What ever happened to the ol' 'rule' of etiquette that it's not polite to discuss Religions or Politics? What makes people think that just because it's an email that it's suddenly OK to send tons of political garbage over the internet and through email???

And then, to top it off, it seems the only way you hear from some 'friends' or 'acquaintances' these days is if you are in their Group Email List for (stupid) jokes, or political crap!
Nevermind once in a while saying hi, how's it going - which they never have time for, but no...they can certainly pass along all the junk.

So..lately, I've decided to tell two of the worst 'offenders' that I would really like to 'bow out' of their Group Email list when it comes to the political stuff and = holyshitbatman! - you'd think I just committed a federal offense! In so many words, they both responded separately pretty much the same thing in so many words: "Well, then you'll never hear from me again - nice knowing you - have a nice life".

Damn..some people take politics waaaay too seriously!
People first in my book..Oh well..

liked it! Now I know. Just kidding, of course. I'm sure everyone has friends & relatives like this. What gets me are the people I know, many who are just business associates, who send me proseletyzing crap, ultra-right or left wing dogma, etc., and I happen to know that their personal lifestyles are completely opposite! They send this stuff to everybody on their lists so they can come across as "environmentally sensitive", or self-righteous, or whatever.
And how about the ones who send e-mail urban legend stuff. Things that any thinking person would read and say "what a load of crap". I used to reply & refute, but now I just delete. One of my cousins did just what your friends did. Haven't heard from him since.
I hope you don't blackball me though!

...for better or worse.  And with the internet, everybody wants to start the next "movement," and they can get snitty when you want to bow out of their future.  

Frankly, my extended family talks about nothing but politics and religion.  The other day, a conversation I had with my brother about politics touched upon the hobby in an unexpected and uncomfortable way for me.  I'll discuss that in a different post.

/Zin

Agreed. But i'd also toss in all those emails that tell you to forward them to thirty five hundred of your closest friends in the next ten nanoseconds for good luck. I hate those worst of all. I'm superstitious(and i don't have that many people to mail anything to).

I put a little note to all asking them to please not send me them anymore and told why. Never heard from 3 again.

Hi Sedona

Take a look at the Politics board here and the group spam you get from your associates won't look so bad    the venom spewed in there will make your toes curl!

that reminds me. I used to have a guy who would spam me like that about some weird issues concerning gun control or something like that. So one day I started to send him daily emails about the Linux operating system. it's obscure stuff.  

He got the message and I never got another gun control spam mail from him  again.  And then he had the gall to ask me to take him off my Linux group spam mail list!  

Spam, spam, spam, baked beans, and spam!

TMT Politics mod

If senders could just truthfully list the sppropriate subject in the subject heading, you'd know at a glance if you could hit the delete button or not.

For example, instead of the subject being "Important--don't miss" they should instead write: "another time-wasting chain letter" ; "morally uplifting story--religious theme" ; "mediocre funny Bush cartoon"; "Bill Gates is going to give you money--urban legend chain letter"; etc.

Don't get me wrong--I do enjoy reading clever jokes and funny cartoons---but I'd love to delete all the chain letters, urban legends, political and religious stuff that clutters up my mailbox.

Right on, Sedona!

Easy solution - I just give those "friends" my junk e-mail address. I check it once every few days, which is basically a mass delete unless I catch something I might want to read. And it keeps my reg e-mail box pretty "clean."

I know for a fact that someone like you would make the effort to ask this person kindly at least once (if not more) that they cease and desist when it becomes too much for you.  If they can't do that, they obviously have no respect for your needs or, by extension, your friendship, and it is time to move on.  There are too many good people in the world to shackle ourselves to people who do not give as much as we give in return or respect our needs just because we have shared history.

I learned a long time ago to never to  discuss sex, politics, race or religion with anyone I didn't know. People seem to get pretty emotional about these subjects, add in the subjectivity and you've got a long day.

I had one friend from Texas, who use to send me all of his right-wing, mighter than thou crap and I told him the same thing. Needless to say I got the same reply. my response in two words were as follows; Thank God".