Rabid, bigoted, right-winger fundies pervade work e-mail.

[Flubadubya]

Let me say first of all, "I am glad I have a job, and a fairly good job at that." Now, that having been said, I get thoroughly pissed at the level of right-wing fundamentalist rants that flood the company e-mail where I work.

On at least two occasions I found rebuttals to their inane blather on snopes.com and other resources. This one really takes the cake. I haven't figured just how to respond to it yet, if at all. Sometimes the best thing is to ignore this kind of crap, but it still just burns me up.

Here it goes:

----------------------
Looks like ABC is getting a little huffy over criticism of their
programming! Tough!
ABC TV - A MUST READ

If more of us took a stand maybe we could have some decent TV programs.
-- Jim Neugent is a coach in Childress, Texas.

Jim writes:

My name is Jim Neugent. I wrote to ABC (on-line) concerning a
program called "THE PRACTICE." In last nights episode, one of
the lawyer's mothers decided she is gay and wanted her son to go
to court and help her get a marriage license so she could marry
her 'partner.' ! I sent the following letter to ABC yesterday and
really did not expect a reply, but I did get one.

My original message was:

ABC is obsessed (or should I say abscessed) with the subject of
homosexuality. I will no longer watch any of your attempts to
convince the world that homosexuality is OK. THE PRACTICE can be a fairly good show, but last night's program was so typical of your agenda. You picked the 'dufus' of the office to be the one who was against the idea of his mother being gay and made him look like a whiner because he had convictions. This type of mentality calls people like me a "gay basher." Read the first chapter of Romans (that's in the Bible) and see what the apostle Paul had to say about it.... He, God and Jesus were all 'gay
bashers'. What if she'd fallen in love with her cocker spaniel? Is that an alternative lifestyle? (By the way, the Bible speaks against that, too.)
--Jim Neugent

Here is ABC's reply from the ABC on-line webmaster:

How about getting your nose out of the Bible (which is ONLY a book of stories compiled by MANY different writers hundreds of years ago) and read the declaration of independence (what our nation is built on), where it says "All Men are Created equal," and try treating them that way for a change! Or better yet, try thinking for yourself and stop using an archaic book of stories as your lame crutch for your existence. You are in minority in this country and your boycott will not affect us or our freedom of statement.

Jim Neugent's second response to ABC:

Thanks for your reply. From your harsh reply, evidently I hit a nerve. I will share it with all with whom I come in contact. Hopefully, the Arkansas Democrat Newspaper will include it in one of their columns and I will be praying for you.
- -Jim Neugent

Note: Wouldn't Satan just love it if people stopped using the Bible for a crutch? Please resend this to everyone in your mailbox.

-- Thanks, Jim Neugent

I wonder if the person from ABC considered how many people would read this e-mail!
-----------------------------

Does anyone find the ABC webmaster's response a bit contrived, incredulous? :grr: :grr:

[HawkerHurricane]

1. Yes.

Any PR flack (which is what the webmaster is, no matter what his other skills) who gave a answer like that would be publicly fired so fast his head would twirl off.

I smell straw.

[sandnsea]

2. Contrived? How about... A LIE!

No way ABC wrote that. It amazes me people put this out and other people actually gulp it right down. grr is right!!!

[DUreader]

3. Can you anonomously complain about non-work emails on the co. dime

forward everything to management and get it all shut down

It is a waste of resources anyway

[Flubadubya]

5. Unfortunately...

I really believe that management actually condones this B.S., if not outright responsible for some of it. This is a medical clinic in the heart of the bible belt... Go Figure!

[curlyred]

4. check Snopes on this, too

I know I've seen this debunked....

[Flubadubya]

6. Yep, here it is...

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/practice.htm

[sugargoose]

8. True?

Snopes actually is reporting it as true.

[Flubadubya]

10. Yes, but the point is...

anyone receiving the e-mail, unless they are a) skeptical or b) curious enough to look deeper into the story, will get the impression that the response from this one person represents the views of ABC as an organization.

This is the way these people operate though, it's sort of a "smash and run" affair. They try to besmirch reputations by painting an entire organization with a broad, black brush.

These same kind of people attacked the Pepsi corporation for supposedly planning to put out a can that would have the pledge of allegiance on it without the words "In God we trust." Never happened, never will happen. Pepsi has an official statement on their website repudiating this. Something of this kind (but blown way out of proportion) did happen with the Dr. Pepper corporation right after 9/11, but never had anything at all to do with Pepsi.

Note that in this e-mail, Mr. Neugent is from Childress, Texas. In the original one he is from Arkansas, and these idiots never even bothered to change the reference to the Arkansas station in the latest version. Why would Mr. Neugent from Texas be concerned about a station in Arkanas. Anyway, you get the picture.

All these people are really interested in is spreading their hatred and the truth be damned. They just lash out viciously at anyone without any thought to consequences. They are really a sicko lot.

In this case, they have trashed ABC as some fag-loving, God-hating bunch of people. They're just nasty, hateful rumor mongers.

[sandnsea]

11. The webmaster wrote it

Not ABC at all. So it is still a bogus bunch of bull.

[Isome]

9. From Snopes:

Claim: A viewer received an insulting response after sending a complaint to ABC's web site about the TV program 'The Practice.'

Status: True

.::link::.[/b>]

[Bandit]

7. I'm sure ABC didn't write it but it sure is good advice.

They do know the truth apparently just refuse to abide by the truth.

[w4rma]

12. IMHO, one should look at this as a chance to get *your* opinion of this

garbage out to folks who would otherwise see and hear nothing but these fallacies.

Counter the rants with facts and sources and send your reply to everyone on the rant's mailing list.

:)

[Flubadubya]

13. Thanks w4rma...

that's pretty much what I am doing. I am providing the link to snopes, etc. and telling them what I think of the sleazy rumor mongering, and the fact that I don't appreciate receiving it.