# How nice of Mr. Gates to share his fortune with us all **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 29, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632 "2005-12-29T21:38:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rhinocerous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f14d63/32.png) [@Rhinocerous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhinocerous)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/1 "2005-12-29T21:38:41Z")
If I get one more e-mail forwarded to me about Bill Gates sharing his fortune by paying each of us $245 per e-mail forward, I’m going to FREAK OUT!! Two years later and that damn e-mail still finds itself in my inbox. Now it includes a few anecdotes about “real life” people who have received their checks! It’s filled with nonsense reasoning about how it’s simply a marketing expense for Bill Gates, includes phrases like “I know the law and I know it’s real,” and “if anyone can afford it, Bill Gates can!” Why would anybody pay $245 to anyone for spreading an e-mail? Move the decimal 5 spaces to the left and it still doesn’t make sense! Every time I get this e-mail from a friend, my respect for their intelligence plummets. ---
**Author:** ![Faruiza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@Faruiza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faruiza)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/2 "2005-12-29T21:50:31Z")
I got this one AGAIN the other day, too. I did my thing with the snopes link and all, but I’m right there with you. I don’t care about the clutter in my inbox as much as I get depressed over the logic and reasoning skills of people I have to deal with all the time. It makes me want to talk to them as if they’re a naughty five year old. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/3 "2005-12-29T21:56:34Z")
I usually send back a virus. One that will format their hard drive and then self destruct… 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/4 "2005-12-29T22:02:20Z")
I’ve sent Snopes links to the criminals (former friends) who have sent me this nonsense as well as the “save the child” posts and the “warnings”. Now I just designate the mail as Spam and hopefully Yahoo will sort 'em out. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/5 "2005-12-30T00:28:08Z")
> [@Rhinocerous](#): > > Every time I get this e-mail from a friend, my respect for their intelligence plummets. Tell them that since you were the recipient of the e-mail it’s only fair for you to get half of the reward. And that you’d like to be paid now. They’ll make it up when they get the full check later. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/6 "2005-12-30T03:03:01Z")
I have never gotten any of these emails. I never got the Nigerian scam or any of the numerous glurges that make the rounds. I only get email from people I want to get email from. I don’t know how I did it. Lucky I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/7 "2005-12-30T04:55:47Z")
> [@Rhinocerous](#): > > Two years later and that damn e-mail still finds itself in my inbox. Two years? I’ve been getting this gem for damn near a decade. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/8 "2005-12-30T06:23:01Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > I have never gotten any of these emails. > > I never got the Nigerian scam or any of the numerous glurges that make the rounds. > > I only get email from people I want to get email from. > > I don’t know how I did it. Lucky I guess. Hey newcrasher, u r soooooo kewl. thanks for sharing this with us, it really adds to the thread. I wish I could be more like you. I bet the OP does too. And, if you took a second to read the OP and comprehend it, you’d realize that Rhinocerous got a forward, not a spam. He got it from “people he wants to get email from.” Rhino just has fluffy friends, not a spam problem. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/9 "2005-12-30T09:59:03Z")
Send them back the one about the kid with a sack of leaves for a body and see what they say. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/10 "2005-12-30T12:58:35Z")
I like the idiots who say, “Well, it might happen. You never know.” YES, I DO KNOW!! IT’S BULLSHIT! ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/11 "2005-12-30T13:20:29Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Hey newcrasher, u r soooooo kewl. thanks for sharing this with us, it really adds to the thread. I wish I could be more like you. I bet the OP does too. > > And, if you took a second to read the OP and comprehend it, you’d realize that Rhinocerous got a forward, not a spam. He got it from “people he wants to get email from.” > > Rhino just has fluffy friends, not a spam problem. It wasn’t meant to be offensive. I have no idea how I dodge the annoying email bullet. I will chalk your sensitivity up to your mid-night posting. But I, for one, welcome our new glurgilicious overlords… ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/12 "2005-12-30T15:18:28Z")
The most pathetic part is the new addition of real-life anecdotes. This means that: 1. Somebody who knows it’s false is purposely trying to help spead the UL (not so bad in itself maybe, I’ve tried to make a couple), but… 2. they’re too brain-dead to make their own original UL and just add to an existing one. Lame, very lame. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/13 "2005-12-30T18:14:39Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > UL . . . I’ve tried to make a couple . . . Why? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/14 "2005-12-30T23:33:11Z")
> [@Rhinocerous](#): > > Two years later and that damn e-mail still finds itself in my inbox. Well, it finds itself in your inbox because _you_ have failed to filter it out. You can easily set up appropriate email filters to dump the emails you don’t want into someplace else. That’s your fault. If it bothers you so much, filter it out. True, it’s a shame that we have to do work to protect ourselves from such annoyances. But it’s a shame I have to lock my house against burglars, too (which my Grandparents never had to do). That’s just the way the world is. We can either spend our time taking action to prevent such annoyances, or spend our time rant about it. Sending this rant back to the ‘friend’ who sent this might have had some effect on future sendings to you. But ranting to us won’t help any (except maybe relieving your feelings). P.S. Before complaining to the ‘friend’, see if it actually came from them. Most email spams have false return addresses. It’s common now to match emails so as to put an address you’ll recognize as the from address. I get an email about every 2 minutes 40 seconds, and most of them have fake ‘from’ addresses. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/15 "2005-12-30T23:41:21Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Why? Probably just to see if he could do it. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/16 "2005-12-31T00:01:30Z")
I once read a very interesting _Wired_ magazine [article](http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.07/hoax.html) about this hoax. The most interesting thing is that they actually interviewed the guy who came up with it. He just did it as a joke. Well, Bryan Mack, who’s laughing now? Nobody, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/17 "2005-12-31T00:59:28Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Probably just to see if he could do it. Yup, I just wanted to see if I could make one interesting and believable enough that it would spread. I set high ethical standards for myself though, and tried to think of ones that could not hurt or slander anybody. I made two I think, and they never made it to Snopes, so I consider them failures. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/18 "2005-12-31T01:34:24Z")
Mr. Gates and his wife do share their fortune via [gatesfoundation.org](http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm) ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-nice-of-mr-gates-to-share-his-fortune-with-us-all/337632/19 "2005-12-31T06:59:37Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Mr. Gates and his wife do share their fortune via [gatesfoundation.org](http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm) Yeah, I thought this was going to be someone finally giving the guy some credit during the 'Be nice ’ season. Alas … SSDD