# \>Geez, !! people,,, at least agnowledge !!that!y ou were aputz,,,, **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 27, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667 "2005-09-27T14:30:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/1 "2005-09-27T14:30:53Z")
I’m far too lazy to search for my own past thread, but a few months ago I posted about how a coworker was spamming the entire department with stupid jokes and urban legends. Two of us **very politely** replied to her that one particularly alarmist legend was, in fact, untrue. I was **very polite** in telling her that if she ever had any questions to the veracity of anything she wanted to send out, that I would be more than happy to check it out for her. I also introduced her to the whole concept of snopes. Any reply? Any acknowledgement whatsoever? None! And for a few weeks, she stopped even saying hi when we passed each other in the halls. And now today, from a different coworker: -------------- I Agree so I’m Passing it on I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION “UNDER! GOD”, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL! I was asked to send this on if I agree or delete if I don’t. What do you think about this? It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a mess about having “In God We Trust” on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don’t we just tell the 14% to Sit Down an! ! d BE QUIET!!! If you agree, pass this on, if not delete. I AGREE!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA "UNITED WE STAND And my (private) reply: Hi Edwina, Some of these things you send are funny, but a number of them, like this one, are offensive to me. Could you take me off your distribution list please? Thanks, -Todd Was I out of line? Was I impolite? Could I have been any more of a nice guy? But still, no reply, no apology, and I’m getting the cold shoulder. WTF? If you agree, pass this on. If not, piss off. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/2 "2005-09-27T14:33:35Z")
Next time, tell her to fuck off and kill herself. At least then you’ll understand why you’re getting the cold shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/3 "2005-09-27T14:33:47Z")
I don’t think it is so much that you were impolite (You weren’t), as much as the person thinks of any and all disagreement as a slap in the face. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/4 "2005-09-27T14:35:09Z")
Ah, spoke too soon. I just now heard back from Edwina. Was it an apology? An acknowledgement? Or could it possibly have been business related? Or was it just another stupid forwarded lame joke that’s improperly formatted and poorly spelled? Take a guess. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/5 "2005-09-27T14:36:27Z")
I don’t think you were out of line. Is there no HR policy about distributing these things around? Either way, at this point, it doesn’t even matter if you were out of line or impolite - she’s going to get pissed off either way. If you’re lucky, she’ll be pissed off enough to take you off her distribution list. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/6 "2005-09-27T14:42:38Z")
Og bless company policy against non-work related email is all I gotta say. Once you get talked to and reminded of policy, twice you get a written warning, three times, email suspension for five days, four times you are invited to seek employment elsewhere. LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/7 "2005-09-27T14:42:59Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > I don’t think you were out of line. Is there no HR policy about distributing these things around? I spend half my workday at the SDMB, so far be it from me to complain about improper uses of company resources. But sheesh, if someone requests not to get any more of this shit, stop sending it. > [@](#): > > Either way, at this point, it doesn’t even matter if you were out of line or impolite - she’s going to get pissed off either way. If you’re lucky, she’ll be pissed off enough to take you off her distribution list. No such luck. She’s sending even more lameness! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/8 "2005-09-27T14:45:18Z")
I hope you cc’d your boss… ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/9 "2005-09-27T14:48:24Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Ah, spoke too soon. I just now heard back from Edwina. Was it an apology? An acknowledgement? Or could it possibly have been business related? > > Or was it just another stupid forwarded lame joke that’s improperly formatted and poorly spelled? > > Take a guess. You probably got called a godless, heathen athiest. Or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![zelie\_zelerton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/10 "2005-09-27T14:54:31Z")
If you have a workplace policy on email abuse then i’d be very tempted to just pass EVERY lame email she sends on to the boss along with a note about how distracting you find it. Worked for me. If there is no workplace policy then go wild spamming her with snopes articles. About 10 a day should do it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/11 "2005-09-27T14:56:08Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I hope you cc’d your boss… I don’t even know who my boss is any more! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/12 "2005-09-27T15:38:46Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > You probably got called a godless, heathen athiest. Or something like that. As if that’s a _bad_ thing. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/13 "2005-09-27T16:23:19Z")
Send her an e-mail that says, “I have already asked you to please take me off your distribution list. If I receive another spam message from you, I will set up a filter so that I no longer receive _any_ e-mail from you.” And then do it. If you worry about missing something work-related, try to tweak the filter so that the spam doesn’t get through. If the chances are low that she’d ever send you anything important, just filter her out completely. As you can tell, I have little time (and even less patience) for crap like that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/14 "2005-09-27T16:39:57Z")
If the private response doesn’t work, then you have to escalate your counterattack. The next time the Edwina sends you spam, you need to thoroughly and politely castigate her, taking pains to point out the stupidity of her spam. Most importantly, make sure you ‘reply to all’. If she wants advertise her stupidity then you should certainly help her out. The advantage of doing this is that you will likely get responses from people. Some will be in support of Edwina. These people are tools, and now you will know to avoid them. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/15 "2005-09-27T16:53:57Z")
From these bozos’ POV, they are an aggrieved majority. Those who disagree – or even object – are at best, a tiresome nuisance, and at worst, a threat to The Values What Made This Country Great (ie: the bozos’ precious complacency). Your coworkers are betraying their intolerance and simplemindedness. It might be time to lay it out straight to ole Edwina. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/16 "2005-09-27T16:54:42Z")
The thing is, I don’t want to alienate her, or anybody else in the office. It’s a small office, and it runs on the premise that everybody gets along. I don’t think Edwina is stupid (although _somebody_ has been leaving National Enquirer in the lunch room). Then again, I realize she ain’t no Einstein, neither. I really don’t even mind the forwarded jokes so much. Some of them are pretty funny. I just don’t want to get the “Atheists are stupid and can go to hell” jokes. Besides, it’s likely that I’ve seen them all before. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/17 "2005-09-27T16:58:38Z")
A friend of mine kept forwarding me glurge emails for a while. At first I just deleted them, but then I started looking them up on Snopes and replying to all with a link. Now she looks it up first before forwarding them. Sometimes fighting ignorance actually works. Of course, I still get emails full of animated gifs of teddy bears hugging from her, but I can live with that. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/18 "2005-09-27T17:33:20Z")
I think you were fine. I had a similar issue back during the election debate of 2000. I was swamped with work and one of my coworkers was apparently underworked because I would get dozens of joke emails from him, especially jokes about chads and florida ballots etc. I politely asked to be taken off his list. I never got a reply either. But I stopped getting his simple-ass stuff too. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/19 "2005-09-27T17:39:00Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > The thing is, I don’t want to alienate her, or anybody else in the office. It’s a small office, and it runs on the premise that everybody gets along. I don’t think Edwina is stupid (although _somebody_ has been leaving National Enquirer in the lunch room). Then again, I realize she ain’t no Einstein, neither. > > I really don’t even mind the forwarded jokes so much. Some of them are pretty funny. I just don’t want to get the “Atheists are stupid and can go to hell” jokes. Besides, it’s likely that I’ve seen them all before. I’d just ignore her and her emails. Delete anything that looks like spam, or a stupid joke, without even opening it. It takes less than second. You’re just wasting your own efforts expecting some kind of response from her. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667/20 "2005-09-27T18:04:09Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I’d just ignore her and her emails. Delete anything that looks like spam, or a stupid joke, without even opening it. It takes less than second. You’re just wasting your own efforts expecting some kind of response from her. Yeah, good point. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geez-people-at-least-agnowledge-that-y-ou-were-aputz/323667.md?page=2)