This evening, I received one of those very nasty chain letters (emails) from my ten-year-old granddaughter. Frightening, isn't it (but not in her sense)? Apparently the girl who sent it to her is terrified. My daughter now knows, and is speaking to the school about it, but I am just so grateful that my children were brought up pre-internet!
> TODAY, when you receive this mail...> You will be facing the decision of your LIFE...> You must take this seriously!> I never send mails like this!> But I really don't want to mess up your life!IF YOU SEND THIS TO LESS THAN 5 PEOPLE!!!> Tonight... You will see the most horrifying thing...EVER!!!> And you will have bad luck for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!> Send this to 10 people...> And your crush will SLAP YOU ON THE FACE...> Send this to 20 people and...> Your mum will give you the gift you wanted all the time...> IF you send this to everyone on your list...> Your wishes will come true and your crush will kiss you...> BUT! You only have 3 hours to do so!> So quick, pass this on...
(PS I haven't sent it on to anyone, so if this is my last post, you will know why. Aaaaaargh!)
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Gosh, Frances, one should really think that chain letters would have become extinct at some stage, but apparently, they are going on and on... I hear about similar ones from kids and teenagers on the Sims (computer game) forum where I used to be a moderator until very recently. Most of them agree that they don't believe in it, but there are some who really take it very seriously. Sad.
ReplyDeleteThat's shocking, Frances. The Internet makes it far too easy for these to terrorise young people (or anyone). Glad the school is getting to know. Children might not have the courage to delete.
ReplyDeleteI loathe these things and can't understand what pleasure the originator of the chain derives from the wretched process of instigating fear in others.
ReplyDeleteI don't even like 'normal' chain letters, but this is just horrible. I hope they teach kids to ignore this sort of thing in schools. Parents need to warn their kids too.
ReplyDeleteHorrid!
ReplyDeleteThese things are evil - I remember getting one as a child and my mum hit the roof and refused to let me send it on despite my pleading - and I survived to tell the tale x
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments, everyone. I think this is not dissimilar to text bullying, which is apparently rife. The internet enables kids to send/receive things unobtrusively, and if they don't inform their parents - perhaps through fear of repercussions - I'm sure some must become seriously traumatised. Certainly my daughter was appalled when she found out about this.
ReplyDeletePS I'm STILL alive, nearly 24 hours on!
Yes, Mr.V. You said it.
ReplyDeleteAwful - and with email it's much quicker, easier and cheaper to send these things on so I doubt they'll go away anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteLike most systems, the internet carries the seeds of its own destruction. Chain-letters like this are one such seed.
ReplyDeletePatsy, I think it's the silent insidiousness of it that's really creepy, especially if kids can't/don't tell their parents.
ReplyDeleteDoc FTSE, you're right.