Snopes at Work

Currently, I’m printing out a Christmas mailing for the people who advertise with us. It contains the Candy Cane origin urban legend.

I’m Wiccan, so it’s not like I’m tyring to be pushy about my religion. And I know full well it’s an urban legend. But I figure about 95% of the customers will love it. The other 5% will either ignore it or enjoy the free candy cane that we’re sending with it. Also, I don’t really want to get into it with my boss, since Friday is my last day.

Anyone else temporarily resign the fight against ignorance?

Occasionally I do. Sometimes I just don’t have the energy.

I’d probably tell him but I can understand why you wouldn’t in this case.

Haj

I’m too obnoxious to quit. And I think this is exactly the kind of thing I’d get into a tiff with my boss over if my last day was three days away. :wink:

Every single time somebody forwards one of those stupid, stupid hoax emails, I immediately follow it up with a Snopes link. I think I’m making headway; recently someone forwarded a hoax JUST to me instead of the entire company and asked whether it was true. I debunked it and saved the email server the effort. My struggle for truth and the death of glurge is eternal.

Fight the good fight, Angel of the Lord! :slight_smile:

Is this a newsletter you’re printing, or something like it? Can you insert in italic four-point text at the bottom, a little byline-type thing that says “more info: <snopes address>”? So you’re not saying “this shit is false,” but anybody who wants to go look will find out.

It’s not sabotage if it’s in a good cause, right? :wink:

I’ve given up trying to educate the people I work with concering all those forwarded emails.

It’s a single letter mailing. Kind of a “Merry Christmas” card to the customers. Except with candy.

She’s passed this stuff on me before. Usually I tell her about Snopes. But sometimes it just isn’t worth it. I was looking for other people’s amusing stories, though…

Why not just send out the entire Snopes article, and put at the bottom: “whatever the origin, we’re thinking of you during the holidays.” Or is that too heavy-handed?

I’ve become famous for following up with a Snopes link. The worst offender now sends stuff to everyone but me.

That’s interesting. Do they want to believe this junk, or is it just no fun to have it debunked?

I used to be one of the less intelligent ones forwarding the e-mails, until someone sent me a link to Snopes. Now I’m the one fighting the ignorance. When someone sends an e-mail like that to me, I do a “reply all” with a link, even if I don’t know anyone on the list other than the sender. Most of my friends actually didn’t mind me doing that. Some did as cbawlmer mentioned above, and send the stuff to me for debunking first (even though I’ve given them the link to Snopes a hundred or more times and explained how easy it is to use…)

Does your workplace have a policy against debunking urban legends? If so, then yes, I’d temporarily resign the fight against ignorance, as much as it pains me to say that.

cnp

I think both. They do believe and they react to the news that Bill Gates is not giving away free trips to Disneyworld like a 8-year old beliver being told there isn’t a Santa.

I will pass along stories like the** Diver in the Tree** and the JATO Car actively because I happen to think they’re great jokes; sometimes I’ll add a disclaimer that it was a UL.

If it’s something glurgey, like the candy bit, it usually heads off to the Bit Bucket In The Sky unforwarded.

I’ve had a couple of opportunities to inform someone that their e-mail is a UL. I don’t want all the women in the office to be afraid of being chloroformed by someone offering them a perfume sample, and I think it’s about time for the “Craig Shergold is dying of a brain tumor and needs your business card” thing to go away for good.

WHAT???

I always inform people if what they’ve sent me is a UL. But I don’t reply to all - I give the person the benefit of a doubt and try not to embarress them in front of everyone. If they do it again, then I’ll reply to all.

As to the OP, I wouldn’t send out that UL on the mailing letter. You’d be propagating ignorance! You’d be spreading misinformation! I don’t care if it’s “fun”, it’s false. I’d try to find some other fun christmas fact. How about including the story of the origin of christmas cards. Or perhaps a fun list of christmas traditions in other countries?