I have a well-intentioned, not so web-savy, cousin of my wife's that likes to mass email all her relatives. She'll headline something like, "New Type of Cancer Discovered" and then forward a copy of some hyped-up worrisome article to about 100 of her friends and family. She is very religious, sheltered and stubborn.
Yesterday, I got one of these emails. I wrote her back and told her spamming was the unpardonable sin, and that she was going to hell for doing so. (I was joking of course.)
She emailed me back today and informed me that this article was very important and something my wife should be aware of. (Like awareness is something that can be captured by email.) Was this good-intentioned spam or just cheap love? Something to one make the sender feel like they're doing good, when in reality they're doing nothing at best - being rude, self-deceptive and clogging email at worst - certainly not helping anyone.
It reminds me of where James writes to the early church:
"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled'; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?"
It's easy to offer up words of advise of "Be clothed and fed." It's akin to shouting at a man in the unemployment line, "Get a job."
The ignorant but good-intentioned queen - Marie Antoinette, when told that the people were out of bread to eat replied, "Then let them eat cake!"
The people revolted and cut off her head for such naiviete.
Maybe spammers really do go to hell.
No comments:
Post a Comment