I regularly email lots of folks with email that I tailor to their interests. I don't have any "groups" set up, I just go through and hand pick people that I think will enjoy each thing that comes my way. I am careful to clean up the forward, no extra addresses, no extra advertising. I'm pretty careful about screening ugly ones, racist ones, nasty ones. I don't like them, so why would anyone else? Anyway, the point is, I usually get a feel for who loathes and despises forwarded emails. Those folks don't appreciate any attempt at amusing them so I don't pass anything on to them. I get lots of emails each day from various places that I either use or delete and most folks are happy to have some communication. I have one friend, though, who takes exception with everything I send. She sends me things but whenever I send something to her, she immediately turns it around and sends it back with some mean, little message. It makes me feel bad but. mostly, I just don't get it. Recently, I did the same to her on one; I flipped a message back that implied that she should have known how unnecessary it was to me. She had sent me something I had seen on the Internet 2 weeks ago. I had emailed it to a couple of friends and then put it up on this blog. Normally, that wouldn't have caused me to do anything at all but delete hers. That is a normal reaction, I'd say. No need for a snotty response, no need for a firm, "Thanks, but I already have it". Nope. Delete. It isn't costing me rent, I don't think I'm clogging up the "Internetss" with duplicates,(puleeze!), it didn't offend me in any way. My time isn't so precious that I feel like I've wasted a split second on something objectionable.Delete. Now, I feel like a bitch for doing it. The message never got to her. She will never figure it out from my passive aggressive action. So, I can either forget about it and move on or I can tell her what made me so mad. Or I can write about it here. Hmmmmm......
If you don't like forwarded emails, tell me. If it's just my forwarded emails, tell me that, as well. If I send you one that also showed up from someone else, delete mine or delete the other one. It doesn't cost a thing! Don't send me something designed to "put me in my place" each time. That is not the forum. Call me or write, snail mail or email, and tell me off, if that is your intention. If the content is objectionable, delete it and forget about it. I received a political piece from this woman, early in the campaign. A week later,(a week later) I got one from another person that I sent to her and some others. I specifically sent it to her because of the one she had sent me, a week ago. Similar images, similar messages, nothing offensive, (at least to a fellow Democrat). She immediately sent it back with the message that, "I'm trying to stay away from negative things, please don't send my any more of these!" What the hell? I sort of feel like I'm on a bad acid trip when dealing with her. If I have 50 regular email "pals" and I get no bad response from anyone but her, what does that tell me? I know, I should have quit sending her things a long time ago and I have stopped a couple of other times. Then I'll get some cute one from her, about animals or with beautiful photos or something and I'll think, maybe I was just hallucinating about those nasty replies. I know! I'll send her this cute doggie email. Then, I sort of slip back into it. Then I start getting the same shitty replies again. Then I get mad again. Arghhh! Man, I need to get a stronger backbone and just know better, from here on out. I know better, I know better!
send me anything, anytime!
Posted by: jph | January 03, 2009 at 08:39 AM