# Stopping urban legends and glurge **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 9, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187 "2003-05-09T19:53:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/1 "2003-05-09T19:53:55Z")
How do you get people to stop sending you urban legends and mindless glurge? I’ve tried responding with links to [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com), but I’ve been called a spoilsport and heartless (you know, 'cause I actually check _facts_ and stuff). I’ve tried asking them to stop, and short of blocking their e-mails entirely, they insist on continuing (“I just couldn’t resist sending you this!”) And sometimes they post to unmoderated e-mail echoes, so I’d have to block the entire list. I mean, really - e-mail petitions _don’t work_. Everybody knows this. Responding with, “Well, it can’t _hurt_!” is fucking stupid. I’m glad it makes you feel better, but if I want to actually accomplish something and not make some hollow gesture, I’m going to actually pick up a phone or write a letter. And although I’m sure you’re trying to be helpful by sending me some long e-mail about how dangerous it is to microwave water with a spoon in the cup, or microwave food wrapped in Saran Wrap, but if I respond with a Snopes link that says exploding water and carcinogenic plastics are _possible_ but highly unlikely, responding with “better safe than sorry” doesn’t really convince me that I’m going to scald my face or get cancer. Oy. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/2 "2003-05-09T19:58:12Z")
My mom used to send me all that kind of stuff. I would just send it all right back to her. If she said anything about it, I’d say, “oh, I didn’t remember which one of them said ‘send this back or you’ll have bad luck’ so I sent them all.” She stopped sending quite so many after that. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/3 "2003-05-09T20:02:52Z")
Reply to the offenders with a malicious virus in your e-mail message. That ought to shut the %#^\*!! offenders down for a while … 😃 But seriously, there are people out there who just will not respond favourably to even the most carefully phrased request to cease and desist. As a self-preservation measure, you would want to set up your mail filters to trash this stuff immediately upon arrival to your inbox. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/4 "2003-05-09T20:08:20Z")
I just “delete” immediately and make no reply at all. They soon lose interest if you just ignore them and never comment. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/5 "2003-05-09T20:19:57Z")
On my list of friends, I found that the Snopes links eventually worked. It took a year or two, but finally everyone stopped sending urban legends and e-mail petitions. I’ve also sent long, eloquent replies to the [Anne Graham e-mail](http://www.airborne.org/watchman/anne_graham.htm). Eventually people realize that I’m more trouble than it’s worth, and quit sending me stuff. Except for glurgle. Some of my close friends like glurge, and I haven’t got the heart to tell them that I’m a heartless bitch, and really don’t get emotional over an e-mail that’s been forwarded god-knows-how-many-times to tell me what a wonderful woman I am. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/6 "2003-05-09T20:26:38Z")
Our receptionist at work is particularly bad about forwarding glurge and “This out to make you outraged” e-mails, such as the “Don’t go to the malls on Halloween” warning. I spend about 5 minutes of research on Snopes to find the link to the appropriate page and “Reply to All” with a comment like, “This one’s been going around for years.” I don’t get any more of the e-mails from her (my main objective), and just maybe a few more people now realize that just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t necessarily make it true. I’m not trying to be sanctimonious (after all, every once in a while the glurge turns out to be true), but, damn, I’m tired of getting those e-mails. I’m also probably known as a fun-spoiling sonuvabitch. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/7 "2003-05-09T20:43:48Z")
I once replied to a ‘send this email onto 10 people or you’ll get bad luck’ email by hitting reply to all and a note with something to the effect of ‘I’m superstitious and pressed for time.’ Didn’t get any more after that. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/8 "2003-05-09T20:49:04Z")
I have a friend who used to do this all the time. I’d e-mail back pointing out why whatever he’d just sent me (usually ludicrously anti-Bush propaganda) was stupid and asking him nicely to stop sending me that crap. Of course, he didn’t, so I finally snapped, called him up, and tore a strip off his hide. Since I almost never get angry in person, my mini-tirade apparently shocked some sense into him. Mind you, this only worked because we were close enough to curse each other out without damaging the friendship, but damn it felt good. My clutter-free inbox felt pretty good, too. This same friend was hanging out at my house recently, and spent several minutes with the newspaper, carefully drawing little Hitler moustaches on Bush and all the congresspeople who voted for the war on Iraq. The expression on his face when I told him _I_ supported the war on Iraq was priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Faerie\_Nuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/76d3ee/32.png) [@Faerie\_Nuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faerie_Nuff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/9 "2003-05-09T20:51:52Z")
Last time I got a warning of a virus or some other assinine thing, I sent a reply to all saying basically, “It’s okay. No need to panic or worry. I looked it up on Snopes and it’s just a hoax.” Then I put in the link for Snopes. The guy who sent the e-mail must have been so embarrassed by knowing that everyone got this message and knew he was wrong, cause I haven’t gotten any of those stupid e-mails in a while. Or I’m just off the distribution list. Either way, I stopped getting the junk. Of course, my brother is downright mean with this. He’ll basically tell people (with Reply All) that not only is it a hoax, but any trained monkey with internet access could look it up on Snopes in ten seconds and not waste everyone’s bleeping time with such mindless blank. I love fake swears. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/10 "2003-05-09T21:01:50Z")
Just this week, my aunt sent me the three words that end in -gry post. I sent back the URL to Unca Cecil’s column, and didn’t even get a ‘thanks’ out of her.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/11 "2003-05-09T21:31:23Z")
I’m a fan of the reply all with the message: “Who are you and why are you sending me this crap?” But that only works when you someone else on the forward list has picked up your name and used it as part of the list. When it’s someone you know…I’d go with reply all, and a comment about it not being true along with the appropriate link to snopes. It may not stop the sender, but it just might keep people from forwarding it (to me). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/12 "2003-05-09T21:48:58Z")
This is all good advice, so I copied the whole thread and sent it to everyone I know, hopefully they will do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/13 "2003-05-09T21:52:35Z")
Seriously though, I always check them out and respond as soon as I can, particularly virus hoaxes; a year or so back, someone at one of the companies where I support the IT proudly told me how he had saved my time by deleting Sulfnbk.exe from all the machines. It is, though, a fight that we will never see the end of. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/14 "2003-05-09T22:05:52Z")
I’m not big on the reply-all, at least not at first. In my experience it’s sufficient to reply to the originator (or forwarder) of the offending email without dragging in the element of public embarrasment, which I find mean-spirited in all but the most egregious cases. A polite note like “Hey, this is snopes, it’s a great site where you can find out if things like this are true. I checked this one out, and it isn’t, so you can stop worrying. Just thought you’d like to know. Cheerio.” will do the trick without rubbing their face in it. Of course if they persist, I can see the desire to elevate. I can’t imagine someone continuing to send you crap after they have been _clearly informed_ that you have no desire to read it. I would say that in this case, you have a dense-acquaintances problem that goes beyond email ettiquette. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/15 "2003-05-09T22:16:34Z")
Basically, people are just fucking stupid, fucking gullible, and fucking timewasting. Despite the fact that they have been using email/internet for at least three-plus years, they still don’t have a fucking clue about half of what is going on with it. (And I shit you not - on a tangent - a 29 year old TV journalist who just started working with us from the UK had never even heard of MSN or MSN messenger/instant messaging. For a news journalist, someone who is supposed to be informed at least about the major trends of today’s technology and digital lifestyle, I find that sadly deficient). Most of the lame, fuckwitted pieces of shit that cram my inbox are at least two or three years old on Snopes. I am STILL getting educated, professional associates sending me the Bill-Gates-will-give-you-250 dollars crap. I still meet (English native speakers) who have never heard of “spam” or don’t understand what it is, except for canned meat. Frankly, though I am forced to proceed with politeness and patience due to not wanting to alienate about fifty percent of the people I am required to correspond with, clueing them up with Snopes is about as effective as mopping up the Atlantic Ocean with one small bath sponge. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/16 "2003-05-09T23:28:49Z")
As long as there are middle-aged female administrative assistants with kountry kitschy kultural orientations, there will always be glurge. Can’t stop it. Never will. We’ll sooner see spam come to an end than stopping some 45 year old secretary from South Carolina from sending an e-mail about a boy who was rescued from a fire by Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/17 "2003-05-09T23:35:57Z")
I used to Reply All with the Snopes link, and kept getting someone from the peanut gallery replying all with “you’re an asshole” or something. Since I’m trying to avoid Spam, that clearly wasn’t working. Now, I Reply All with a link to the Nieman Marcus cookie recipe. Every time. The results have been spectacular. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/18 "2003-05-09T23:44:44Z")
My trick with avoiding urban legends: Delete them without looking at them. After a few times of it, the senders end up leaving you alone. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/19 "2003-05-10T02:06:07Z")
Just a drive-by post to endorse the position of my running mate: The Doper Party ticket is opposed to spam and glurge. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187/20 "2003-05-10T02:14:35Z")
Oh, yeah, sure, go for the easy vote. I’m sure you’re in favor of not killing puppies too, huh? 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-urban-legends-and-glurge/174187.md?page=2)