Rampant Stupidity

As you probably picked up from my previous posts, I have a "thing" against email hoaxes that get mindlessly forwarded and thrust upon everyone in cyberspace. Now these hoaxes are encroaching into Facebook territory in the form of FunWall posts that can be just as easily forwarded. Great.

Lately, I have taken it upon myself to see what I can do about combating these pesky hoaxes. I started by posting the debunk information on the walls of friends & family who had been hit by the hoaxes (since I can't post to people not on my friends list), hoping the truth would get circulated as far and fast as the hoax. Then I started thinking that I'm just cluttering up the wall of an innocent victim, and it could seem that I was taking it out on them rather than the proliferater of the hoax (there is a point to all of this, try to keep up).

Then I realized that I could send a message to the original poster of the hoax. Sure, they can see my limited profile for a month, but it's a small price to pay. So I started sending information on the hoaxes to whoever had the audacity to put the hoax on my friends'/ family's walls.

I got one reply that reaffirmed my belief in the stupidity of the general public. And I quote:

"Thanks for the heads-up, however, I did figure it was not true. To me it was the thought that counted."

Seriously!?! You pass on a bogus message about some super-articulate 7-year-old with a brain tumor from supposed regular beatings who will get $0.07 from the Make-a-Wish foundation every time someone forwards the message, and it's the thought that counts?!?

Which thought would that be, exactly? The one that involves perpetuating useless and completely fabricated information? Or the thought that creates additional work for people who could otherwise be doing real good? From the Make-a-Wish foundation website:

"The time and expense required to respond to these inquiries distracts the Foundation from its efforts on behalf of children with life-threatening medical conditions, and more importantly, can divulge information that is potentially harmful to a child and his or her family."

I sometimes hold back, trying to give these people the benefit of the doubt. They can't all be maliciously trying to spread junk. I figure many people are well-intentioned and under-informed. But good grief!! You know a story is false but you pass it on anyway, trying to justify your actions with well-meaning intentions?? It's a good thing many of the vital processes in the human body such as breathing and circulation are autonomic (that means your body does them and you don't have to think about it), because some of these people would be wondering why they are turning blue and getting dizzy.