paying jobs, or students practicing their skills.

If I get anything with an onus to resend on it, it automatically is trashed regardless of who sends it. The only exception to that is if I think some useful info is contained in it, I may clean off the onus/chain letter threat, and send the useful part to someone. That is a rarity.
 
As long as he doesn't peddle his todds by forwarding me.

---------- Post added at 03:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:34 PM ----------

...unless he knows a Nigerian widow worth millions.
 
With the modern innovation of Facebook I hardly receive emails from any particular person. However I get loads of emails from websites, Nigerian Princes, the lottery of Ireland, and so forth.

It seems like everybody in Africa uses the same bank in Burkina Faso.
 
If they wouldn't cease and desist I'd use my email account's blacklist and insert their address. It's also rude and inconsiderate (not to mention lazy) to take your personal address and spread it indiscriminately and visibly to strangers without your permission. You never know who is collecting addresses or what they plan to use them for. Sorry for the 'hard as nails' approach, but this is one of my pet peeves.
 
If they think your prayer letters and updates are the same as "Save These Poor Dogs" or "Don't Break the Chain..." emails then shame on them.

The polite thing to do would be to invite them to easily get off your email list if they desire. Just because it's a good cause doesn't mean that it isn't Spam to someone.

I just delete undesired emails, but Verizon has a fairly good anti-spam system.
 
If someone sends one only once in a while, I just delete the email. A family member once started sending dozens every week. I replied and said that I would LOVE to hear from them personally, but I am not interested in forwards.

If I am sent one that has incorrect information that could cause undue distress (for example, one was going around about a shoplifting ring at "our mall" which was actually at another mall many years ago), I send a link back telling them that their information was faulty. (Check at Snopes or Urban Legends online.)

If an acquaintance/former co-worker sends one, I ask to be removed from their list.

If anyone puts my email in a CC rather than a BCC, I reply and ask them not to give others my email address and to use the BCC in the future (or not send those emails at all, depending on the nature of the email).
 
I used to have this problem; I had a cousin who sent forwards daily. I sent out a mass email (not to every contact, but to family and some close friends) stating that I did not wish to be included in forwards, etc. (even saying in the email that, "Yes, I do love Jesus, but that is not determined by sending an email -- it is not denying him before men."); I stated that I would much rather have an email that they had typed and put thought into, and did not have time to wade through what I considered to be junk. (I know it sounds harsh, but I was polite in my wording.)

The funny thing is, the very person I was seeking to address was the first to respond; ironically, she stated that, she too hated receiving forwards. She never forwarded me anything again.
 
I think the worst may be the blasphemous "Only two people have offered to die for you, Jesus and the American Soldier."

In my experience there is often an inverse relationship between the person's witness and the number and degree of schmaltz they peddle.
 
Pergy: I think email chain letters are just as illegal as the physical paper kind. You could remind your sender of that.

Also: have you wondered who it is who thinks you need those male enhancement ads (LOL)?
 
I think the worst may be the blasphemous "Only two people have offered to die for you, Jesus and the American Soldier."

In my experience there is often an inverse relationship between the person's witness and the number and degree of schmaltz they peddle.

Everytime I get an email forward with a dramatic American Eagle in front of Old Glory holding a somber and dignified pose I always think of Ben Franklin's proposal to make the turkey our national bird.
 
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