Re: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Rant

I don't get up on my soapbox, get on my high horse, claim the moral high ground or any other related cliche too often around here. I usually at least pretend to be funny and clever. Today is going to be different. I apologize in advance for doing it, but not for what I'm going to say.

How many forwarded emails do you get each day? Friends, family, coworkers all send us email after email tagged with a string of Fw: before the subject line. You may read them. You may throw them in the trash. You may be the one sending them on to other people. These emails can be anything from lists of interesting facts to political messages to heartwarming stories to jokes to vitriolic diatribes that might as well be a call to arms.

When you get one of these, or more importantly when you forward it on to the next person, how often do you take the time to check the facts? I read a story recently that really upset me, and it was all because people were sending things along without bothering to find out if it was true. As it turns out, it wasn't true. It seems that someone made it up and then started spreading it through email.

A store owner in Tennessee has been accused via email of refusing to serve a soldier at his convenience store. The email describes how he told the man that they don't serve soldiers there. In addition, the email goes on to tell about how this man had celebrated on 9/11 until someone beat him up. The problem? It's not true. No such thing has happened at this store (which is mentioned in some of the emails). No celebrating during 9/11. No refusal to serve soldiers. In fact, members of the armed forces from local bases have public stated their support for the owners of the store, because they make up a large portion of the store's customers.

The problem is that someone started this. I don't know who they are, so I can't say why, though the fact that the owners of the store don't look like the "Patriotic Rednecks" the author(s) of the email claim to be is a fairly likely reason. Some one started this and every time anyone reads it and becomes upset and then sends it on, the problem spreads. Is getting upset over something like the alleged incidents justifiable? Sure, to an extent. (These people have to fear for their safety, which would be uncalled for even if every word of the email was true.) I can see people being upset by someone mistreating others and not wanting to do business with them. I can even see wanting to tell others so that they don't do business there. But people do not take the time to stop and look for the truth.

This isn't an isolated incident. If you do research on the emails that get forwarded to you on a daily basis, I would estimate that almost as many are misstated or completely fabricated as are true. It's up to each and every one of us to take the few moments necessary to check on these. If we don't, we are complicit with the originators and any of those who intended harm. The next time you think about hitting that forward button, stop to wonder if it is true or not. Remember not to believe everything that you read, but most importantly remember that you can be negatively impacting the life of another human being simply by helping spread someone else's lies.

And with that, I shall get down off my high horse.

More info? Here are links about this story:

From Blount Today

From Maryville, TN Times 1, 2

Snopes.com article reviewing the situation.