By Chris Magee
Night editor
Below is the text of an e-mail that was recently forwarded to me by a relative.
"President Obama is surprised that veterans do not want to pay their own
medical expenses. Here is Obama's response when he backed off from his
decision to let the military pay for their war injuries.
"Bad press, including major mockery of the plan by comedian Jon Stewart, led
to President Obama abandoning his proposal to require veterans carry private
health insurance to cover the estimated $540 million annual cost to the
federal government of treatment for injuries to military personnel received
during their tours on active duty.
"The President admitted that he was puzzled by the magnitude of the
opposition to his proposal. 'Look, it's an all volunteer force,' Obama
complained. 'Nobody made these guys go to war. They had to have known and
accepted the risks. Now they whine about bearing the costs of their choice?
It doesn't compute.'
"'I thought these were people who were proud to sacrifice for their
country,' Obama continued. 'I wasn't asking for blood, just money. With the
country facing the worst financial crisis in its history, I'd have thought
that the patriotic thing to do would be to try to help reduce the nation's
deficit. I guess I underestimated the selfishness of some of my fellow
Americans.'
"I guess OBAMA just doesn't get that the American people love and appreciate
our military guys and gals who lay their lives on the line so we can lay our
heads down at night in peace.
"That's because he is not an AMERICAN at heart. That much is obvious. Why
in the world people voted for him I'll never know, but we all will surely
pay the price and rue the day that he took office. America is getting
change but not the change they were looking to get."
Now, it should be obvious to anyone who follows politics that there's not a politician in the world who would make these kind of statements. If he had, it would have dominated the 24-hour news cycle more than Drew Peterson ever did and it would have ruined his career. But just to make sure, I looked it up on factcheck.org, and of course it is a hoax.
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/did_obama_accuse_veterans_of_selfishness_and.html
As the factcheck.org site says, the quotes are made up and the health care proposal is misrepresented. It would seem obvious that this is a hoax, but millions of people are forwarding this. My relative who sent it to me must have believed it, as did the person who sent it to her, as did the person who sent it to that person, etc. And they're sending it to everyone on their mailing list.
The Internet is a beautiful thing, but this is an example of the dark side. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Millions of people who know just enough about the Internet to use e-mail forward things like this to everyone they know, yet they don't know how to check the facts of the e-mails they receive and possibly don't care. Most people would not knowingly spread a lie from person to person, but they think nothing of spreading these lies through e-mail.
This isn't about whether you like Obama or not. It bugs me when people form their beliefs for the wrong reason. Millions of people didn't vote for Obama in 2008 because they were convinced he was a Muslim who studied at a madrassah, based on some e-mails that were passed around. Sure, an intelligent voter won't vote on hearsay like this, but millions do anyway. E-mails like this will stick in people's mind and come 2012, many will be using information like this to make their decision when they step into the voting booth.
Most of us probably have that one friend or relative who falls for every one of these chain e-mails that get passed around the Internet and sends them to everyone on their mailing list. You can point them to the fact-checking sites but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Spreading false information like this caters to the worst elements of American politics. It's OK not to like the president or other politicians. But at least do it for the right reasons.
I have a relative who seems to get and forward all of these kind of false emails. They're not Obama supporters, so I really don't think they care if the stuff they're propagating is true or not. Prior to the election, I got it all--Obama was a Muslin, turned his back on the American flag and refused to face it during the pledge of allegiance, refused to use a Bible when sworn into office as a senator and instead used the Koran, and half a dozen others I've already forgotten. As Chris mentioned, if any of these things had really been said or done, it would have dominated the news; we would not need an anonymous, randomly circulated email to hear about it. Aside from that, one can tell these emails are bogus by the way they are written and the language used in the "quotes". This is not the way Obama or any other highly educated individual speaks. But these emails do say a lot about the people who believe them.
One only needs to look at the VA cumulative cuts that have happened since 2001 to see who really wants Veterans to pay their own way when they get back stateside...
Chris, I too am regularly astonished by the ludicrous hoax emails I see forwarded, in most cases by people you'd think would know better.
There's one lady I know who used to be a senior manager in an audit firm and ran her own company for a while. We get regular missives from her, and even though I 'reply all' with a link to Snopes debunking whatever her mail was about, they keep on coming!
I don't know why you would be surprised that people believe all the lies in emails about Obama as they believed all the lies about Bush. Heck, even the press helped with those lies...
I was trying to think of any emails I received about Bush but it's been too long now and I can't remember.
By what the? on June 7, 2009 12:40 AM
I have a relative who seems to get and forward all of these kinds of false emails. They're not Obama supporters, so I really don't think they care if the stuff they're propagating is true or not. Prior to the election, I got it all--Obama was a Muslin,
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There is nothing wrong with B. Hussein Obama being a Muslim if he was.
There is nothing wrong with him using the Holy Koran to be sworn in.
Recently an American Congressman did use the Holy Koran to be sworn in for the first time and Hussien Obama mentioned it in his speech in Cairo.
Obama has a Muslim Dad and a Christian Mom.
No one knows if he feels in his heart if he is a Muslim or Christian. I suspect he feels a little of both and respects both religions equally.
I suspect he chose the right religion for political purposes to help him achieve his goal of the presidency.
Let us face it if he felt like a Muslim or declared himself to be a Muslim, he would have no chance.
We need to think of Obama as a Muslim regardless of wheher he is a declared Christian or Muslim. And we need to realize that if he was a declared Muslim, he is still a great president who can represent Jews, Muslims, Christians and Atheists equally and justly. The man has a conscience. The man is humble. The mans has principles. The man has courage.
Recently he told the Israelis the settlements on the W. Bank were wrong, illegal and they must stop them and get out of them. He speaks the same language whether he is in Tel Aviv or Cairo. He understands UN Resolutions 242 and 338 and the Peace Accords of Madrid of 1993 and intends on abiding by and implementing them during his first term. I suspect he is gaining some goodwill with Jewish people around the globe by visiting concentration camps before he lets Israel have the bad news that it is time to withdraw from the settlements and to stop treating the settlers with soft gloves....that enough is enough. Trust me, he is laying out all the hints. You just have to read between the lines. I know some bloggers do not believe it is possible to read between the lines but if you are well informed on an issue you can read between the lines.
I think in the Muslim world they consider Obama a Muslim because in that culture you are what your father was. Just as you take your father's last name, you take your father's religion.
Obama is really doing a great job ending Muslim hostility towards Americans. He is also doing a great job of ending American hostility towards Muslims.
Let us support Obama so we can have a peaceful world.
Everyone hated Bush from all the continents of the world. Since he represented America, everyone hated Americans including Europeans.
When I visited Paris, I was advised by the Hotel Manager to say I was Canadian and not American if I wanted to be treated well in France. I did say I was Canadian and was even able to get directions. The French are not willing to speak Enlgish to Americans or even give them directions from point A to point B. If you are an American they would have deliberately given you the wrong directions when Bush was President.
I suspect on my next visit to America, I will be able to say proudly I am an American without fearing hostility.
Gee, lying e-mails purportedly from candidates but not really. I guess it is different than what we as an electorate are USUALLY subjected to. Or has others lying about politicians they do not support always occurred, the internet is simply the new venue? And of course I mean to imply lying politicians, in their own words is an imporant danger to democracy. Many lie with impunity, they are called campaign promises and are routinely ignored after the election. (Bush I-read my lips, no new taxes or Obama, I don't want to be in the car business. BS!) I rather think all lies are an equal threat to our demcocracy, especially when the press is backing the polictican and supporting one candidate over another. I include omissions by the press to publish stories adverse to a political party. And the first that comes to mind is ABC News, knowing the details of John Edwards off camera personal life and ignoring the affair. Now the National Inquirier has legitimacy as a part of the free press. So since we cannot do anything about campaign promisses and lies, omissions of a free press, we cannot do anything about false emails. One thing is correct, the behavior transcends both parties. It is a true bi-partisan issue. And to What the ?-you seem to think only the truth dominates the news? You are flat wrong. The agenda of the news organization dominates its news. Now go watch MSNBC before you miss the next worthy item.
The point, Taxes, was that Obama said he was a Christian but people spread these lies about him being a Muslim because they knew it would hurt him. No, there's nothing wrong with being a Muslim but if someone says they are a Christian then they should know. And the other items that went along with the Muslim email were definitely false and calculated to offend voters.
I always double check all the fake e-mails I get with Snopes.com, it's amazing the kid of rubbish circulating via e-mail.
"I suspect on my next visit to America, I will be able to say proudly I am an American without fearing hostility."
Sorry, I meant to say on my next visit to France, I will be able to say proudly I am an American without fearing hostility.
I think I understand your point, Moderator.
By definition in the Muslim world, Obama is Muslim because his Dad is Muslim. So it could be people who were saying Obama was Muslim believed he was Muslim.
Privately, I believe Obama could be a Muslim. Publicly he needs to be a Christian. While Americans finally accepted having a Black President which was initially shocking to me, I don't believe they are yet ready to accept a Muslim president.
My point is whether Obama is Muslim, Christian or Jew it should not matter. He is still the same good person.
While Obama is a great guy, he is also playing the politically correct politics. He is trying to do a balancing act.
He told the Israelis to stop the settlement but the next day he visited former concentration camps in Germany to appease them.
Do you think Moderator if he was a Muslim and admitted it he would have had a chance of being elected? I believe he would have zero chance.
Do you think if a presidential candidate was gay and admitted it he would have a chance of being elected? Again, no chance.
People should not spread lies. But obviously these lies were hurting Obama only because he was accused of being a Muslim. If they were spreading lies that he was a Christian those lies would probably not hurt as much.
I think now that people got to know and trust Obama if he decided to convert to Islam before he runs for a second term, I think he will succeed as long as he continues doing a good job.
Once people experience people of different ethnicities and religions they are less likely to be prejudice.
One doesn't need an e-mail to be subjected to wild speculation and long winded rants full of false and half truths. We occasionally (frequently?) get that here on the blog.
Another issue with forwarding e-mails is when someone forwards not only the story, but also list after list of previous forwards that include hundreds and hundreds of previous e-mail addresses. Scrolling down for what seems like an endless display finally gets you to the message someone wants you to read.
Then someone will hit "reply all" and resend the same drivel and make a comment like, "so true", "thank you", or some other minor detail.
Chris, I received plenty over the years about Bush (both of them) regarding I.Q. level, waving to Stevie Wonder, and many supposed misstatements or utterances.
Hey, do we really expect anything else? The emailing of such crap is just another medium to practice in. Once it was limited to our newspapers and tv media, now it has joined the new technology.
Politicians started this type of negative advertising eons ago. Both sides have lied, misled, twisted truth, and done just about everything they can to unduly influence the democratic process. Now they are stunned that we, the idiot masses, are doing the same?
Shocked, I tell you, shocked!
Let's put on out thinking caps and flash back to the last House race in Naperville. Remember the vile campaign that was ran against Senger? It was worthy of any slime pitched at a national level.
All in all, though, there is a difference between not having any knowledge (many forward this stuff, and contrary to what some think much of it is not habdles by Snopes) and purposefully and deliberatley creating and distributing such unworthy crap with the direct intent of harm.
Yes, there was a lot of this stuff on Bush, and it is looking like there will be a lot on Obama. I think they are big boys and can handle it (Bush did for 8 years, and I have full confidence Obama will, too.)
Chris:
Interesting that you wrote this in setting up this topic.....
Millions of people didn't vote for Obama in 2008 because they were convinced he was a Muslim who studied at a madrassah, based on some e-mails that were passed around.
Do youo have actual data to support this or is this an anecdotal comment? If the latter, isn't a comment like this then just the other side of the same coin?
Clever irony, I can see what you're trying to say but I don't agree. I acknowledge the number is an anecdotal comment. But unlike those emails, it is not a harmful comment that seeks to mislead people about a politician. It's not possible to defame anonymous, ill-informed voters because they are anonymous.
Chris: Your statement potentially misleads people as to the impact of these types of e-mails. Unless you can quantify it, you're merely speculating to its effect.
For all we know either millions didn't vote for him, as you contend, or millions simply ignored the e-mail thus it had very little effect, if none at all, on the election.
even viewing the TV news leaves one to question the authenticity of
what's being said
so now, kids in school who are being taught how to list references are still thinking that if its printed, on TV, etc. its real, accurate
with the demise of most newspapers, presumably professional reporting is unfortunately becoming a thing of the past
without snopes.com, etc.
how would we know for sure?
its almost if the Orson Wells War Of The Worlds radio broadcast has
been translated into current technology
imagine if the US broadcast fake news?
or do we continue to already
is it propoganda, and/or popularity
David Carradine's recent self-inflicted death is a prime example
of how a popular topic rules
As a former school librarian, I can attest that the students whose teachers take advantage of the services the librarians offer their classes are learning to evaluate the information that they find in print, the media and on the internet. It is one of the ways that the school library has adapted for current and future literacy needs: computer and internet literacy. I often taught lessons to classes on how to evaluate the information they find online and in any other media. Usually this would occur before a big research project so that the students would use good resources and information, not information from Joe Schmo who is writing a blog in his basement. Libraries are not just about books anymore. The public libraries offer this information too. Librarians will also teach other skills that are beneficial for researching.
Unfortunately not all teachers take advantage of the resources that the librarians offer. The teachers who don't realize the importance of these skills are often the ones that don't scrutinize the kids' sources that closely either. It was one of my frustrations. If kids from those teachers came in on their own to research, I would try to handle that information one on one with them. The kids were usually pretty grateful to be steered away from the crap info and pointed towards the good. I have had some students that I have run into in the last couple years thank me because the skills I taught them in that area have paid off in college.
There are a lot of adults out there who also are "still thinking that if its printed, on TV, etc. its real, accurate." It's not teenagers that forward those ridiculous emails like the one above to me.
So many E-mails are false? Common, everybody knows this. Politicians also perpetrate lies, misinformation, and subtle inuendos. Nothing new here! Yes misleading E-mail is unfortunate but it no more threatens democracy than the BS put out by the politicos. Most intelligent people take all this with a grain of salt. I myself have been guilty of forwarding trash, but I try to do a little research before passing on blatant baloney.
To Taxes, Taxes and more Taxes on June 7, 2009 3:08 PM--
Chris's response to you was right on. Obviously the folks who started the email were hoping it would reach people who did think there was something wrong with being Muslim or who were fearful that if Obama was Muslim he would hand the U.S. over to the "terrorists".
Remember that older women at one of McCain's town hall meetings who stood up and told McCain she didn't trust Obama because she had read about him and "for one thing, he's a Muslim"? And McCain jumped in and said "No ma'am, he's not". Well, there you are. Sounds like she believed the email.
If people in the Muslim world consider Obama to be one because his biological father was, then fine for them. But here in the U.S., the fact that Obama's father was an absentee parent for just about his entire life, and that Obama was raised by his Christian mother and maternal grandparents, and that Obama attends Christian churches as an adult and proclaims himself to be a Christian, speaks louder than biology. I'm going with that.
In a perfect world, there would be nothing wrong with a U.S. president being Muslim and swearing on the Koran. But in a country still smarting from 9/11, this definitely would not have been a plus. Hence the false emails. Get it?
I only seem to get the Obama-bashing e-mails, but clearly a lot of fiction has floated through the internet bashing Bush. A quick check of snopes.com reveals these fake stories:
* Bush wouldn't sell his homes to blacks.
* In 1555 Nostradamus predicted that December 2000 would see "the village idiot will come forth to be acclaimed the leader in the home of greatest power."
* Canada has arrested George W. Bush and charged him with war crimes.
Who would believe this? How do these people get past the supermarket tabloids?
There's also a page devoted to stories about Sarah Palin, Nancy Pelosi, John McCain and the Clintons. Lots of entertaining reading at the snopes politics page, http://www.snopes.com/politics/politics.asp
Chris, you're right that these e-mails are poisonous. I've found snopes.com and factcheck.org go a long way toward being an antidote. But it'd be better if people on both sides would just use common sense.
By what the? on June 10, 2009 1:34 AM
To Taxes, Taxes and more Taxes on June 7, 2009 3:08 PM--
In a perfect world, there would be nothing wrong with a U.S. president being Muslim and swearing on the Koran. But in a country still smarting from 9/11, this definitely would not have been a plus. Hence the false emails. Get it?
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Of course I get it? I think you don't get it because my message was similar to yours but it went straight over your head.
We are in agreement. Apparently, I realize it but you don't.
Taxes:
Glad to hear we're on the same page, for the most part. I disagree that if Obama said he was Muslim or converted to Islam it wouldn't hurt him politically. I believe it would put him out of office. It would be too much for Americans to handle at this point in time. Which is why his opponents have tried using the Muslim/Koran/Hussein connection against him. I don't believe Obama is a closet Muslim. I think what you see is what there is.