Truth, Lies & Chain E-Mails

I recently received a “chain” e-mail from a friend that contains a great amount of misinformation. Such e-mails get passed all over the internet and are accepted as the facts when in truth they are anything but. They are designed to look legitimate by inserting a few facts amongst a ton of disinformation. These e-mails work on the theory that if you tell a lie enough times it becomes the truth.

The e-mails also include an appeal to “share this with everyone” you know/like/care about. In my opinion this makes them a type of electronic virus. In reality we are only hurting ourselves by spreading such junk around.

So, how do you tell fact from fiction? Well for one there is a great source of true information at The Annenberg Political Fact Check. Their goal is to keep everyone honest by printing the truth. Another source for the facts can be found at the Urban Legends Reference Page. If you want to double-check everything, then you can also go to Truth or Fiction.

Right now there are a lot of political e-mails flying around the internet. Each side in this election year wants to prove that they are better than the other guy or gal. They need to show that they are the hero and that the other is some type of scum. The reality is that there are no knights on white horses. They are politicians and therefore all the same.

Here’s the next urban myth that’s starting to make the rounds: homeowners unable to pay their mortgage are walking away from their homes. In fact the lenders are spreading this lie to take the blame off of themselves for getting greedy and either deceiving their borrowers and or making loans they had no business making in the first place. The only ones walking away from homes right now are investors who purchased the home to make a ton of money.

So, if the e-mail sounds sensational and appeals to you to share it with everyone, please do us all a favor and find out if there is any validity to it at all before you hit that send button.