This is a bit 'high horse-y' but,
after a relative sent me an email saying that
'if I forwarded it on to 20 people'
Ericsson would give me a free laptop, I snapped.
A Grain of Salt
While I'm sure it's not intrinsically mean
The web spreads gossip on a massive scale.
Every day when I start the machine
I get another batch of dodgy tales.
It's not my enemies who do this crime,
It's family, friends and neighbours.
They inadvertently steal my time
And disrupt my other labours.
The junk arrived and they believed it
Their brains have hardened and can't extend;
They think it true because they received it
And are far too quick to click 'resend'.
There's the list of Coca Cola's nasty traits,
And there's the racial slurs about nasty habits,
There's free computers, from Bill Gates,
And pills to make you fuck like rabbits.
There are tropical wonders, to give a lift,
And horror stories about mobile phoning.
I wont go on, you get my drift,
I shouldn't burden you with my moaning.
As it becomes harder to know who to trust
Being sceptical becomes a positive fault;
Read what they say, if you must,
after a relative sent me an email saying that
'if I forwarded it on to 20 people'
Ericsson would give me a free laptop, I snapped.
A Grain of Salt
While I'm sure it's not intrinsically mean
The web spreads gossip on a massive scale.
Every day when I start the machine
I get another batch of dodgy tales.
It's not my enemies who do this crime,
It's family, friends and neighbours.
They inadvertently steal my time
And disrupt my other labours.
The junk arrived and they believed it
Their brains have hardened and can't extend;
They think it true because they received it
And are far too quick to click 'resend'.
There's the list of Coca Cola's nasty traits,
And there's the racial slurs about nasty habits,
There's free computers, from Bill Gates,
And pills to make you fuck like rabbits.
There are tropical wonders, to give a lift,
And horror stories about mobile phoning.
I wont go on, you get my drift,
I shouldn't burden you with my moaning.
As it becomes harder to know who to trust
Being sceptical becomes a positive fault;
Read what they say, if you must,
But take it all with a grain of salt.
---
© J Cosmo Newbery
---
Yes. A pain in the proverbial.
ReplyDeleteI just forward them a link to Snopes, the urban myth debunking site.
What! You mean you didn't get you free laptop?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lee - snopes is your friend.
I just delete the whole thing..or just ignore it..no even delete or read it..
ReplyDeleteDelete delete delete... but it really is terrible what people will believe and forward via the Net!
ReplyDeleteTrust no-one my friend ... they are everywhere ....
ReplyDeleteEven salt is suspect it seems ....
J...How true! I have seen everyone of those emails and you described them perfectly!!!
ReplyDeleteDan
Another witty offering from you dear friend. ♡
ReplyDeleteYes I find those kind of e-mails really annoying and those which you are supposed to forward to so many or you will break the chain of luck.
It amazes me what people will believe.
a grain of salt,
ReplyDeletea small crush of malt,
some pearls of pepper broken,
red pepper skin having no fault...
a clove of garlic,
a twist of lemon,
stand in the doorway
(and whisper vermouth?)
Just don't forget the wine
and when the glass it's in,
put some with the chicken.
the best wine is a full red syrah.
an 04 or 05 would be fine
Some parsley, oregano, thyme, and rosemary...
(sometimes sage, depends on the veggie)
a grain of salt can
go a long way.
So add a few taters too, what say?
Lovely rhyming. The habits/rabbits made me smile. What you write is terribly true... the black hole of the Internet.
ReplyDeleteHello!!! Good to see you are back and being your lovely witty self! I missed you while you were gone ... and ironically, I am now in a bit of a blogging hiatus! : )
ReplyDeleteI'll add you back onto my Reader!
I've always had a 6th sense for B.S. so I can usually spot a hoax after one sentence.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, referring senders to urban-myth websites annoys them, so they usually eventually stop sending stuff. Those that persist are both dumb enough to believe anything, persist in believing despite evidence to the contrary, and too dumb to get the hint.