Chain of Fools

Getting mail was a big deal back in the day.

I remember my excitement, then puzzlement, one day when I opened the envelope and out came a chain letter.

I'd never seen one before. I read it through. At the bottom was a list of names, ending with mine. Each name ahead of mine had been crossed out. The instructions were to copy the letter*, cross out my name, and add the name of each of my 10 friends/victims at the bottom. I don't remember the reward,  it was something nebulous like, if I did what the letter told me to do, I'd have good luck. There was also the threat that terrible things would befall me if I threw the letter away.

Being the naive dolt I was (no wisecracks, please), I ran to my mom in tears. I didn't have the money for all those stamps, and I didn't know the addresses of 10 of my schoolmates to send the letter to. She sat me down and explained that nothing bad would happen and I should just throw the letter away.

"But what if all my friends do it, and I break the chain?" I sobbed.

"Just because your friends are willing to spend good money on something silly, doesn't mean you have to."

So, I threw the letter away and waited for signs of Armageddon. I was certain my friends would know I was the one who broke the chain, and I would be ostracized forever. Or a meteor would strike the earth, a plague would be visited upon my house, or I would fail my next math test.

Of course, nothing happened.

One would imagine that, with the dawn of modern technology, there would come an end to chain letters.

Of course not.

From time to time, I would receive an email that was much like the letter I received via snail mail. The only difference was it was so easy to send to a ton of people, and it didn't cost anything, so those snarky things lived on for a long time. It got so bad for awhile, the company I work for issued a policy banning them from company email.

As a result, I haven't seen one for awhile. Then came Facebook.

Now I get posts that tell me if I feel a certain way but don't share the post, I'm a dirty, rotten scoundrel. I hide these posts. Even when I do think what they are initially sharing is a good thing. Just because I don't like to be threatened.

If you agree with me, be sure and share this post.

Or the goblins will git you if you don't watch out!**

*It had to be a handwritten copy. No, youngster, we didn't have photocopiers in them days.

**With a nod to Charles Whitcomb Riley. Denise and Paul know what I'm talking about.