One thing that I do know about is junk email or being on somebody's email list. Now, don't get me wrong, I usually enjoy the humorous pictures or jokes in my inbox to a certain degree. I don't consider these junk though unless they have been forwarded to me from a forward from a forward, etc... In other words, I'm getting mail from somebody that got it from somebody that got it from somebody else. Sometimes I get two emails in one day from different people with the same new joke or story. Obviously, it is the latest or hottest thing circulating around the net.
I click on all of them though because you often find a diamond in the rough. Thats how I found my favorite "chili judge" joke amongst other gems that I have kept on my hard drive for years. The ones that I find most laughable are originally from some fanatic that triple dog dares you not to forward to every person on your contacts list for fear of some sort of retribution. Ahh yes, the so called "chain letter".
Whether you are a Christian, a Republican or an American, stopping the chain may cause you to walk outside and get leveled by a piano falling out of the 83rd floor onto your head. I haven't had that happen to me yet, (like cartoons, which aren't real) but some of the pleas to pass it along sound scarily desperate.
I can't remember the exact episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, but two events always stay in the back of my mind. One was when Barney Fife was upset that Andy did not forward a chain letter that he recieved. If I remember correctly, both Barney and Floyd the Barber were scared shitless that Andy regarded the letter as silly. In another episode, Aunt Bee was really upset when Andy sent a pack of nomadic "gypsies" on their way. They were not happy with this and put a curse on Mayberry as a result. Aunt Bee was certain that the unfortunate events that occurred after this were truly a result of the curse.
Some of these emails actually seem plausible on the surface. Andy Rooney said this and Jeff Foxworthy said that. George Carlin said one thing but Ted Nugent got the credit for it. I guess some people take things at face value without ever doubting the content or the validity of the claim. My brother closest in age to me (and a 2nd round draft pick to be named later) taught me a long time ago not to believe everything you hear or read. I have used this advice all of my adult life. I'm supposing that with the invention of the Internet and Photoshop, some people forgot what their older brother taught them and threw caution or caveat emptor to the wind.
Thats why I like visiting and reading www.snopes.com so much. It is an oasis in the desert of misinformation. I snagged this letter below from Snopes a while back and saved it to my hard drive because it is funny, yet never determined to be proven as real.
If you are in the mood for some real entertainment and a side of knowledge to boot, then click on: http://www.snopes.com/humor/letters/letters.asp#dammed(sorry, you will have to paste it into your browser until my HTML skills improve) and lean back in your chair. My favorite story/letter of all time is the response from the Michigan land owner that was accused of damming that was deemed against the law. If you have never read it, you should.
Please pass this along to everybody that you know. Failure to do so will mean that many Nigerians will never get your bank account information, hence you will never be a Gazillionaire! Nevermind that, instead, think of all the angels that won't get their wings because you didn't ring the "forward" bell.
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