Forward This

Do you have people in your life who send you forwards about religious or political junk that is so obviously written by some college drop-out in their parents basement who writes r or u instead of spelling out the whole word, or if we're talking spelling- let's face it, no one's perfect, but that's why Word has the "spellcheck" feature, consider using it when wanting to be taken seriously.

Last week my grandmother who is in her 80's sent me yet another forwarded email about Obama and his muslim faith, and why he is a traitor. Some grandmother's bake cookies, and plant garden's they send you cards or call on your birthday, and they call you sugar and ask you about your beau. My grandmother sends hateful emails about democrats and immigrants. I have responded to these emails from time to time, like the one by a "teacher" in California who complained about "illegal" immigrants who attend her school and vandalize the schools computers. Um, yeah, all high schoolers vandalize school property, that's what being bored in class is all about, it isn't just the Mexican's my friend, and the computer and the desk still work even if it has HELL is carved into it's tough plastic outer shell.

I responded because, I happen to be a teacher (or did) and I worked in the college office of a bilingual school where I helped immigrant kids get into college, we had Chinese immigrants, African immigrants, Polish immigrants, Dominican immigrants, and plenty others. We only had one illegal, I know because I had extensive access to parental finances and tax forms. The one kid who was illegal, was sold to his uncle from China, after working in a factory for 3 years at the age of 16. He arrived in New York and shared an apartment with 10 or so other super poor Chinese immigrants, he worked after school and on weekends to pay his uncle back, and he learned English on his own. He was our valedictorian. All on his own he did this. From age 16. I don't know many American's who could do that, 16 or 35, he wanted a chance. It's hard for me to hate on illegal immigrants because, the ones I know are pretty amazing people. I think I might even be an illegal immigrant, and I know I've got guts and balls enough to get a little respect.

However, not everyone appreciated my- "uplifting" tale of some 16 year old kid who fought and made it, he'd be a hero in a movie but in real life no one wanted to hear how my student worked harder and gave up more in his four years of high school than most Americans I know do for most of their life. So this Obama is a muslim traitor forward, I thought, this is ridiculous, every third word is spelled wrong and as much as you may dislike Obama, you can't have it both ways, either you get the Rev Wright scandal or you get to be stupid and call him a muslim (and even if he was, who cares) or a traitor, so why forward this, it's so obviously half-baked and not true. So I hit reply, and sent my Grandma the link to Factcheck.org thinking, lady rather than disseminate angry racist garbage, why not fact check it first!

Of course, everyone always shoots the messenger, yup, once again, I try to speak a little truth and somehow I get blamed for trying to teach an old dog new tricks. But see, that was never my point, I've worked in the South Bronx, I do not carry around with me a little pinch of idealism in my pocket, I get that an old woman in her 80's who for as long as I've known her has called Black people "darkies" and locked her car doors when driving through black enighborhoods isn't going to stop being racist, she's never going to go Left on us, but I thought, since she's also my Godmother and a faithful Sunday worshipper she might try to seek truth.

Instead she went to complain to my mom. Who then got on my ass. Well, you know what, I'm 30 now, and I ain't changing either. I don't care if your 85 or 150, forwards are lame, especially when they're racist, hateful and negative- unless they're about Jesus when they're just crazy. Forwards aren't news, they're not facts, they don't have authors or footnotes or sources or truth.