More thoughts on Right Wing email SPAM

[liveoaktx]

Yesterday, I got some spam called "Don't Close the Blinds" with a little kid story where the moral of the story was that we need to go around to other countries and attack them in order to keep ourselves safe. I replied back to the entire reply all list and had a few that wanted to argue for awhile.

What struck me with these ones is that in all three cases, the people started talking about liberals being like communists, Bush-haters that hate this country, left-wing wackos, etc. Surely it doesn't strike these people that this would be appealing to someone who does not share their views?

I don't mind discussing ideas, although, really, after awhile, neither side is going to make headway if the beliefs are strongly held, but I told all that I respected their right to hold an opinion that differed from mine, which is also strongly held. But the whole deal of starting to do character assassination to make a point, as if that would somehow make me hit my forehead and say "doh! Well, of COURSE Kerry is a left-wing, leftist liberal from MA, what WAS I thinking? Let me now vote for Bush!". I told this last guy " I could equally call Bush a right-wing wacko but how does labelling someone with malicious slurs contribute to discussion of ideas? "

So it must be that these people... do not give a feck. And I don't want to talk to them when they do character assassination on my candidate.

[KurtNYC]

1. I think it is akin to dealing with alcoholics

They have built this wall of denial and if you try to take any of it down they just get pissed at you. The whole country is in the condition of a stumbling drunk thanks to the war-loving corporate media. The numbness in this case comes from people not seeing the damage and pain being inflicted.

Calling you or Kerry a communist is just part of the DTs -- the intrusion of sobriety on an otherwise happily belligerent drunk.

About 30% of this country needs a reality intervention perhaps.

[Career Prole]

2. The most effective counter to RW spam I've found hit "reply to all",

insert a dozen or more pics of dead or mutilated Iraqi children, and hit "send". The spam tapered off rapidly then stopped altogether.

[liveoaktx]

3. What gets me about the reply all- first, I barely knew the person

who sent this stuff to me, I was merely in his address book. He didn't think, gee, will anyone not like receiving this BS? Nope. I replied all with my views because I figured, if he can blast this out to everyone, I'll blast them all back. The email originator came back and said, next time don't do a reply all but only reply to me. Of course I will not do that, if he has no consideration but to send me that crap, I'm going to reply to his entire list.

[Career Prole]

4. Right on...he gets the blame as the initiator.

I didn't even know the people I sent dead babies to, but the person who spammed me originally did. After checking the header those offended by the dead babies knew exactly who to blame...the friend who gave their e-mail address to a wacko pacifist. ;)