Friday, April 25, 2008

One Less Friend

I guess I lost a friend today. Or, maybe I should say I drove her off, unless she is more forgiving than I know her to be.

She is forever sending me e-mails containing racist, bigoted, Republican propaganda, and today, I guess I snapped. She sent me a big picture of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson and someone else standing in front of a ginormous American flag. Of course, Barack doesn't have his hand over his heart, nor is he wearing a flag lapel pin. Her message was that she was going to send this photo every chance she got, because she just couldn't stand Barack Hussein Obama (his REAL name - her words).

Now, you all know I'm a mild-mannered little old Southern lady, sweet, gentle, and patient to a fault. I can put up with a lot of crap from a lot of people. I don't suffer it, gladly, but generally speaking, my feeling is that everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, and that includes being entitled to MY opinion. I try, always, to refrain from being rude, even in the face of political attack machines and dirty tricks, keeping in mind that it is all just "politics".

But, Dammit! I am so tired of these ignorant hillbillies around here sending me this crap! This is about the third time this particular hillbilly has sent me this particular picture. But, it's the first (and, hopefully, last) time I have responded to it. I asked her, not very nicely, to quit sending me this picture, and others like it. I told her I knew she was smart enough to recognize drivel when she saw it, so why was she buying into it this time?

I asked her what made her think that just because someone put his hand over his heart in front of an obscenely large American flag and wore some cheesy little lapel pin, it meant that he/she was a better American than someone who didn't follow suit, like Lemmings scampering over a cliff into the sea. I also told her that she was, of course, free to ignore my request, but that I was free to delete it without opening it. So, she might as well stop sending the thing, and others like it.

So, she's probably not speaking to me any more - and good riddance to her and the elephant she rode in on.

Of course, I realize that this is the kind of thing we are in for if and when Obama becomes the Democratic candidate against John McCain. And, of course, she will ignore my request because she has ignored all of my nicely written requests that she not send me her usual 19-25 boring e-mails daily, containing videos and dozens of photos that used to fill my e-mail box to capacity. I say "used to" because I finally opened a separate e-mail account, just for her e-mails, and another one or two people I used to work with, who were prone to forward to me every single piece of drivel they receive from others.

So, what do you think? Have I been offensive enough to shut her the f*ck up?

18 comments:

savannah said...

no, because even if you had, she won't listen, sugar! and you know why? because i'm sure she feels it is her god given right and obligation to turn you away from your dreadful ways and bring you into the light! (been there, done that, can you tell? but not as politely as you!) xoxo

Maria said...

Oh yes, you have every right to stand up to this woman and say, "Enough is enough, already!

I truly applaud your actions. I have been sending my own replies to such emails and usually they include a reference to Snopes.com where it shows these accusations to be false. I also have thought about writing back and saying, "This is a hoot! What kind of fool would write something like this. Thanks for a moment of entertainment."
Alas, I am one of those Midwest women who has been brought up to be polite inspite of everything.

You haven't lost a friend, hopefully, you have simply lost an irritant.

Linda@VS said...

Truthfully, I doubt it. The kind of person who sends out that kind of garbage doesn't seem to care whether it's welcome or not. What kind of an idiot thinks something like that picture is so significant that it bears sending to their entire mailing list?

Golden To Silver Val said...

I doubt you've lost a friend...and we should use that term loosely right? I also doubt you have deterred her. I've gotten all those emails myself and I use to check it all on snopes and try and correct people. Didn't seem to do any good. But sometimes ignorant people just want to stay ignorant...I think its comfortable for them.

Anonymous said...

Go girl. I am with you.
Sister 3

Leon said...

Keep after her!!!!! Or, better yet, get a spamblocker that keeps her e-mail from getting to you. :~)

Kell said...

A friend of mine has finally stopped sending me those emails because I stopped responding to her all together. But I was getting ready to hit "reply all" and give everyone she sends this drivel to the links to snopes.com that show the email is false. Maybe public humiliation will help.

Richard said...

You could if you were so inclined, send her daily updates of the cost of the war in Iraq, the number of dead and wounded American troops, the rising price of gas and foodstuffs and ask her to please forward it to those friends of her who were fucking dumb enough to vote for Bush twice.

Of course that would be too real for the Bigoted Old Bat, you think?

Some things are just not worth having to listen to or read.

Let's hope she got the message; if not I am willing to assist you in composing retaliatory E-mails.

Rich

patsy said...

maybe. but if not i will write a email for you and i guarnte she will not email you again. i got rid of my email "friends" that were sending me that junk!

Karen said...

I don't think what you said was insulting. Personally, I think the whole thing sounds silly. You can't let joke emails or political opinions get in the middle of friendships. Maybe there is more to it than that, but that is my take.

Betty said...

savannah: You sound like the voice of experience to me.

maria: I like your suggestion, treating it like a joke.

velvet sacks: I probably shouldn't have let this get to me. It's what she wanted, of course. She loves to needle people beyond reason - she has a real mean streak.

golden to silver val: I have referred her to Snopes several times. But, she doesn't care if the garbage she sends out is true or not.

kelley: Nothing will help her. She'll probably step up her efforts because she thinks it's funny. Weird.

rich: Thanks for the offer of assistance in retaliatory e-mails. I may take you up on it, if this campaign doesn't hurry up and get over with. lol

patsy: I thought about you when I replied to her e-mail.

karen: There really isn't any "friendship". It's just an acquaintance with whom I used to work. She enjoys being annoying.

maryt/theteach said...

Listen Betty, I have a couple of people that sent me that very same picture and I objected to it too! But I give you so much credit for not putting up with the conservative/fundamentalist/Republican drivel that's out there! Marvelous ol'chap! Keep it up! We'll have Obama (or Hillary) in the White House yet!!
:D

Jay said...

I read on the internet that Obama has fathered TWO BLACK babies! Have you heard that one?

Cazzie!!! said...

Yes, these kind of things drive me nuts, so nuts in fact that last week I had had enough of the stupid chain emails that my Mother inlaw sent me that I sent her an email back with an attatchment...it had a partyly rude photo of a woman..with a tattoo, of homer simpson, on her, private parts..anyway. It is just not like me and well, I dare say she won't send me anymore chain emails !

Betty said...

teach: I usually just blow it off, but these people around here are enough to make you want to scream sometimes.

jay: I'm shocked, SHOCKED!

Cazzie: That's funny. I daresay she won't send you any more e-mails of any kind. lol

kenju said...

I hope so, Betty, but in my experience, these people are too dense to notice. I have 2 guys who send me stuff like that too, and I tried to tell them they should be ashamed, but they came back with more. I just delete it. Most of the time, they are the source of my best email, and until the election is over, I suppose I'll have to bear with them.....LOL

I lost a friend of 39 years standing just because I sent her an email about how to send email (clean it of names, etc.) and she took offense. I figure good riddance, if that is the way she wants to be, although I feel sad about losing her.

Anonymous said...

Not being either a Republican or a Democrat, I have myself received a fair share of blathering idiotic election year rants from both my racist and over-the-top Rush Limbaugh worshipping grandfather and my left-wingnut liberal siblings that makes me want to bang my head into a wall.

I totally sympathize with you on getting your inbox filled with this crap. I feel like Rodney King when I say "Can't we all just get along?"

Betty said...

kenju: These days, you never know what is going to offend someone. So many of them search for reasons to be offended. Maybe she wasn't as good a friend as you thought. Too bad.

Steph: I don't mind hearing other peoples' opinions as long as they are reasonably thought out and not just the most ridiculous arguments they can find, designed to irritate. During the Bill Clinton years, my good friend and I had some really heated debates and if we had resorted to the kinds of e-mails I was referring to, the friendship could easily have ended. And, we were both Democrats! lol