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General Discussion / Bogus emails spread like 21
« on: September 16, 2015, 01:55:09 PM »
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Just recently, I got an email from a reader named Ken who claimed that President Obama was actually a member of ISIS. Yes, an active member of the murderous terrorist cell.
Ken's proof was a lengthy email (forwarded many times over) that featured ISIS members with decapitated heads next to a separate picture of Obama pointing his finger.
Are you confused? That means you're sane.
The email explained that pointing is the distinctive Muslim gang sign. So, with his forefinger in the air, Obama affirmed his membership in this tribe.
Apparently, if you have ever pointed, you're a jihadist, too ... you sicko.
With trepidation, I emailed Ken back to ask if he actually believed all this. You bet he did. He'd read plenty of similar emails that proved Obama was a Muslim (false) and all of his advisers were Muslim (false). The finger-pointing just sealed the deal.
I sent Ken pictures of other people pointing John Boehner, Benjamin Netanyahu, and asked if they were ISIS members too.
Ken didn't like that. He suggested maybe I was part of ISIS as well.
It would be easy to dismiss Ken's screed as an isolated example ... except it's not. There are now hundreds of websites talking about the president's alleged ISIS-honoring finger-pointing.
And that's just one example. There are thousands more examples of less extreme cyber-lies replacing reality in gullible minds.
Perhaps you've seen the email that says members of Congress get full pay for life and are exempt from criminal prosecution? Or the one that says the of school children was staged? Or that Obamacare will tax your ATM withdrawals or stop covering cancer treatment after you turn 76?
False, false and false. And yet all widely distributed.
I understand people loathing Congress or Obama. I think they should loathe based on facts.
As a general rule, your first reaction to any chain email should be: This is probably a lie.
The Pulitzer prize-winning fact-checkers at Politifact vetted 173 political emails and found that 156 of them were false. That's nearly 90 percent.
So again: Most of these are false. (That's why they're coming in an email from Cousin Larry rather than a reputable source.)
Don't just take my word for it. Look for yourself. You can check the veracity of most emails in less than 60 seconds. Simply cut and paste the subject line or another key sentence from the email into Google and click search.
Then and this is the key part choose a reputable site to vet the claim. I don't care whether it's Fox News or The New York Times. Just something more authoritative than FringeNetDaily.
Three very good sites for fact-checking email are Politifact.com, Factcheck.org and Snopes.com.
Try this the next time you get a chain email. And if/when you find out it's false, don't stop there. Send the link that proves it is bogus back to the sender and everyone else copied on the chain.
Share the truth.
To some people, the facts won't matter. Especially those who already have consumed way too many bogus emails. But most people want accurate info. Maybe Nana can be saved.
The key is for people who care about the truth to be as committed as those spreading the lies.
Copyright 2015,
Just recently, I got an email from a reader named Ken who claimed that President Obama was actually a member of ISIS. Yes, an active member of the murderous terrorist cell.
Ken's proof was a lengthy email (forwarded many times over) that featured ISIS members with decapitated heads next to a separate picture of Obama pointing his finger.
Are you confused? That means you're sane.
The email explained that pointing is the distinctive Muslim gang sign. So, with his forefinger in the air, Obama affirmed his membership in this tribe.
Apparently, if you have ever pointed, you're a jihadist, too ... you sicko.
With trepidation, I emailed Ken back to ask if he actually believed all this. You bet he did. He'd read plenty of similar emails that proved Obama was a Muslim (false) and all of his advisers were Muslim (false). The finger-pointing just sealed the deal.
I sent Ken pictures of other people pointing John Boehner, Benjamin Netanyahu, and asked if they were ISIS members too.
Ken didn't like that. He suggested maybe I was part of ISIS as well.
It would be easy to dismiss Ken's screed as an isolated example ... except it's not. There are now hundreds of websites talking about the president's alleged ISIS-honoring finger-pointing.
And that's just one example. There are thousands more examples of less extreme cyber-lies replacing reality in gullible minds.
Perhaps you've seen the email that says members of Congress get full pay for life and are exempt from criminal prosecution? Or the one that says the of school children was staged? Or that Obamacare will tax your ATM withdrawals or stop covering cancer treatment after you turn 76?
False, false and false. And yet all widely distributed.
I understand people loathing Congress or Obama. I think they should loathe based on facts.
As a general rule, your first reaction to any chain email should be: This is probably a lie.
The Pulitzer prize-winning fact-checkers at Politifact vetted 173 political emails and found that 156 of them were false. That's nearly 90 percent.
So again: Most of these are false. (That's why they're coming in an email from Cousin Larry rather than a reputable source.)
Don't just take my word for it. Look for yourself. You can check the veracity of most emails in less than 60 seconds. Simply cut and paste the subject line or another key sentence from the email into Google and click search.
Then and this is the key part choose a reputable site to vet the claim. I don't care whether it's Fox News or The New York Times. Just something more authoritative than FringeNetDaily.
Three very good sites for fact-checking email are Politifact.com, Factcheck.org and Snopes.com.
Try this the next time you get a chain email. And if/when you find out it's false, don't stop there. Send the link that proves it is bogus back to the sender and everyone else copied on the chain.
Share the truth.
To some people, the facts won't matter. Especially those who already have consumed way too many bogus emails. But most people want accurate info. Maybe Nana can be saved.
The key is for people who care about the truth to be as committed as those spreading the lies.
Copyright 2015,