The Occasional Solipsist

A friend posted an article about internet pet peeves the other day, and his feelings about how people should have more tact in their digital communications with others. I have my own feelings about behaviour displayed by people in forum posts and emails that they would never consider repeating in the 'real world'. And those feelings just happen to be pretty much identical to those of the aforementioned blogger.

To wit: I have no patience for assholes.

Be it WRITING ALL IN CAPS, or forwarding inspirational messages of survival, or any other of a number of infractions that just set your teeth on edge.

By a funny coincidence, I received an email just last night that displays the worst of bad internet taste, an email that urges multiple recipients to do what the author says, without any prior knowledge of his recipients' position. You know what I mean. "Everyone boycott Esso Stations on Thursday!", etc. Except this one was telling everyone how to vote in the upcoming Canadian Federal election.

And here's the thing: The sender doesn't (and can't possibly) know how his recipients vote, and he obviously doesn't care.

Man, this sort of thing burns my ass.

Here's the original email:

-----Original Message-----

From: Name Removed

Sent: January 7, 2006 10:56 PM

To: My Email Removed

Subject: Election 2006-And a Happy New Year


Interesting read -SOMETHING WORTH THINKING ABOUT -which ever way you decide to vote.

Hello.

My name is Name Removed I am a Canadian. One voter out of millions of Canadian voters.

Paul Martin is no friend of mine. Liberal governments have not made my life any better. Liberal governments have made the future worse for my children.

Jean Chretien and the Liberal Party became Prime Minister many years ago. Guess who was the Liberal Finance Minister.....Paul Martin...LEST WEFORGET

Since 1993:
(1) My taxes have increased.
(2) My family's share of the national debt has increased.
(3) My personal expenses have increased.
(4) My waiting time to see a doctor has increased.
(5) My concerns for my family's safety have increased.
(6) My costs to educate my children have increased.
(7) Government interference in my life has increased.
(8) My personal debt has increased.
(9) My income has stayed more or less the same.
(10) My savings have decreased.
(11) The buying power of my dollar, in Canada, has decreased.
(12) The value of my dollar, in the U.S., has decreased.
(13) My trust of elected officials has decreased.
(14) My trust in the justice system has decreased.
(15 )My trust in the immigration system has decreased.
(16) My hope that a Liberal won't waste my tax dollars has decreased.
(17 )My dreams for a better future for my kids, in Canada, have disappeared.

That is my story since the Liberals came to power.

I am not voting for Paul Martin's Liberals. I am voting against Paul Martin and his Liberal Party in January.

Do I like the Conservatives and the NDP? Not particularly......I don't really like Politics. I am not political by nature. I am not passionate about politics. I am a middle age guy (48). I live in a small house on a fairly quiet street in Edmonton. I have a wife, Kathy, and two children
(ages 19 and 17). I have no pets. I am a middle class man. I don't usually say too much.

Until now.

Now I am going to say something!

In 35 of the past 37 years, Canada has been ruled by:
(1) Pierre Trudeau - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(2) Brian Mulroney - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(3) Jean Chretien - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(4) And now we are going to vote for Paul Martin???? - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec???

But wait! Paul Martinis now saying the same thing. My mother told me forty years ago: "Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me!"

The Liberals have had 34 years to be financially responsible. Remember, Jean Chretien was Trudeau's Finance Minister. Remember also, Paul Martin was Jean Chretien's Finance Minister These people have been raising my taxes for thirty four years. They have been mis-spending my tax dollars for 34 years.

34 years!

And now Paul Martin says he'll stop taxing and spending. No way.

Thank you for reading my story so far!

Why am I telling my story to you?

Although I feel alone, I know that I am not alone. Your story may be similar to mine. And you may also feel alone. One small voter in the midst of millions of voters.

What can you and I do together to change things?

Here is my idea: Lets you and I join up together. Just you and I. Together. As a small team of two.

How can you and I fight a huge political machine?

You and I have two things that we can use:
(1) Our individual personal connections.
(2) The Internet.

The Internet is supposed to be this global zing tool, right? Let's put it to use.

I have 27 Canadians in my personal e-mail address book. I am sending this e-mail to each of them.

I'm asking you to do two things:
(1) Forward this e-mail to every Canadian in your own address book.
(2) Vote against Paul Martin and the Liberal Party in January of next year.

I have probably written this e-mail too late. As I said I am not politically adroit. I feel like Peter Finch, in the 1976 movie "Network", when he shouted: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Please, forward the e-mail RIGHT NOW!!

I hope the Internet is as fast as some people claim it is.

This may not work. This e-mail may "fizzle out" and go nowhere. But you and I will have tried, won't we have?

My best wishes to you. My best wishes to Canadians everywhere.

My thanks to David Stokes from Toronto He actually wrote this just (5) days before the last federal election. Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me!"

Name Removed Edmonton, Alberta

And, after debating between responding to this unsolicited political advice, and deleting it, I sent the author the following response. And yes, I felt better afterwards. You'll note that I left out any mention of the atrocious spelling and grammatical errors peppered throughout this silly diatribe, or noting that his argument has holes in it big enough to fly the entire House of Commons through.

-----Original Message-----

From: Derek

Sent: January 7, 2006 11:34 PM

To: Name Removed

Subject: RE: Election 2006-And a Happy New Year


I vote liberal and while I try to appreciate other points of view as they pertain to political ideologies I don’t appreciate uninvited emails soliciting me to do otherwise.

I’m not sure why you think its appropriate to send out emails specifically requesting recipients to ‘Vote against Paul Martin and the Liberal Party in January of next year’.

Next time why don’t you just send out an invitation to your next church function? Or a collection of web links on your stance on abortion or stem cell research? Something nice and light, like politics, that everyone loves to get unsolicited emails about?

I don’t even know how I know you or how you obtained my email address. In the future, I request that you refrain from sending any similar correspondence.

Derek

My only regret is that I didn't address my response to 'Asshole'.

Labels: politics, rants