File spoon-archives/anarchy-list.archive/anarchy-list_2000/anarchy-list.0007, message 78


Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2000 21:15:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Sam <sam-AT-bari.iww.org>
Subject: Do not forward email petitions



Hi there,

I hate to lurk on this list only to burst forth with a stern
admonition, but don't EVER forward email petitions.  They
are worse than useless, are specifically banned by many 
internet service providers (because they are CHAIN LETTERS --
think about it) and usually result in the author getting her
email account deleted once the responses start to back up.

No one with any political power whatsoever takes them
seriously, precisely because they are so easy to "sign" and
forward; in fact the same kind of software that net marketers
use to spam people can be used to forge email petitions.  
You may have signed a few this month without knowing it!

In particular, don't forward the "help oppressed women in 
Afghanistan" one; here's a page that explains why.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/afghani.htm 

The site is maintained by a couple of nice people who make it their
hobby to investigate urban legends and Internet hoaxes.

Another one that went around recently was the "save the
Amazon rainforest" one, apparently written by Fernanda something-
or-other in Brazil -- whose account, sure enough, has been
deleted, according to people who tried responding.

The Net is great for research, long-distance communication and 
making information available to lots of people.  It is not good at all 
for begging favors from bosses and politicians, if an anarchist
would ever stoop to such behavior anyway.  ;-)

Sam

   

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