PLEASE can you stop with the cutesy email already!!!

Now, I like the occasional good joke email. But my wife's email box (which is MY email box) is inundated daily with what seems like HUNDREDS of emails, usually from family members, with cutesy crap like fairies or unicorns, and/or 'pass these on for luck', or the asinine "forward this to 27 people in 4 minutes and you'll be rich---and then there's government hate mail, or terrorist hate mail, or 'if you think YOU have it bad...' mail....and about 50% of these are "please forward this" crap, that's already got more of >>>>>>>>>THESE THINGS>>>>>>>>> on it than actual text...

The reason I'm spouting off today about this crap, is the wife got a 'guardian angel' email, complete with cute reditions of angels, with the heading "Let me know what happens the afternoon after you open this!" followed by this:
Forward this message the same day you received it.
It may sound ridiculous, but it is right on time.
We believe that something is about to happen. Angels exist, only sometimes they haven't got wings and we call them friends; you are one of them.
Something wonderful is about to happen to you and your friends. Tomorrow at 3:46 P M, somebody will address you and tell you something you have been waiting to hear.
Angels are real so please send blessings to all. Send it to all of your friend s.


Well, something DID happen---

Last week a 48 year old cousin of mine was told her cervical cancer had just killed off her liver, and that she had about 4 to 6 DAYS to live. This happened about 2 days after her mother was found 12 hours after having suffered a major stroke. My aunt is still in the hospital, they still don't know if she'll recover from the stroke. My cousin lives quite a few miles from the hospital her mother was in, and hadn't been to visit her when she learned her fate. She thought she had better make funeral arrangements for herself, then visit mom. She did get arrangements made, but then made a turn for the worse. Sunday afternoon, 'after opening this email', my cousin died, never getting the chance to say goodbye to her mother. And her mother has no idea her daughter has died...

So, sometimes these cutesy emails have a way of turning out to be ironically cruel. So that's why I ask for a TACTFUL way to tell people to quit it...

Because the way I FEEL like doing it isn't tactful at all....


(not the best way to vent about a stupid pet peeve, my apologies)...

Give the wife her own e-mail address, have stuff like this directed to the new address. Let her sort through them, respond if she wants. After a while, she will figure out in her own "tactful" way how to put a stop to it, if she wants to.

Very sorry to hear of your cousin's passing. Prayers for you all.

Prayers and condolences from me also FR.

Cap'n is right on. I couldn't agree with you more. Once in awhile one of them is worth reading, but 99% of them are just crap.

I usually say something like.

"Thanks for keeping in touch, by sending me emails, but please remove me from some of the 3rd class emails that are sometimes sent.

I like hearing from you, but I'd much rather it be a personal direct business email from you, rather than jokes, forward for luck, and other generic (3rd class) emails.

So how are you doing?"

Regardless of the topic, I NEVER forward emails that ask me to "keep it going" or "send to x number of people." I sent out a mass email telling my contacts not to send me such garbage, but some don't seem to get it and I still get them.

FR--I'll bet if you tell the sender "what happened that afternoon," you will never get that type of email from that particular sender again.

So sorry to hear about your cousin and aunt. Wish I knew of a tactful way to say what you need to say.

FR, sorry for your loss.
I'll let others give you advice, i don't have much tact.

At work I have blocks set up and these blocks are people within the company.

FR,
Sorry to hear about this. It reminds me of about 15 years ago, when a young guy I worked with, who was brilliant, killed his own liver by taking tylenol and then going out drinking - big no no. He died just as you said, in about 4 days - leaving three young kids.

BTW - the cervical cancer probably didn't kill the liver, but the Chemo or radiation they were probably giving her might have.

This one works for me.

The above says it nicely and has worked for me in the past. Still on speaking terms with the one or two I have sent it to.

Good luck...

That's a great link. Thanks, Bird Man!

Sad to hear of the loss in your family FR.

As for spam forwarders... I useally just ask them to remove my addy from any distribution list they have.
No one should be offended from a simple request like that.

You really get into trouble if everyone they send to starts doing a 'Reply to ALL'. Then you start getting crap from people you don't even know. But they should be filtered out if you turn spam filter on.

You're welcome shank shagger....