I just spent the last hour and a half cleaning up my inbox and sent box on my work outlook program per IT�s request, I am fried. I hate to part with any e-mails (other than the frivolous ones) because you never know when you might need that paper trail.

Speaking of frivolous e-mail, I must admit I am at a loss as to what to do about some of the mail that lands in my box. Some of it is simply silly and I certainly enjoy a funny animal picture as much as the next person. While I can easily ignore the random chain mail (FYI - I will always break the chain) I am less sure as to how to respond to the obviously religious (I claim no religion), political (I abstain from politics in general) and racially or religiously charged e-mail, especially from co-workers. I usually take the course of action to take no action. By not engaging I can not incite. I get troubled sometimes, however, that my silence may be misconstrued as assent to whatever topic. I am left weighing the consequences of responding vs. silence. Perhaps I should not have �spoken� today but I was not happy about the emotionally charged and racially biased nature of the e-mail I received and I chose to respond for my own personal satisfaction (never a good reason to open your mouth it will only get you f***ed, fired or fat). I did not attack, but of course my response was viewed as such. It also disturbed an innocent person who had suffered the inconvenience of being included in the original address list and thus was copied on each subsequent e-mail through no fault of his own. I personally should have known better. I should have responded solely to the sender (if I had to respond at all) and not �reply to all�. No actual harm done as far as I know but I sent apologies none-the-less.

What got me so riled up you ask? (OK you didn�t but I want my say damn it). One of those random I suppose is meant to be �American� �Remember the Alamo� or �9/11� or whatever the new standard is to create an �Us� and �Them� black and white world where all �us� upstanding �Christian� �American� �Good� folk condemn another group of �Heathen� �Foreign� Evil� people selected for our disapproval by a shared religion, ethnic background or geographic location. Today the �shock and disgust� was over a stamp. That�s right folks, a stamp. It seems (according to this e-mail and I haven�t verified it so it might even be a out right deception) the USPS has introduced a �Holiday� stamp honoring a Muslim holiday which falls during the now crowded December holiday season officially joining Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza and who know what other �pagan� holidays I am unaware of (there must be a Celtic or Wicca holiday in December). The idea that this holiday is somehow undeserving of an �honor� bestowed upon the likes of Bugs Bunny, and Jimmy Cagney (I�m not saying I think they are undeserving, please no complaints from the Warner Brothers fan club). It�s just a stamp.

The e-mail is typically inflammatory pointing to a them that �attacked America� and �we shall not forget� and all that crap suggesting in bigoted fashion that Muslims (and the Muslim faith) are somehow all undeserving of the freedoms enjoyed in this (supposedly) religiously neutral country where all faiths are left unmolested by government and no one faith is embraced publicly (ala the Church of England). The e-mailer paints the average Muslim with the same brush as the extremist. (BTW the same sort of mentality is used by said extremist to justify holding all Americans accountable for the actions of a few radicals (whether they are part of our government or not you and I are not to blame).

I am offended to be included in the �we� of the e-mail. I don�t want to sit quietly and let it pass the same way I do when the �we should put prayer in the schools� (ew) and �We can persecute this group of people cause God says what they do is a sin�.

Still, I know it doesn�t pay to go toe to toe with such fanatics. I regret my engagement today if for no other reason than someone I don�t know was bothered by it (I hate bothering people as much if not more than I hate being bothered). I would say that such things don�t belong in the workplace (especially not in today�s ethnically and religiously diverse workplace) but then you run into that politically correct just this side of censorship answer and that doesn�t suit me either. So I am back where I started having to simply move the offending e-mail to the waste folder and stick to passing along pictures of cats and dogs in compromising situations. You can never change a closed mind and the open minds already know so who are you really talking to but yourself.

Got my mind off my own crap though didn�t it?

Read about the Stamp

I wish you Peace

~alison~

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