# Do you reply to well-intentioned but incorrect emails? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545 "2004-11-18T21:33:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/1 "2004-11-18T21:33:41Z")
I have had so many of my zany pals emailing me with the latest crisis this week. Not the bodyless Nigerian boy who ate poisoned Halloween candy type emails, but ones which are or were accurate at one time, or contain a grain of accuracy in their misguided political fearmongering. The two I got three copies each of today are the David Hager’s being appointed to the FDA board and the EPA is going to spray noxious chemicals on poor kids for money. All of them were sent to me and about 50 other people - many of them people I know, but some I don’t. [Hager](http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/hager.asp) - well out of date. EPA poisoning kids - not quite. See the Pit for further discussion So, do you guys resopond to these things? Do you delete it and get on with your life or fight the ignorance? Do you reply or reply all? Are you gentle, or do you rip 'em a new one for sending you this junk? I’m torn. I want to fight the ignorance, but I don’t want to piss off my (well-meaning) friends by being a Miss Smarty Pants. ---
**Author:** ![Arch\_Trout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@Arch\_Trout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arch_Trout)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/2 "2004-11-18T21:40:43Z")
I usually reply, berating the person. If I know the majority of those copied in I reply all berating them. But most of my friends are clever enough not send them in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/3 "2004-11-18T22:19:48Z")
This only ever happened to us when we first got the internet, 5 years ago. We made the mistake of giving our e-mail address to some of my wife’s relatives. All of a sudden we were deluged by the most inane crap you can imagine, from somebody whose address we didn’t recognize, cc’ed to dozens of people, none of whom we knew. After a few weeks of it, I had to write back to this sender, saying “I don’t know who you are, but you must immediately stop sending this crap to my address. I don’t know why you think we find it interesting or entertaining to get anonymous garbage forwarded from a stranger. If you want to write to us, at the very least, tell us who you are, and engage us in conversation. Otherwise, our e-mail address is for communication only, and I implore you to remove us from your list at once.” Well, as it turns out, it was those relatives, and they haven’t spoken to us in five years. At least the deluge stopped. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/4 "2004-11-18T22:24:36Z")
If it’s true junk, I usually just ask people not to send me any more forwards. If it’s something that I can see why they would forward it (especially since I used to be almost as bad when I was younger), I’ve recently started sending back e-mails explaining nicely why it’s wrong. Just yesterday I got another of those 'Hotmail is shutting down inactive accounts" e-mails (and a rather bad one at that, didn’t even have the phony letterhead), so I sent a letter back, debunking just about everything in it, although I forgot the bogus line about there only being around 500 usernames left :rolleyes: I also asked her not to send me anything that asks to be forwarded. The next day she sent me another e-mail, one of those ‘get to know your friends’ quizzes :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/5 "2004-11-18T22:40:49Z")
It’s always the same girl. I e-mail her and list several reasons of why the e-mail is bollocks. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/6 "2004-11-18T22:46:03Z")
Reply All and Snopes. They’ll probably still send out stuff to others but they’ll take your name off the list… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/7 "2004-11-18T23:06:12Z")
Depending on my mood, I either reply with a Snopes link (Snope almost invariably is on the case and has debunked it) or add paragraph or so explaining that E-mailed stories from undocumented sources are nearly always BS, and explaining how to find out for themselves. For the particularly dense (i.e. those who persist in forwarding bogus E-mail stories after I’ve sent to Snopes three times or more), I ask them to kindly knock it the hell off. Hell, I did that today. To my own mother. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/8 "2004-11-18T23:21:21Z")
For some reason, I was thinking you were talking about e-mail that people have sent to you by mistake, but is legitimate e-mail. My mom’s AOL account (which was her name @aol.com) kept getting mail for some other woman with the same name. In that instance I told them they had the wrong person… then told them to stop sending stuff to this address… then found out the correct address for the person they were looking for… and then blocked them. I’d probably just delete that type of mail as spam, now. My dad used to send me stuff. I just deleted it. Problem was, in the act of FWDing me pointless crap, he’d get inspired to write me a message at the bottom. So he’d ask if I got his e-mail about X, I’d say no, he’d re-send the FWD+Msg from his sent items, I’d reply and tell him I deleted it because I thought it was pointless crap and didn’t notice the message at the bottom. After a while I got tired of checking all his FWDs, so I just replied to them asking that he stop FWDing pointless crap. For the most part it was republican inspirational stuff (I was frankly mystified why he thought I’d want to read it), but when he sent the occassional hoax virus alert I’d tell him why it was a Bad Thing. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/9 "2004-11-19T00:15:50Z")
I do, at least when I get The Evil Atheists Are Conspiring To Cancel “Touched By an Angel”-style glurge from my students. I feel like I have a professional obligation to fight ignorance on that front; I don’t know that I’d care so much if it came from a random member of the public. Naturally, I’m polite about it – I usually send them a Snopes link and a gentle reminder that not everybody shares their religious beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/10 "2004-11-19T00:16:36Z")
I used to get those inspirational/ have a great day e-mails from my aunt. Once in a while would be cute, I guess, but when it’s all the damn time, with the “God loves you”, “Smile! You have a friend!”, and the dancing chickens, enough already! I told her I prefer an actual message to that junk and so far she’s been real good about it, only sending me the _really_ cute ones. Hey, it’s the best I could do. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/11 "2004-11-19T07:36:01Z")
_sigh_ I have a relative that will believe anything if it’s in the form of an email. I’ve got them to where they will check snopes now, but still a lot of things make it into my inbox that are obviously false. There’s no point in trying to reason with them, though. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/12 "2004-11-19T09:41:39Z")
If I’m in the mood I’ll sometimes edit and alter Glurge accordingly, in an obscene, profane and often blasphemous manner,and then forward it to those whom it will amuse. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/13 "2004-11-19T18:09:33Z")
I have written back to three friends who blindly forwarded hoaxmail. I told 'em to check Snopes before passing on such nonsense. I later heard that all three grumbled about my complaints, but none of them sent any more panic-mails. One of them stopped emailing us altogether, so I guess she’s still steamed. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/14 "2004-11-19T21:12:03Z")
I got this one not too long ago from a lady at work, titled, “If I don’t get this back I will know you didn’t read it.” She’s just a sweet little old lady who sends me lots of religious stuff, which I just glance at and delete. But this one had me in a rage for days. > [@](#): > > I DO . DO YOU? > \> \> \> I got this from someone and thought the last part was really a > \> \> \> good > \> \> > \> \> \>thought. Too bad that the person who sent it to me did not know 10 > \> \> \>people who would admit to knowing the Lord. If I send this to you, > \> \> \>please send it back so I will know that my friends do know the Lord. > \> \> \> I don’t think I know 10 people who would admit they love Jesus. It pissed me off, one, because if I don’t send it back, she’ll just assume I didn’t read it? Two, I’m agnostic verging on atheist and although I don’t want to hurt the feelings of sweet little old ladies, I won’t pretend otherwise. Three, we work together and it’s none of your damn business! After ranting and raving to a buddy for a while, I sent her back a polite e-mail telling her that I actually do not love Jesus. (no, it really was polite!) She still sends stuff. Other than that, I only correct my Mom’s e-mails. I send her the Snopes link, and she usually sends a retraction to all the people who got the original bushwah. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/15 "2004-11-19T21:13:51Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > Reply All and Snopes. They’ll probably still send out stuff to others but they’ll take your name off the list… This is what I do, and I’ve had a variety of results. Some people thank me. Others might continue to pass on a thing or two, but not as much, which makes me think that perhaps they’ve looked at their femail a bit more carefully. I did this with my brother today (for the second time) and have not heard back yet. I hope he’s not angry but he is a bright guy and it kills me to see some of the stuff he passes on. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/16 "2004-11-19T21:52:19Z")
The spam I hate the most is the “if you don’t forward this you don’t love Jesus” emails. 20 years being a Christian, and my feelings for Him all boil down to whether or not I was willing to send spam in His name? ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/17 "2004-11-19T22:12:37Z")
> [@Abbie Carmichael](#): > > The spam I hate the most is the “if you don’t forward this you don’t love Jesus” emails. > > 20 years being a Christian, and my feelings for Him all boil down to whether or not I was willing to send spam in His name? Ditto, though I’m not Christian anymore. Still believe in God though, but my philosophy is I won’t bother people with my beliefs, and I just want them to do the same. Alright, so I believe in God, where in the Bible does it say I should annoy ten of my friends to prove it? ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/18 "2004-11-19T23:10:57Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > So, do you guys resopond to these things? “Mom, I swear, if you send me glurge ONE MORE TIME…” Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/19 "2004-11-30T14:17:18Z")
Or that damn Holiday spirit infected me. I actually got the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe today. By a very dear, sweet aunt of mine who, I suppose, should know better. Then again, she still has AOL, so maybe not. Isn’t this, like, the oldest hoax email there is? Why is it still going around? AAAARRRRRGGGHHH! So I “Replied All” and sent out a probably too sweet missive: > [@](#): > > While it’s certainly a yummy-looking cookie recipe which I will indeed try (I’ve just been surfing for new recipes for xmas), you do know that this is NOT a true story, nor is it N.M’s recipe, right? This hoax is literally over 50 years old, starting with a 1948 cookbook, Massachusetts Cooking Rules, Old and New, and their recipe for “$25 Fudge cake,” with the following explanation for the name: " This friend had to pay $25 upon the receipt of the recipe from the chef of one of the railroads. She had asked for the recipe while eating on a train. The chef gladly sent it to her, together with a bill for $25, which her attorney said she had to pay. She then gave the recipe to all her friends, hoping they would get some pleasure from it." > > Later, in the 60’s, the story became about the Waldorf-Astoria, the desert was changed to red-velvet cake, and the dollar amount to $350! (Talk about inflation!) The one I remember best was in the 70’s and 80’s, when it was Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip cookies for $250. > > You want to know the best part, though? Neiman Marcus (who don’t call their eateries “Neiman Marcus Cafe,” but “Zodiac”) never sold cookies - until this story became popular! They developed a “Neiman Marcus Cookie” when a bunch of their customers kept asking for them because they got this email! Life imitating art, indeed - I think my head just exploded… > > Plus, [Neiman Marcus](http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml) gives away any recipe you ask for, for free, and always has. The recipe for their cookie is available at their website. It’s nothing like the one above, but it looks mighty good, too (espresso powder! Oh my God!). Here it is, if you’re collecting recipes: > > NM Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe > > ``` > An urban myth is a modern folk tale, its origins unknown, its believability enhanced simply by the frequency with which it is repeated. Our signature chocolate chip cookie is the subject of one such myth. If you haven't heard the story, we won't perpetuate it here. If you have, the recipe below should serve to refute it. Copy it, print it out, pass it along to friends and family. It's a terrific recipe. And it's absolutely free. > > ``` > > Ingredients > > ``` > * 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened > * 1 cup brown sugar > * 3 tablespoons granulated sugar > * 1 egg > * 2 teaspoons vanilla extract > * 1/2 teaspoon baking soda > * 1/2 teaspoon baking powder > * 1/2 teaspoon salt > * 1-3/4 cups flour > * 1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, slightly crushed > * 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips > > ``` > > Directions > > 1. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy. > 2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. > 3. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. > 4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie. Makes 12 to 15 large cookies. > Check out [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/cookie.asp#neiman)for the full story. It’s a great website on hoaxes. > > So yum! Two new recipes and a hoax busted. And it’s not even 8 AM yet. > > Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!. Do I at least get Karma points for not telling her where to shove her damn emails? I figure this way, maybe she’ll send the sweet-mail on to whomever sent it to her, and maybe we can fight some ignorance with honey - or chocolate chips, as it were. I’m probably kidding myself. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/20 "2004-11-30T15:02:16Z")
If something has been forwarded through a chain to me…I don’t reply ALL with a Snopes link, but I DO copy and paste from the OTHER addresses that had earlier forwarded the crap. It’s pretty easy to fish them out since the headers are of course included when the people have been forwarding stuff. IOW, I only reply to ALL of the people who previously FORWARDED the hoax/glurge, not people who just received it. I do try to be civil and polite…but point out the problems of forwarding hoaxes (I hope that when they receive an email from a complete stranger…it highlights the “explosion” that happens when each person forwars to his/her own groups of friends). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545.md?page=2)