I caused a problem by correcting someone.

**Russ** · 04-07-2010, 10:41 AM

PLEASE DO NOT TURN THIS INTO A POLITICAL ARGUMENT.

I was sent one of those emails from a relative about President Obama cancelling National prayer day and allowing Muslims....blah blah blah.... you get the idea.

Now normally, 90% of the time, I delete them and thats the end.

But on occasion I will look for the REAL facts on Snopes, Urban legends, or some similar website and respond to the person who sent it to me and correct them.

Well this time, I hit "reply to all" for some reason and sent the "facts" to everyone he sent his "facts" to. I did NOT do it with any malice or intent.

Boy oh boy...

I received an email from the person ripping me a new one about how I made him look stupid and if I liked Obama so much I should have just ignored the email... yadda yadda yadda. (He assumes I voted Democrat.) He also says of all the emails he has sent why did I choose this one and why did I do it to make him look stupid in front of a bunch of people I do not know?

So I responded and apologized explaining that on occassion I do respond and correct things like this. It was not my intent to make him look stupid or for any other reason than to present the truth and if I offended him, I apologize.

Just received this... "Russ, do not ever email or talk to me again"

So tell me, and be honest, Is what I did that bad???

**Greebo** · 04-07-2010, 10:43 AM

No, and if someone gets angry at you for presenting the truth, that person is in error.

Never get mad at the truth.

**frugalfriend** · 04-07-2010, 10:48 AM

Russ, this was a relative that did this??? Wow, I really don't think you did anything wrong at all. You brought out the truth, which was your only intent. You weren't trying to make him look stupid and he seems to have really gone overboard with being offended by something petty. You did the right thing and apologized, nothing more you can do.

**IntlMom** · 04-07-2010, 10:50 AM

Nope! The sender sent you a message along with a bunch of the senders "friends". You resonded to the sender and all of his "friends".

Sounds like you may be getting a lot less junk mail in your email box!

(might have to try that one myself) hehe

**Russ** · 04-07-2010, 10:52 AM

Yes, it was my cousin.
The same person who sends me all kinds of religious emails.
I have no problem with that and I do read some of them but I find it ironic that someone who is as religious as he is to not be very forgiving.

**Contrary Housewife** · 04-07-2010, 10:52 AM

He should feel stupid for forwarding something malicious and misleading without checking it out. Maybe he'll think next time.

I've "corrected" people a few times myself. My REAL friends were embarrassed, but didn't make the mistake again.

**azangie** · 04-07-2010, 10:58 AM

Good for you!!! The ironic thing is that he/she didn't mind that they were sending out info that was untrue, only that they got caught. Keep it up!!!

**Mom2-3** · 04-07-2010, 11:02 AM

Oh my!! I did this to someone a couple years ago and it's been great!

She would send religious stuff and political lies (I also did the snopes thing)

I finally wrote an email telling her that our view were obviously different and if she didn't have anything nice to write about, don't write me! I don't mind hearing about her trips, kids and around the farm stuff, but leave your "views" out of it.

I mean really! At one point she said don't shop at Target because they were owned by French people. Kinda rude.

I would let him have his tantrum. He may come back to write you later. You did NOTHING wrong.

**daughter of pearl** · 04-07-2010, 11:07 AM

I don't think you did anything wrong. If he didn't want the people on the list communicating with each other, he could have protected the list. I won't even comment on the fact-checking thing, or the politics of the thing.

**Luckybustert** · 04-07-2010, 11:20 AM

Regardless of one's beliefs, politics and religion are topics that can be polarizing and this situation included both. I can understand why your relative might have perceived the "reply all" discrediting their email as a personal attack, but you did apologize to them and explained your intent. Perhaps it would have been better received if you'd apologized and explained your intent as publicly as you discredited them? Life's too short...at this point I think I'd leave it at an "I'm sorry you feel that way" and move on, hoping the relationship would heal over time.

By the way, I don't like receiving those chain e-mails, and I *never* forward them. I also don't correct them, or otherwise respond to them at all. Just delete. I figure it's like spam....if I respond to it, it might encourage people to send me more.

**nancycg56** · 04-07-2010, 11:25 AM

You're nicer than I would have been

**Russ** · 04-07-2010, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by Luckybustert

Regardless of one's beliefs, politics and religion are topics that can be polarizing and this situation included both. I can understand why your relative might have perceived the "reply all" discrediting their email as a personal attack, but you did apologize to them and explained your intent. Perhaps it would have been better received if you'd apologized and explained your intent as publicly as you discredited them? Life's too short...at this point I think I'd leave it at an "I'm sorry you feel that way" and move on, hoping the relationship would heal over time.

By the way, I don't like receiving those chain e-mails, and I *never* forward them. I also don't correct them, or otherwise respond to them at all. Just delete. I figure it's like spam....if I respond to it, it might encourage people to send me more.

I thought of that, but his reply was very bitter and I did not want to involve the others with a reply.

**Luckybustert** · 04-07-2010, 11:27 AM

I like the approach some have mentioned where they asked the person to discontinue sending them the unwanted items. I think it's probably a conversation that is best held face-to-face if possible, but then I think most unpleasant conversations are best held that way. Electronic communication has a tendency to come off more harshly than intended due to the lack of visual cues that help clarify meaning and intent. By deleting the e-mails, I'm probably just avoiding that difficult conversation.

**StartingOver** · 04-07-2010, 11:50 AM

I do this all the time. When I receive an e-mail such as you described. I immediately go to snopes and if it's a hoax I send it back to them, with the correct facts.

Shame on them for getting mad at you, when they were the one in the wrong.