Forwarding Fun

Forwarded emails annoy me intensely. They are generally meaningless, and no matter how often you tell people that the child will not lose an arm if they do not email the letter to all their contacts, nor will they really have a car crash on the way home, they just don't listen.

They are also ridiculously heterosexual. How many forwards automatically presume all guys want a girl, and all girls want a guy? How many surveys ask girls if they have a boyfriend? Forwards exist for most causes, anti-racism, anti-sectarianism, anti-Iraq war, but yet there are very few anti-homophobia forwards. And what is perhaps worse, if there were, people (closeted or closed-minded) would be afraid to forward them, lest they are presumed gay.

I don’t mind getting sent forwards that are funny, although most of them I’ve seen 10 times before, and the rest are either not funny or highly politically incorrect.

There is also a certain amount of hypocrisy in a world that consistently screams ‘Information overload!’, which spends much of it’s day typing in surveys, forwarding pictures of puppies/kittens/chicks.

Yes, the thought is there. It’s nice to know someone who hasn’t actually bothered to pick up the phone to you in 6 months still has you in his or her address book. But how can a ‘Friendship Prayer’ be sincere is it’s sent to 150 other friends, work colleagues and acquaintances?

However, if you would like to send me a forward, or even better – a personalised message, email me. Details at the side.