Monday 31 December 2012

Remember chain letters?

I'm old enough to remember chain letters.  I don't remember the content very well but I remember being told by my parents that they were "bad" and to be ignored.

Often they were ostensibly innocuous requiring a small investment in time and money with the promise of a modest reward, but others were more demanding on time and money with the promise of much larger rewards.

The pernicious aspect of the chain letter was the threat that a failure to participate would lead to bad luck, ill-health or a disastrous love life.

With the advent of e-mail the chain letter morphed into the chain e-mail.  Often there was still a real world element requiring the use of post but the spreading mechanism was electronic.

Now it's Facebook that is awash with the chain letter disease.

This is the latest one that landed in my Newsfeed:

FB chain letter

The post had graphic details of the rape and murder and this post ended with the words

If her death Touches YOU & UR against RAPE
Write: "R.I.P"

If YOU Support RAPE
"IGNORE THIS POST"
======================
COMMENT & SHARE with atleast 10 of YOUR best FRIENDS! Tell them to LIKE COLLINS OKELLO so they can receive daily update from us on this story. The culprits MUST pay for this. I'M FOLLOWING THIS STORY TO THE END TILL DAMINI GETS FULL JUSTICE.

I don't know Collins Okello but they have used a tragic situation just to increase the likes on their Facebook page.  It's a behaviour that tugs on the emotions of the masses for selfish gain.

I ignored this post, not because I support rape, but because this type of Facebook post makes me sick.

I see the same kind of post for child abuse, animal cruelty etc. and they are all promoted by an individual who has the selfish motivation of self-promotion.  This is the latest instalment in the long history of chain letters.

My parents were right.  Chain letters are "bad" and to be ignored.

 

s post ended with the w