Attacking Snopes

[albionmoonlight]

Just got this email from my Mom:

I have a question that you should be able to give me a right answer. Aunt XXXX is kind of bent out of shape, cause I didn't believe one of the stupid things she sent me via email .. I checked it out on snopes and of course it was NOT TRUE.. now she is telling me that and I quote "snoops is a false website powered by email gathering computer hackers"..
Is that true?

Several thoughts:

(1) I finally got my Mom to start going to snopes instead of just forwarding along. My day is made.

(2) I find it a facinating insight into group psychology. It's so simple, I wonder why the email fowarding crowd didn't think of it before. With one simple idea: "Hackers run snopes," they take away our best weapon against them.

(3) Did you hear that Saudi Arabian government secretly owns 60% of the Coca-Cola company and puts mind control drugs in the soda so as to influence our votes on American Idol. Pass it on.

[wade moore]

I don't know if I've ever been more speechless.

This is the kind of thing that you would go to snopes to disprove... It's a pretty beautiful argument.

[Passacaglia]

Searching under hackers and snopes gives me nothing on snopes. Too bad -- would have been a funny article. Maybe we should make an effort to get this rumor going, just to see if we get mentioned on snopes.

[Schmidty]

I don't know if I've ever been more speechless.


I don't understand why you're speechless. Is it because older, less "plugged-in" people aren't internet savvy, and are used to trusting every "media" that they see?

I'm pretty speechless that you're speechless about that.

Of course, I'm sure that the fact that I questioned you in any way is going to start some kind of personal crusade, but that's cool. :)

[wade moore]

I don't understand why you're speechless. Is it because older, less "plugged-in" people aren't internet savvy, and are used to trusting every "media" that they see?

I'm pretty speechless that you're speechless about that.

Of course, I'm sure that the fact that I questioned you in any way is going to start some kind of personal crusade, but that's cool. :)

Hah...

Nah, what I mean is just hte circular logic of questioning snopes and accusing it of being basically what it is trying to stop. The thing for me is you're not trusting "media". They're trusting something someone told them vs. the "media" (snopes).

[wade moore]

Dola: no personal crusade at all..

[Klinglerware]

(3) Did you hear that Saudi Arabian government secretly owns 60% of the Coca-Cola company and puts mind control drugs in the soda so as to influence our votes on American Idol. Pass it on.

This is, in fact, true. David Koresh told me*.



*he actually rose from the dead and is now a chiropractor living in Long Island with his beautiful wife and two kids...

[Butter]

I heard albionmoonlight was actually a cleverly designed and sophisticated spambot. Today, he is advertising snopes.

[JonInMiddleGA]

4) Aunt XXXX should probably just put the computer back in the box.

[cthomer5000]

I'm speechless that Schmidty is speechless about wade being speechless.

[gottimd]

I just don't know about Cthomer5000.

I wonder why he is so speechless that Schmidty is speechless about wade being speechless. Its actually making me speechless.

[DanGarion]

Q: How do I know the information you've presented is accurate?

A: We don't expect anyone to accept us as the ultimate authority on any topic, which is why our site's name indicates that it contains reference pages. Unlike the plethora of anonymous individuals who create and send the unsigned, unsourced e-mail messages that are forwarded all over the Internet, we show our work. The research materials we've used in the preparation of any particular page are listed in the bibliography displayed at the bottom of that page so that readers who wish to verify the validity of our information may check those sources for themselves.
Quoted straight from their site.

[Telle]

My conspiracy-theorist coworker says that snopes is run by the CIA.

[Passacaglia]

I like how your mom asks you if that's true. Like you'd be all like "yeah, it's true. I've been forwarding you links from this site, knowing full well it's run by hackers."

[Toddzilla]

XXXX = Mulder

[beargrowlz]

I just don't know about Cthomer5000.

I wonder why he is so speechless that Schmidty is speechless about wade being speechless. Its actually making me speechless.

<insert absence of speech here>

[Surtt]

Your grand parents must have been hippies or something, who would name their daughter "XXXX?" At least it wasn't "XXX."

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Your mom is sooooooooo high...

[flere-imsaho]

4) Aunt XXXX should probably just put the computer back in the box.

++

[Rizon]

Just wait until we get those stupid "GreatAmerican Gas-Out" emails that everyone and their fucking cat forwards when gas prices rise. I get like 300 a day, and then I have to debate with those people how stupid the concept is. Snopes helps with that.

[sterlingice]

Hah...

Nah, what I mean is just hte circular logic of questioning snopes and accusing it of being basically what it is trying to stop. The thing for me is you're not trusting "media". They're trusting something someone told them vs. the "media" (snopes).

Not to drag this into a [POL] thread, but certain avenues of the media have been doing this for quite a while: "Don't trust all the other media, we're the only ones who are right".

SI

[Buccaneer]

That's funny, I was going to make a post about people and snopes today and albion beats me to it.

Anyway, when I got to work this morning, two of my colleagues were laughing over an email about the 1954 PC photo. I immediately recognized it because that photo has been around a few years and snopes, well, snoped it good (it's really a display of a submarine command center that was farked). I told them, come on, why are you believing shit like this? That's not a real photo and at least, an inaccurate caption. Here, I said, I can prove it. They weren't interested and proceeded to ignore me while they laughed about the caption. I thought, you know, maybe all of these fake emails, photos and glurges do have a place in life and people do enjoy them. But being as cynical as I am, I can't fathom believing in something that it fake.

[Ksyrup]

I think I've told the story here about an email we got from one of my wife's friends who passed around the pic of "the hands of God opening the sky" after a hurricane or tornado, which was in reality someone's photoshopped take on the goatse pic. In a very nice way, I emailed back to the group that the picture was a fake, because I would have been embarrassed if I mistook a photoshopped pic based on a porno/obscene pic as a true sign from God. Well, the lady who originally sent the mail sent a nasty reply to me and everyone else, telling me that she didn't care if it was fake, that the general sentiment of the picture was what mattered. And I responded that that's a nice sentiment and all, but the entire basis for it is a doctored photo, and I thought people were entitled to know that, regardless of whether they still agreed with the sentiment or not. She emailed another nasty reply, somewhat disputing whether the pic was actually doctored, at which point I did the only thing I could - I sent her a direct link to the goatse pic so she could see for herself.

So anyway, my point is that like Bucc, I have a hard time understanding how someone could/would want to believe in something that isn't real to the point of ignoring or disputing it, yet those people are out there.

[stevew]

Shit, i can't believe you goatse'd someone. Man, that's hilarious.

[Buccaneer]

Chris, I think many people want to see tangible evidence or images in order to believe in something. There are those that obsessively look for signs or images (like in grilled cheese sandwiches) in order to confirm their faith, whereas the real faith has always been around us.

I still struggle as to why someone would even think an obvious fake photo would be real. I am thinking of that supposedly aerial photograph of a very large kitchen sink drain the middle of downtown New Orleans. Why would that even be a question? Then I think about relative lack of real world knowledge and education that many have, as well as the obsession with "exotic" news to realize that many really don't know or have no basis in knowing otherwise. I suppose it is part human nature to trust what you see and hear on TV, in papers or in photos, while cynics like me do the opposite.

[Ksyrup]

Bitch had it coming. And the side benefit is that was the last time we were included in one of that group's mass forwarding of a urban legend. It was win/win.

[Ksyrup]

Chris, I think many people want to see tangible evidence or images in order to believe in something.

If she clicked on the link I sent her, she confirmed there is no God! :D

[JW]

My conspiracy-theorist coworker says that snopes is run by the CIA.

I thought Al Gore invented snopes.

[MJ4H]

Bitch had it coming. And the side benefit is that was the last time we were included in one of that group's mass forwarding of a urban legend. It was win/win.

This may be the truest example of a happy ending I've ever read. I am shedding a tear of delight for you right now.