BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web

Subject: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Nov 04 - 11:18 PM

Is it me, or are there more and more of these internet conspiracies, FWDed spam (and the wisdom thereof), etc showing up in the Mudcat BS section these days?

I'm really beginning to wonder about some folks here whose intelligence and critical faculties I hadn't questioned in the past.

Perhaps there is a sign hanging on the Internet entrance to this forum which reads "No common sense accepted or allowed. Credulity is the only currency accepted here".

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: Mr Red
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 06:13 AM

yes we have a section for it called

GUEST

give us your name and we call it

IRONY

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 06:41 AM

I don't know Guest 11:18 and I've not even opened the "wisdom of spam" thread to see what it contains but I suspect you may be right. I wouldn't see it as a Mudcat specific thing though but more part of a general change on the Internet.

As a general rule, I think the older hands would be far more likely to check a source like snopes before posting something like the plane crash conspiracy than the newer ones.

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 07:24 AM

I started 'The Wisdom Inherent in Spam Messages' thread after being inspired by some of the humourous gems in the Nigerian Spam thread...

Like it or not, Spam has become part of our culture, and also our mass culture.

I said in the initial post "This thread is devoted to some of the gems that appear in my inbox."

I don't read them all, but when I have some time to skim, some are true gems of humour & ineptitude with the English Language. A few other brave souls have contributed a few too. All posters so far have been cynical and skeptical... :-)

You are welcome to open the thread or not according to your personal preferences.

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 09:29 AM

You mean the thing about hamsters secretly running the United Nations from behind the scenes is not true?

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: mack/misophist
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 09:57 AM

No. That one is true.

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: Amos
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 10:22 AM

Consider the increase in population at the Cat intersecting the increase in gross volume of Spam, we're lucky. I haven't noticed a dramatic increase in spam forwarding in threads, but I have a slight one.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 10:44 AM

I can set that up, Amos. Shall I do so?

Librarians have been warning about the "trustworthiness quotient" of materials on the WWW for years. Y'all don't pay any attention, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 10:50 AM

It isn't just on the 'Cat. I have relatives and friends who send me conspiracy theories, false virus alerts, and assorted urban legends. I have stopped trying to direct them to Snopes. I think it is the same mentality that causes people to stop and count bodies at a car accident and grimace in annoyance when it's only a fender bender. Have to admit, I have been guilty of falling for some of it too.

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 11:50 AM

I'm a librarian too, so perhaps I have a lower tolerance level. I get the rare FWDed idiocy from one particular family member of mine who is gullible as hell, and just never seems to learn. I notice that (never learning) is an aspect of all this too.

And actually, I wasn't thinking so much of the plane at the pentagon thread or Nigerian spam, but the threads on the election in general (a lot of FWDed stuff), and the voting conspiracies in particular.

When we want to believe something happened, we tend to believe anything I guess.

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: CarolC
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 01:27 PM

If you do a forum search on the word "snopes", I think you'll find it's been happening here pretty regularly for at least a couple of years.

Subject: RE: BS: Gullibility and the World Wild Web
From: Cluin
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 02:13 PM

Hello, it's my first time to one of these meetings. Thank you for inviting me.

And yes, I DO have an internet connection so like you all, I know many interesting things.


But precious goddamn few of them useful.