In-law, e-mail vent.

[Ara Ann]

My in-laws are in their early 70''s and have been e-mailing/online for at least 5 years now...however, they are totally getting on my nerves with ''forwarded'' e-mails! They NEVER actually WRITE anything personal to me or DH, but will forward every political link (we already share similar political views, so it''s not like they need to ''sway'' us)...jokes...they send the same ones every couple of months or so...prayer-chains...''hoax'' warnings...petitions, etc.

Finally a couple of years ago, after receiving the umpteenth "hoax" warning style e-mail from FIL, I started replying with a ''Snopes'' link attached, pointing out the info was untrue, LOL...did the trick after about 4 times. He HATES being wrong and so now he usually catches the hoaxes before forwarding those...

So now, I basically ignore the e-mails when I can see they are something political or whatever... (I just don''t have time to read every little article they get all worked up over! I don''t DWELL on that stuff all day!)...And I get this same stuff from BOTH of them! I can''t put them on my spam list either, or I won''t get any e-mails from them...but they now have an attitude and get upset if I/we don''t reply to some of their e-mails, or they''ll ask if I have read them and I get caught because it''s obvious when I haven''t read it.

I guess it makes them feel ''good'' - like they are doing something proactive by forwarding things they agree with. There is actually a term coined for this, ''slactivism'' - here is the definition according to the Snope''s site:

Slacktivism is the search for the ultimate feel-good that derives from having come to society''s rescue without actually getting one''s hands dirty, volunteering any of one''s time, or opening one''s wallet. .... Slacktivism comes in many forms, but its defining characteristic is its central theme of doing good with little or no effort on the part of the person inspired to participate, through the mechanisms of forwarding, exhorting, collecting, or e-signing.


I think they suffer from this! But, ugh...DH and I and even our sons get all this junk e-mail (like 30 a day sometimes!)... I just wish they''d send REAL e-mails, that actually MEAN something to any of us. Like, "How are you today?" - "How are the kids doing in school, how is work," etc. We are just added to their mailing list, so it''s not like they are even thinking of us when they blast e-mail everyone with this stuff.

And I have e-mailed some VERY good info to my MIL, on health issues, nutrition, etc. that would help HER, (along with a nice personal note) but she didn''t read it either!! So why does she get an attitude with ME?

We have asked they not send any really bad GRAPHIC jokes, etc. For a while my FIL was sending nudie pics/jokes to me and DH, they were just very offensive, not to mention my young son and I share a computer...he didn''t need to come across that stuff. FIL has toned that down somewhat, but not the other stuff. And DH told them he doesn''t have time to read all that stuff and to not send as much...they slowed down for a while, but sent it ALL to ME instead and now DH is getting just as much as before.


Does anyone else have this issue with friends/family?

Just frustrated.

 

[GoingCrazy29]

My 82 year old grandma is the queen of forwards. Its ridiculous how many she sends us. Every once in awhile its something cute or interesting, but mostly its just dumb stuff that I saw for the first time 10 years ago. I think she just wants to show that she is still young enough to know how to do stuff online. She also signs her emails (and IMs- don''t get me started) "Luv ya- Gma".

Although the forwards can be annoying at times, I usually just delete them and then think about how cool it is that my 82 year old grandma still wants to be knowledgeable about things that are relevant today (email, computers, etc) and feel really lucky. I''m sure one day I''ll really miss her silly email forwards...

 

[Ara Ann]

Date: 10/1/2009 11:09:20 AM
Author: GoingCrazy29
My 82 year old grandma is the queen of forwards. Its ridiculous how many she sends us. Every once in awhile its something cute or interesting, but mostly its just dumb stuff that I saw for the first time 10 years ago. I think she just wants to show that she is still young enough to know how to do stuff online. She also signs her emails (and IMs- don''t get me started) ''Luv ya- Gma''.


Although the forwards can be annoying at times, I usually just delete them and then think about how cool it is that my 82 year old grandma still wants to be knowledgeable about things that are relevant today (email, computers, etc) and feel really lucky. I''m sure one day I''ll really miss her silly email forwards...

Wow, that''s great that your grandma is online!

And I know, I don''t want to offend my in-laws or hurt their feelings by asking them to stop totally...I guess it''s just upsetting to me and DH that they continually disregard our feelings and requests about this too. Obviously I want them to e-mail us, but be more understanding about the volume and kinds of things they send...or at least not be offended if I choose not to read everything they forward.

And LOL...I actually just opened a forward from my MIL and wished I hadn''t. It was a picture of a very rotund woman with very well endowed nude, posterior, painted orange and black like a pumpkin/Jack O''lantern. Totally grossed me out. again, WHY?!

 

[kittybean]

My parents are forward-crazy, too. They do send me real emails, but many say things like, "The dog was chasing a squirrel this morning. Love, Mom." The subject line is ALWAYS ALL CAPS, so it always seems like they''re yelling. (This can be kind of funny, e.g. DO YOU WANT SOME BANANA BREAD?)

 

[tyty333]

Do you reply with NO, I DONT WANT ANY BANANA BREAD TODAY! Parents can be too funny...

Anywho, I sort of have/had this problem with my parents. They both would forward me the
same thing (so I would get a double dose of things). I would get those "forward this to 7 people...
or blah blah blah"...which I never do forward. Lots of dumb jokes, a few funny ones and some
warnings that my Dad always checks first to make sure they are true.

The latest is my Dad put me on a list of emergency contacts if something happens to someone.
He claims he can get the message out fast to lots of people if he needs to (if something bad
happens to someone). So now I am getting these daily updates on my great aunt who I have
never met. She''s in the hospital...she cant come home till she is drinking more...she is out of
the hospital. I dont even know this women. I dont want to sound mean but I just feel like
saying "let me know if she dies." I think my Dad needs to work on his list some.

My inlaws dont have a computer. They talked to my husband about getting one just for email
but he basically refused. He knows that he would be their system support guy and he''d
have to be going over there all the time to fix something. He has had to go over there to reprogram
their remote control so heavens...a computer would just be out of the question.

Ok, sorry for the ramble...I''m done

 

[TooPatient]

I got this e-mail from one of the forwarding family members. I''ve sent it to a number of people who insist on sending me garbage.



" I want to thank all of you who have taken the time and trouble to send me your damn chain letters over the past two years. Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy.

Because of your concern... I no longer can drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains. I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans. I no longer drink anything out of a can because I will get sick from the rat feces and urine.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer. I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could get pricked with a needle infected with AIDS. I no longer use cancer causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day. I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and they are actually Al Qaida in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don''t support our American troops. I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a stupid number for which I will get the phone bill from hell with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. I no longer eat pre- packaged foods because the estrogens they contain will turn me gay.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers. I no longer date the opposite sex because they will take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice. I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe. I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me. I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 1,387,258th time). I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

Yes, I want to thank all of you soooooooo much for looking out for me! I will now return the favor.

If you don''t send this e-mail to at least 1200 people in the next 60 seconds, a large bird with diarrhea will crap on your head at 5:00 pm this afternoon and the fleas of a thousand camels will infest your armpits. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of a friend of a friend ."

 

[stephbolt]

My father does this too - with both urban myths which I typically respond to with the snopes rebuttal if I have time) and even more so, with ultra-conservative anti-Obama type stuff (which I either delete or read to FI while laughing and then delete). He''s usually on the order of 3-4 emails a week though, not nearly as bad as you have it Ara Ann.

 

[Ara Ann]

Oh thank you fellow PS-ers!!! Once again, I know I am not alone in my plight!!!

And, ROTFL about that funny e-mail ''Too Patient'' - I have seen that too, and guess who it was from?? Yes, my in-laws!!!

And funny...DH IS their tech support too...DH is a huge Mac guy, has been FOREVER...FIL''s first computer system was a DELL. FIL insisted on a Dell, and over the years, fought with viruses, system crashes, etc. He bought the Dell even after DH TOLD him to get a Mac (ease of use, no virus threats, etc.). So a few months ago, FIL goes to the Apple Store and gets the biggest, most expensive Mac, AND a laptop AND an Ipod/Iphone. So, who spent SEVEN hours transferring all the old data from the Dell onto the new system? Of course...DH. What did they do to show their appreciation for OUR seven hours spent at their house? We had spaghetti for dinner. That was it. At least now we get all their ''forwards'' from a brand new Mac, LOL. Ugh.

 

[Haven]

I just don''t open email forwards, I never have. If people get angry that I don''t open this junk mail I just tell them to call me if it''s something very important. Or put it in the mail. Otherwise, I just click and delete.

It''s annoying, but people get the picture pretty quickly. I don''t get any forwards anymore from anyone.