{"id":914,"date":"2012-01-22T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2012-01-22T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=914"},"modified":"2012-01-21T20:15:11","modified_gmt":"2012-01-22T02:15:11","slug":"chain-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=914","title":{"rendered":"Chain Letters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Hate is a strong word.\u00a0 Some things just irritate me.\u00a0 I try not to blur the line between the two.\u00a0 However, I\u2019ve decided that I hate chain letters.\u00a0 Yes, hate is the right word.\u00a0 I don\u2019t just mildly dislike them.\u00a0 I hate them!!!!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been over forty years since I received my first chain letter in the mail and they have kept coming in one form or another ever since.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chain letters promise everything from riches to good luck to \u201cwhatever.\u201d\u00a0 Just follow the directions \u2013 send a dollar, send a postcard, send a recipe, send good wishes, send \u201cwhatever\u201d to the first person on the list, copy the letter and send it to 10 of your friends.\u00a0 Then in short time $50,000 or 50,000 postcards or 50,000 recipes or 50,000 \u201cwhatevers\u201d will be yours.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter that the claims being made are mathematically impossible.\u00a0 Who wouldn\u2019t like to be a millionaire overnight?\u00a0 We like to believe these things will happen, so we pass it on. \u00a0Or we fear the dreaded bad luck we are told we will experience if we break the chain and don\u2019t pass it on.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forty years ago chain letters took a real commitment of time and money.\u00a0 You had to literally write out ten copies of the letter, place them in envelopes, address and stamp, then mail them out.\u00a0\u00a0 Being basically a lazy person, I could never bring myself to do all that.\u00a0 So I would either toss them and wait for my bad luck, or write back to the sender saying, \u201cI would rather make one enemy than ten, so I\u2019m returning your chain letter.\u201d\u00a0 This did not set too well with my sister-in-law, but she got over it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No one gets chain letters via snail mail anymore but they abound in email inboxes.\u00a0 \u201cPass it on\u201d has become a red flag that magnetically pulls my finger to the delete button.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Some chain letters want you to help Disney, Applebees, or Nike test an email tracking program.\u00a0 If you forward the message on to others you could receive $1000, a trip to Disney World, a dinner for two, or a new pair of shoes for your trouble.\u00a0 Believe it or not, companies just don\u2019t use chain letters to give away money or products.<\/p>\n

I especially like the emails that say, \u201cI did not make this up!\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m so thankful.\u00a0 Yet, some bozo with a great deal of time on his hands did.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Altruistic chain letters are sent for the benefit of others.\u00a0 You are not sending money so you won\u2019t receive anything, but you need to pass the message on to help the Make-a-Wish Foundation fulfill the dream of a dying child.\u00a0 Never mind that this foundation has stated repeatedly it doesn\u2019t operate this way.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Or perhaps some child has a school project where you add your first name to a list to see how many people have the same name.\u00a0 The sender knows you will \u201cpass it on\u201d because you are so nice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well guess what?\u00a0 I\u2019m not all that nice and most of my real friends know it!<\/p>\n

A new form of chain letter wants you to pass around prayers, I love you notes, poems, and tidbits about Jesus.\u00a0 I received a lovely message from someone who said he was passing it on to me because I was one of the five most dynamic women he\u2019d ever known.\u00a0 I noticed he copied 50 people \u2013 men and women \u2013 which made me feel real special.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I especially hate chain letters accompanied by guilt trips like the following which I actually received:<\/p>\n