Right-wing viral e-mails--where are they coming from? What can we do about it?

[rudy23]

The thing about these is, that no one ever has to take responsibility for any misinformation that's in these things. The meaning is always buried under the overt message in the email. It's always for something like unification of church and state, or a call against immigrants, or secularists, or ESPECIALLY New Orleans.

Go to snopes.com and see how many Katrina emails there are. My co-workers get these things and they repeat them like they are gospel. I honestly think they get more of their news from these emails than from any other source! I think it's made a real negative impact on New Orleans, no doubt. You wouldn't believe how often I hear these myths parroted by drooling freepers.

Freepers buy into these things hook, line, and sinker. It's the ultimate propaganda--because it's usually forwarded by someone they know! How do we combat this?

[glowing]

1. send them back... my grandma in law is the worst perpatrator

of the mass e-mail without thinking forwarder... half her e-mails are right wing b.s. and half are bush bashing. they don't make sense and she doesn't care... she is crazy e-mail fool. she sends things without thinking. but she's 85 yrs old and half the time doesn't remember 2 days ago,let alone what e-mail she just read.

so, I send her stuff. she sends it out. How I know it got around..it comes back to me a few weeks later. you see all her friends are the same... mass e-mailing fools without thought of where there little fowards will end up.

[LiberalFighter]

2. If you were not the only one sent the email do a "Reply to All"

Include the facts. Especially if from Snopes.

Bet they take you off their email list. I was!

Good chance they will stop emailing to rest of email list. Or others may get the same idea how to get off list and the sender will have a much smaller group of "friends" to email.

[Turbineguy]

3. I send them back

to all addressees with the snopes debunk link. I say sorry but...

[tanyev]

4. Yeah, I always wonder where they originate.

Is someone being paid to write them? Is it a homework assignment at Liberty University--first student who gets their own email sent to them by someone they don't know gets an A+?

[Goat or Panic]

5. Bet them

Make them back it up with a 100 dollar bet (once you've snopesed it.) I've found that right wingers usually shut up pretty quickly when you ask them to actually put something on the line.

I shut down an "Al Gore said he invented the internet" comment very quickly with a hundred dollar bet. Every once in awhile remind them how much money they would owe you if the actually had the nads to but their money where their mouth is.

[tom_paine]

6. Some Loyal Bushie discovered this and set it up long ago

I have no doubt said Bushie was in marketing research and used his knowledge from that field, like a malevolent Frank Luntz (but I repeat myself).

I have gotta think after having observed these things that:

a) viral e-mails are used for so much more than politicking

b) when blanketed with a purpose, these cookie-cutter screeds feed the overall massive multifaceted Gestalt-Based Propaganda that literally envelops it's victims in False Reality more perfectly than any have done before.

Some marketing genius discovered that: an e-mail, even a chain e-mail is passed between eople who usually know each other personally. Therefore, unconsciously, the receiver of said e-mail gives it an implicit trust and takes to heart what is said in the e-mail with the same veracity (his is all taking place subconsciously, by the way) as if their friend or loved one had said it to them.

Spreading awareness of the mechanism seems to be the only way. Like most marketing-driven advertising, it loses it's effectiveness when the person is aware of the manipulation.

Of course, with so much other going on, it may be decades or never before widespread awareness of the Bushevik Blast e-mail Disinformation Campaign occurs and this is one tiny "Nixon" in a sea of High Crimes and Misdemeanors.

[rudy23]

7. I think those chain emails about winning money, or dying people who pleaded not to break the chain

were there to test us out. All those emails with the subject "THIS REALLY WORKS!" and usually read like, "Wow, I forwarded this email, and I really got a check for $500 just for forwarding it!"---I always thought those were sent out to feel people out and study how they would react.

Now it's very real, and they are pretty well crafted (considering their audience). It's done very real damage to the image of New Orleans, I think this is a story no one's picking up on. The success of the propaganda campaign to swift-boat the entire city of New Orleans after Katrina.

Go to snopes.com and search New Orleans or Katrina and see what I'm talking about.