How do I respond when a friends sends me somehting offensive like this....

[springhill]

This is an e-mail I received from a friend today. I want to let her know I don't really appreciate this, but in a way that ruffle her feathers. We don't normally talk politics, but she does send me support the troops e-mails all time time. Anyway, here is the gist of the message:

HISTORY TEST

Please pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following multiple choice test. The events are actual cuts from past history. They actually happened!!!

Do you remember?

-1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by
a.. Superman
b. Jay Lenno
c. Harry Potter
d. Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40

1. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, ath letes were kidnapped and massacred by
a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3.During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon< /FONT> by:
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40


There are about 8 more questins just like this one. Here is the commentary at the end of the e-mail:

Nope, .....I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents wh o are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone because of profiling..

Let's send this to as many people as we can so that the Gloria Aldreds and other dunder-headed attorneys along with Federal Justices that want to thwart common sense, feel doubly ashamed of themselves - if they have any such sense.

As the writer of the award winning story "Forrest Gump" so aptly put it,
"Stupid is as stupid does."


Keep this going. Pass it on to everyone in your address book.
Our Country and our troops need our support!


By the way, the title of the e-mail was ENJOY. I thought it was something humorous.

[uppityperson]

1. "stupid is as stupid does" indeed

timothy mcveigh was a white boy. so was Charlie Manson. and GWBush.

most wars were started by white male christians between 30 and 60. Most people who commit crimes have eaten a pickle during their lives. War on Pickles.

Or, keep it simple, don't respond or only repeat "stupid is as stupid does. quite sending me this tripe"

[ContraBass Black]

2. Be staright and honest about why it offends you, and tell your friend

Not to send you anything of the sort again.

[saltpoint]

3. Return the email, and in your reply, include a recipe for

butterscotch pie.

That and nothing else.

Your friend sends you twisted hyperbole; you send your friend a great dessert recipe.

[Lex]

4. Maybe you should ask, in response,

who blew up the Federal Bldg in OK City?

Shot JFK? Killed Abraham Lincoln? Kidnapped the Linbergh baby?

Started an illegal war against Iraq?

[blogslut]

5. Let me ask you a couple of questions

1) Does this friend ever send you a real email. You know, like how are you? I am fine. This kids are fine. How are your kids?

2) Does this person have to courtesy to send you emails where the other emails on the list are hidden behind a blind courtesy copy (bcc)?

If the answers to these two questions are NO. This person is not a friend. If the answers are No, block their email address.

[Why Syzygy]

6. In May 2003

Baghdad was blown to bloody bits and gets bloodier still to this day by ?? fill in the blank.

[grytpype]

7. Q: Who blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City?

A: Right-wing white trash.

Profile that.

[Wonk]

8. Do you remember?

1. In 1963 John F. Kennedy was shot and killed by
a. Superman
b. Jay Lenno
c. Harry Potter
d. A white male between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics, spectators in a public park were bombed by
a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. A white male between the ages of 17 and 40

3. In 1953, the democratically-elected government of Iran was overthrown with the assistance of
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. American white males mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. During the 1980's a number of people were kidnapped in the U.S. by
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. White males mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1993, part of Bishopsgate was blown up by
a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. White males mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1995 the Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed by:
a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. White males between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1999, the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was bombed by
a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill' s women problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. White males between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In November 1972, an airliner was hijacked; the hijackers threatened to crash the plane into the Oak Ridge nuclear facility, and they were
a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. White males between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1942-45 the United States fought a war in Europe against:
a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. White males mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. In 1998 student Matthew Shepard was kidnapped and murdered by:
a. Bonnie and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. White males between the ages of 17 and 40

Nope, .....I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?










For the purposes of this I'm not going to get into disputing who killed JFK, for example, just use the official version.




I lifted this reply from here:
http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/ubb/get_topic/f/81/t/001055/p/1.html

[uppityperson]

9. excellent

[StellaBlue]

12. thanks for saving me the work nt

[intheflow]

19. This is the perfect response.

:thumbsup:

[Mabus]

33. Damn! I made up my own test

and there are so many examples to use.

[ComerPerro]

34. I've always like that counter to this spam crap

[Heidi]

10. I would just write back and say:

Dear friend,

An even better way, I've found, to support our troops is by not misrepresenting history, even in the guise of humor (which, unlike your email, generally has some humorous content).

Keep this going. Pass it on to everyone in your address book. Our country and our troops need our support.

Best regards,

[sakabatou]

11. I remember some counterpoints...

Who killed JFK?
a) The Joker
b) Mandarin from Iron Man
c) Voldemort
d) A white male extremist between the ages of 17 and 50

Who killed Abe Lincoln/McKinley/Garfield?
a) Jefferson
b) Washington
c) Yo mama
d) A white male extremist between the ages of 17 and 50

Who bombed Murrah Fed. Building?
a) Bomberman
b) Megaman
c) Sonic the Hedgehog
d) A white male extremist between the ages of 17 and 50

Who tried to kill Ronald Reagan?
a) Kermit the Frog
b) Miss Piggy
c) Jeebus the Slack Jawed Yokel
d) A white male extremist between the ages of 17 and 50

[KyuzoGator]

15. You can add "Who shot John Lennon?" to that. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

13. Timothy McVeigh. Eric Rudolph. Abortion Doctor shooters. "Army of God".

It would seem that White Christian males can be a hazard, too.

[Bluebear]

14. "Olga Corbett" . . .only a freeper would spell Korbut like that

Not to mention 'Jay Lenno.'

I would love to get a glimpse of the people who make up these "quizzes", sitting in their basements under a 4x6 foot flag (US, Stars n Bars, Swastika, your choice), spitting Skoal all over the place.

[Heidi]

18. Accuracy in all things, Bluebear!

. . . sitting in their mothers' basements . . . ;)

[Homer Wells]

29. Just take a look at the original "Moran" picture!!

There is your quiz-master (or someone just like him)

[Touchdown]

16. Bobby Kennedy was killed by a Christian.

Tell him to look it up. Give him a hint that the first name is Sirhan.

Then say the first statement is false, then the rest has no credibility to lecture anyone on history.

[Mr_Spock]

17. People who selectively hate like that are not fun

I would not associate with someone who sent me hate mail.

[AlwaysQuestion]

37. I completely agree!!

eom

[Touchdown]

20. And another thing!!!!!

Check out my rant and top blowing on my e-mails for the night.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1731589

[springhill]

25. I read your post right after I submitted mine.........

Looks like you and I, and I'm sure many others, have had some similar experiences. Even some people that I thought shared some of my progressive views send me the most rah rah America e-mails. I usually just delete them, but they just keep coming.

[Ammonium]

21. It's such a long list

There are so many things I would want to say to that person it boggles the mind. It's really pretty easy to find a racial group, find some not to good things they've done, and then use that as a reason to act like a bigot towards the whole group.

Timothy McVeigh was a white male age 17-40
Eric Robert Rudolph was a white male age 17-40, a righty too
Ted Kaczynski was a white male age 17-40
David Coresh was a white male age 17-40
The Omagh car bombing in 1998 that killed 29 people and wounded over 200 was carried out by white males aged 17-40


John Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman, a white male age 17-40
Martin Luther King was murdered by James Earl Ray, a white male age 17-40
Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr., a white male age 17-40

The list just goes on and on.

You could be really cool and remind your friend that their are currently marines on trial for stalking a 14 year old girl and her family for 2 weeks, then under orders from their superior officer, stormed into her house on night, killed her entire family, raped the 14 year old girl, and then killed her. To hell with supporting the troops.

[regnaD kciN]

22. Ronald Reagan was shot by James Brady...???

:wtf:

[Touchdown]

23. Need a correction there....

Reagan and James Brady both were shot by Hinkley...the guy who did it for Jodi Foster.

[Mabus]

32. and a friend of the Bush family

:eyes:

[Ammonium]

35. fixed :)

[skipos]

24. "God told me to."

I vaguely remember some website that had a list of famous murderers who claimed that "God told them" to do what they did. Bush was one of them. Anyone know what the hell I am talking about?

[Touchdown]

31. We should be spamming them with that.

I sent an e-mail on a Kos piece titled "Colbert wasn't funny", and a list of all the responsibilities that the party of personal responsibility won't take responsibility for. I think it died.

You shoudl find it, and encourage us to blast it over everything. Sounds like a good one. Be sure to add the "If you agree, pass it on. If not then delete and drop dead.";)

Two can play this game.

[Douglas Carpenter]

26. actually Sirhan-Sirhan was Christian not Muslim.but I guess that'sbesides

the point.

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary."

---Mohandas Gandhi

[Gormy Cuss]

27. Here's what I did

HISTORY TEST

Please pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following multiple choice test. The events are actual cuts from past history. They actually happened!!!

Do you remember?

-1968 Martin Luther King was shot and killed by
a.. Superman
b. Jay Lenno
c. Harry Potter
d. an American

1. In 1972 Richard Nixon, the man who authorized Watergate and the first president to resign, was elected in a landslide by
a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. American voters

2. In 1979, Reza Pahlevi, the Shah of Iran was ousted from his country after years of corrupt and oppressive rule. He was able to remain in control of his country and its oil wealth with the backing of:
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. the American government

3.In 1980, Beatle John Lennon was walking into his residence in New York and was murdered by:
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. an American with an obsession.

4. In 1983 Nazi Klaus Barbie,the Butcher of Lyon was captured after living in Bolivia for years under the protection of
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. the American CIA.

et cetera.

Counterpoint every year. Maybe some recipients will understand why cherry picking certain events to justify profiling may not be a good idea after all

[Mabus]

28. Another History test

1. In 1975 Gerald Ford faced two assassination attempts by:
a.. Superman
b. Jay Lenno
c. Harry Potter
d. White American females (bonus if you knew their gender and their names)

2. In 1923 the town of Rosewood (Florida) was burned to the ground and some of its inhabitants were massacred by
a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. White American males mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. In 2005, the Super Dome in New Orleans was taken over by:
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Americans who felt abandoned by their country, thankfully most of the White American males between the ages of 17 and 40 were able to drive out of town in the cars.

4. In the early part of the 21st Century a number of innocent Iraqi citizens were kidnapped and held in prisons like Abu Ghrib, Gitmo and undisclosed locations in former East European gulags by:
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Members of the American military, mostly men between the ages of 17 and 40

4. In 1995, the Murrah Building in OKlahoma City was blown up by:
a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. A white American male extremist who may have had help from other white american male extremists between the ages of 17 and 40

You can somehting like this at the end:

Nope, .....I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, people with funny sounding foreign names, people of color but leave White American males of all ages alone because of profiling.

[blonndee]

30. self-delete

you guys did a lot better than I did!

[mykpart]

36. How will you identify the Muslim males?

Pretty sure if they're getting on a plane they're not wearing robes and turbans. And I don't think you have to state your religion to purchase a plane ticket.

On the other hand, you probably should just ignore the email. In my experience when I have responded to something like this it just leads to even more hateful crap. If she ever mentions it, pretend you never saw it.

[Ammonium]

38. I've got an idea!

He'll look like this...



^It's a pictures of Jesus if it's not obvious.

[mykpart]

39. Love it!

:rofl:

[varkam]

40. These questions strike me as having "facts" that...

are arranged very loosely around the premise that profiling is not just acceptable, but that it is essential in the war on terror. For example, Sirhan Sirhan (the individual who shot President Regan) was not a "Muslim Extremist" but was, in fact, a Christian. Additionally, as others have pointed out, numerous other examples can be cited of terrorism and violence committed by individuals not of the Islamic persuasion.

On the subject of profiling, it is my opinion that it is nothing more than racism and fear dressed in good intentions. It is assumed by many advocates of profiling that a) acts of violence and terrorism are often committed by members of certain racial, religious, or ideological groups and b) you can discern who is a member of such and such a group by their appearance. The first point has been dealt with thoroughly by other responses in this thread. The second point, however, also warrants attention.

Can you tell who is a Christian by looking at them? A Buddhist? An atheist? A Muslim? I submit that you cannot. The assumption that many hold is that you can identify who is and is not a muslim by the color of their skin. This is plainly false, and such generalizations are tantamount to racism. Further, some claim that we should be stopping people who look overly suspicious (such as individuals in traditional Islamic dress). However, if you have ever seen pictures of the 9/11 hi-jackers, you will see that they were trying to blend in. They didn't have long beards, they weren't wearing turbans. They were wearing slacks and button-down shirts.

The bottom line is that profiling relies upon preconceived notions and stereotypes - and individuals who wish to do us harm realize this.

[OneBlueSky]

41. send it back with a note that says . . .

"Some racist jackass pretending to be you sent this to me . . . thought you should know" . . .

[KBlagburn]

42. Also don't forget that 100's were murdered by a white male.....

in jonestown by jim jones.

[Nomad559]

43. I always reply with

Did you know that the majority of Serial Killers are white Christian males?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers_by_country

:)

[RebelOne]

44. I get that same e-mail quite often.

I don't even bother to reply. I just hit the delete key.