# Glurge from a friend **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2001, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495 "2001-05-15T10:42:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/1 "2001-05-15T10:42:26Z")
I have a friend that sends me all the glurgy, sentimental stuff. I don’t want to be rude and tell them to give it up, because they ARE someone I really like. But after the latest item I found a direct refutation on Snopes( a corny story about the founding of Stanford University). Would it be wrong just to send my friend a link to this story and see what happens? Would anyone else here be offended if they got a return like that? ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/2 "2001-05-15T10:51:48Z")
I do that all the time to certain relatives. If they send me something I know is bullshit and I can find a link that proves it, I’ll definitely send it to them. Fighting ignorance, you know. They haven’t disowned me yet. ---
**Author:** ![frobozz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed8c4c/32.png) [@frobozz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frobozz)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/3 "2001-05-15T10:53:14Z")
I have a friend who does the same thing. Every time I reply to tell her that her e-mails are full of it, she always comes back with something along the lines of, “Yeah, I know, but it makes such a touching/interesting/entertaining story.” I tried to appeal to her on the grounds of not intentionally spreading misinformation, but she won’t stop. ---
**Author:** ![Ell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@Ell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ell)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/4 "2001-05-15T10:53:31Z")
Send them the link. I wouldn’t be offended but then again I know better than to forward all that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Xerxes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d2c977/32.png) [@Xerxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xerxes)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/5 "2001-05-15T10:55:01Z")
For me, there’s no straight answer (i.e. one that fits everyone I know). If I were in your friend’s position, I’d personally want to know (but then, I probably wouldn’t be sending much glurgy stuff out either). I have other friends who wouldn’t take it so well. If you bit the bullet and sent back the refuting link, how would you word the accompanying email? That could be the kicker, imho. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/6 "2001-05-15T12:32:39Z")
I got the latest of the Jessica Mydek American Cancer Society ones and immediately replied to all recipients with both the Snopes link and the ACS official response link. As much as I hated to send out a blanket letter like that, I thought that might halt the glurge. Well, then the originator waits a few hours (long enough for people to spread the original glurge if they so chose) and then sent out **another** letter to all recipients saying how appalled she was, quoting the ACS letter **in full** , and asking everyone to not forward the glurge. OK, so it backfired in the sense that it resulted in that much more mail, but I still think sending the link is the right thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/7 "2001-05-15T19:37:51Z")
This is really more of an IMHO question. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/8 "2001-05-15T19:43:17Z")
This is really more of an IMHO question. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/9 "2001-05-15T19:49:52Z")
This is really more of an IMHO question. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/10 "2001-05-15T23:17:24Z")
Sorry, I guess you are right. I wrote th OP just before I went to work and was hurrying too fast, screwed up. Speaking of that, why the three identical posts? ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/11 "2001-05-15T23:42:40Z")
And the mods are always telling us to trust the cgi…😉 :rolleyes: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/12 "2001-05-16T16:10:13Z")
Baker, An important lesson that all rational people must learn in their lives is that we are a distinct minority. Overwhelming numbers of people do not act rationally, meaning that they will not change their opinions or actions based upon evidence, no matter how strong that evidence is. Us rational people expect irrational people to do what we would do when corrected: send a thank you e-mail for the correction, and apologize for forwarding nonsense to hundreds of people. But they do not. Instead, they’ll get angry at you for shattering their precious worldview, and then continue on with the glurge brigade. Sure, _you_ might get removed from the e-mail list, but you won’t accomplish the larger goal of stopping spam and encouraging critical thought. Hopefully your friend is one of the rational few, but judging from the Stanford glurge, I doubt it. Your best bet is to be as polite as possible. Write back, saying that that is a wonderful and inspiring story, but unfortunately it’s not true. Then, (and here’s the key) provide _another_ [inspiring story](http://www.snopes.com/glurge/hug.htm) that _is_ true. This gives your friend a replacement belief, rather than just leaving an empty void. Best of luck. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/13 "2001-05-16T16:21:19Z")
I have someone who continuously sends those “Forward this to 10 people and a neat video will pop up on your screen! I can’t tell you what it is, but it is SOO funny!” to me all the time…to both my home and work e-mail. I think she just sends everything she gets to every address in her book. Anyhoo, I always write back and tell her not to send me that stuff and tell her that it NEVER works, she will NEVER see the “funny video” and it is pointless to annoy everyone she knows with it. She always writes back, “I know, I know…but I keep hoping that just once it will work!” Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/14 "2001-05-16T16:32:22Z")
Tired of PETA and Republicans Are The AntiChrist glurge, I began to tirelessly refute everything my one friend sent me…knowing she is one of my best friends in the world and can take a bit of criticism. Finally, when she sent me the classic “ATROCITIES AGAINST WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN” petition, I went off, sent her the link to snopes and said, “Do everyone a favor and confirm these things before you send them to the thirty five people on your mailing list” Now she sends me DOUBLE the glurge but buffers it with “Is this one true? Check for me.” jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![heembo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@heembo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heembo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/15 "2001-05-16T21:56:20Z")
An Alaska Airlines pilot, involved in the investigation of the horrific crash of Alaska Flight 261, has listened to the cockpit voice recorder from the downed plane and he reported that for the last 9 minutes of the flight, the wife of the pastor from Monroe, WA, can be heard sharing the Gospel with the passengers over the plane’s intercom system. Just before the final dive into the Pacific Ocean, she can be heard leading a sinner’s prayer for salvation. The pilot also reported that the flight data recorder from the plane indicates that there is no good explanation for how the plane was able to stay in the air for those final 9 minutes. But it did stay in the air until the pastor’s wife had a chance to share the Gospel with the very attentive passengers and presumably lead many to salvation in Christ. So, in the midst of this tragedy, nearly 90 people had an extraordinary opportunity to get right with their Maker just prior to meeting Him. * * * Just thought I’d share this touching, true story with all of you, cause I love you all so much. Sniffle, Heembo ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/16 "2001-05-16T22:16:51Z")
Thanks Opus1 for that true story. I think I will try it. It’s strange that this person who sends me the glurge would do so, they usually are rather hard-headed and crusty. Guess even the ornery ones can have a soft center. ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/17 "2001-05-16T22:20:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by heembo \* > \ > > * * * > > Just thought I’d share this touching, true story with all of you, cause I love you all so much. > > Sniffle, > > Heembo **Braaaack!** Oops! Sorry about puking on your shoes, Heembo. ---
**Author:** ![dave316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dave316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dave316)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/18 "2001-05-17T00:44:55Z")
you could send them back some porn next time she sends you some glurge just reply with: Thanks for that story of the 3 year old cancer patient that was saved by her dog who searched New York for days until he miraculously found a exact bone marrow match for her enclosed is some pictures of amputees having sex I have also enclosed pictures of a women giving a blow job to a pig as I know how much you love animals thanks again for the e-mail ---
**Author:** ![heembo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@heembo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heembo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/19 "2001-05-17T01:01:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Thanks for that story of the 3 year old cancer patient that was saved by her dog who searched New York for days until he miraculously found a exact bone marrow match for her enclosed is some pictures of amputees having sex I have also enclosed pictures of a women giving a blow job to a pig as I know how much you love animals > thanks again for the e-mail Now _that’s_ comedy! ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glurge-from-a-friend/65495/20 "2001-05-17T13:03:36Z")
This is kind of a long post, so I apologize, but… I’ve now trained all of my friends and family (but one) not to forward crap on to me unless it’s actually funny or interesting. The one who continues to do so may have just been stopped, after I forwarded the following on to her. It was emailed to me by my brother. > [@](#): > > Hello, my name is Basmati Kasaar. I am suffering from rare deadly diseases, poor scores on final exams, extreme virginity, fear of being kidnapped and executed by anal electrocution, and guilt for not forwarding out 50 billion fucking chain letters sent to me by people who actually believe that if you send them on, then that poor 6 year old girl in Arkansas with a breast on her forehead will be able to raise enough money to have it removed before her redneck parents sell her off to the travelling freak show. > > Do you honestly believe that Bill Gates is going to give you and everyone you send “his” email to $1000? How stupid are you? Ooooh, lookyhere! If I scroll down this page and make a wish, I’ll get laid by every Playboy model in the magazine! What a bunch of bullshit. > > So basically, this message is a big “FUCK YOU” to all the people out there who have nothing better to do than to send me stupid chain mail forwards. > > Maybe the evil chain letter leprechauns will come into my apartment and sodomize me in my sleep for not continuing the chain which was started by Jesus in 5A.D. and was brought to this country by midget > pilgrims on the Mayflower and if it makes it to the year 2000, it’ll be in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest continuous streak of blatant stupidity. > > Fuck them. > > If you’re going to forward something, at least send me something mildly amusing. I’ve seen all the “send this to 50 of your closest friends, and this poor, wretched excuse for a human being will somehow receive a nickel from some omniscient being” forwards about 90 times. > I don’t fucking care. Show a little intelligence and think about what you’re actually contributing to by sending out forwards. Chances are it’s your own unpopularity. > > THE FOUR BASIC TYPES OF CHAIN LETTERS: > > Chain Letter Type 1: > (scroll down) > Make a wish! > No, really, go on and make one! !! > \ > Oh please, they’ll never go out with you!!! > \ > Wish something else!!! > \ > Not that, you pervert!! > \ > Is your finger getting tired yet? > \ > STOP!!! > > Wasn’t that fun? 🙂 > > Hope you made a great wish 🙂 > > Now, to make you feel guilty, here’s what I’ll do. First of all, if you don’t send this to 5096 people in the next 5 seconds, you will be raped by a mad goat and thrown off a high building into a pile of manure. It’s true! > > Because, THIS letter isn’t like all of those fake ones, THIS one is TRUE!! Really!!! > > Here’s how it goes: > > - Send this to 1 person: One person will be pissed off at you for sending them a stupid chain letter. > > - Send this to 2-5 people: 2-5 people will be pissed off at you for sending them a stupid chain letter. > > - Send this to 5-10 people: 5-10 people will be pissed off at you for sending them a stupid chain letter, and may form a plot to take your life. > > - Send this to 10-20 people: 10-20 people will be pissed off at you for sending them a stupid chain letter and will firebomb your house. > > Thanks!!! Good Luck!!! > Chain Letter Type 2: > > Hello, and thank you for reading this letter. You see, there is a starving little boy in Baklaliviatatlaglooshen who has no arms, no legs, no parents, and no goats. This little boy’s life could be saved, because for every time you pass this on, a dollar will be donated to the Little Starving Legless, Armless, Goatless Boy from Baklaliviatatlaglooshen Fund. > Oh, and remember, we have absolutely no way of counting the e-mails sent and this is all a complete load of bullshit. So go on, reach out. > > Send this to 5 people in the next 47 seconds. Oh, and a reminder - if you accidentally send this to 4 or 6 people, you will die instantly. Thanks again!! > Chain Letter Type 3: > > Hi there!! This chain letter has been in existence since 1897. This is absolutely incredible because there was no email then and probably not as many sad pricks with nothing better to do. So this is how it works: Pass this on to 15,067 people in the next 7 minutes or something horrible will happen to you like: > \*Bizarre Horror Story #1 > Miranda Pinsley was walking home from school on Saturday. She had recently received this letter and ignored it. She then tripped in a crack in the sidewalk, fell into the sewer, was gushed down a drainpipe in a flood of poopie, and went flying out over a waterfall. Not only did she smell nasty, she died. This Could Happen To You!!! > \*Bizarre Horror Story #2 > Dexter Bip, a 13 year old boy, got a chain letter in his mail and ignored it. Later that day, he was hit by a car and so was his boyfriend(hey, some people swing that way). They both died and went to hell and were cursed to eat adorable kittens every day for eternity. This Could Happen To You Too!!! > > Remember, you could end up just like Pinsley and Bip. Just send this letter to all of your loser friends, and everything will be okay. > Chain Letter Type 4: > > As if you care, here is a poem that I wrote. Send it to every one of your friends. > > Friends > A friend is someone who is always at your side, > A friend is someone who likes you even though you stink of shit, and your breath smells like you’ve been eating catfood, > A friend is someone who likes you even though you’re as ugly as a hat full of assholes, > A friend is someone who cleans up for you after you’ve soiled yourself, > A friend is someone who stays with you all night while you cry about your sad, sad life, > A friend is someone who pretends they like you when they really think you should be raped by mad chimpanzees, then thrown to vicious dogs, > A friend is someone who scrubs your toilet, vacuums and then gets the cheque and leaves and doesn’t speak much English…(no, sorry that’s the cleaning lady), > A friend is not someone who sends you chain letters because he wants his wish of being rich to come true. > > Now pass this on! If you don’t, you’ll never have sex ever again. > > The point being? > If you get some chain letter that’s threatening to leave you shagless or luckless for the rest of your life, delete it. If it’s funny, send it on. Don’t piss people off by making them feel guilty about a leper in Botswana with no teeth, who’s been tied to a dead elephant for 27 years, whose only saviour is the 5 cents per letter he’ll receive if you forward this mail, otherwise you’ll end up like Miranda. > > Right? > > Now forward this to everyone you know otherwise you’ll have to look at me naked!