Hang Man

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Stop Already!

I can't be quiet anymore. It's driving me insane. What?? you say. Internet rumor emails. I love the Internet. It lets me stay in touch with my family and shop. Shopping on the Internet is way cool, but just like anything else, stupid people also use the Internet. So the stupid people make up blatant lies and circulate them through emails. What bothers me the most is the intelligent people I know forwarding them to me. I don't want to think that my friends are that gullible. 99.9% of the emails one receives with the large print type are not real. They get people all stirred up which starts discussions not based on fact. Case in point is the health care issue. Someone started a rumor that they were going to euthanize old people when their health got really bad. Seriously! No not going to happen. However; why would a doctor order diagnostic tests on say a 90 year old with diabetes and COPD on a ventilator? They SHOULDN'T! That would definitely be a waste of medicare dollars. As a nurse I've seen it happen. The waste I mean. I had a brain dead patient (not yet legally declared) but for all intents and purposes he was dead. He had a broken leg as well and the Orthopedic surgeons wanted to do surgery. Really???? Are you kidding me???? Waste of money, and it happens all the time.

The email that I received today that set me off was about gun control. It talked about how there is a bill that would require you to report every gun you own on your taxes. You would be taxed x amount of dollars. There were also other regulation that you would have to abide by in order to own a gun. It actually had a link to a government web site so you could read the proposed bill. I went to the government site, and there is no such bill by that number. Obviously the person that sent me that email didn't even investigate it before forwarding.

Moral of the story is: Don't believe anything you read and only half of what you see.
Also, don't send me any email propaganda unless it's a cute puppy.

3 comments:

Steve said...

I get the same thing all of the time. I got one the other day on Social security and how politicians don't pay into it. Some of the statements were partially true and some just out and out lies. As it is right now I don't believe any politician no matter what he's saying. On health care I don't think anyone really knows what is going to happen but they make up stories anyway. When I got the one the other day I sent a reply to all and sent this message. "I’m sure all of you have done it before; jumped into the fray without checking all of the facts. You assume that the information that you just read are in actuality real facts. Yes we do have problems with our congress and the majority of them should be thrown out on their ears but before you forward an e-mail that gets progressively larger in type, I’m figuring that this interprets as yelling louder and louder, take the time to research the information. The forwarded e-mail has many facts in it some half true and many just plain false. A well informed electorate can do much more and achieve greater results than someone just trying to shout down the opposition. Don’t believe everything that you read".

I didn't get one comment back on it positive or negative. They probably didn't read it they were too busy crying the sky is falling

Lauren said...

I'm with you Patti! If I get an email that is a forward, 99% of the time, I just hit delete. OR, I go to www.snopes.com and send whoever the link that it is false. What a waste of everyones time.

Patti said...

Amen people!