SNOPES CHECK YO' STUFF

Originally Published 11-16-07
Making the Web Even Better
by Kelvin Wade

I love the internet. I once had my home service go down for over a week and life as I knew it came to a standstill. I couldn’t dress in the mornings because I didn’t know what the weather would be like. I had to look at my cell phone to see what time it was, actually watch CNN instead of read the website and text people instead of email. I know. Some people have real problems.

I belong to a political email discussion group. We discuss national and international political issues, threaten the President and then send carefully worded emails disassociating ourselves from our intemperate colleagues. And because so many of the members are Canadians, I’m the conservative of the group.

And now for some shameless promotion: The Daily Republic website has underwent quite the metamorphosis recently with easy to find stories, better updates and our active blogging community. I’ll dare to say things there that I couldn’t print here. Plus there’s Wading In, the new blog I’m writing with my brother Tony.

So…the net is cool except for those of you who don’t Snopes-check your forwards. You know who you are. Some of you are just Mad Forwarders. You read some heart tugging blather about how an injured Marine dedicated his life to Christ after growing up an orphan surrounded by puppies or some rib tickling funny that almost makes you snort up decaf on your keyboard. Before you can stop yourself you’re clicking on forward and adding every address in your address book.

But I’m talking about those of you that read an email that contains a controversial but easily verifiable fact in it, but because you agree with the message, you just forward it on. www.snopes.com exists for people like you. They can help you with this problem.

No, Fred Rogers wasn’t a pedophile and neither was he a war hero with a large number of confirmed kills. And no, Bob Keeshan, TV’s Captain Kangaroo didn’t fight with Lee Marvin at Iwo Jima. Isn’t educating and entertaining millions of children enough for Rogers and Keeshan? Isn’t that heroic enough?

Then there’s the one telling us to boycott stamps put out by the USPS that commemorate Islamic holidays. Snopes could’ve explained the stamps to these war on terror worrywarts who boycott such stamps while filling up their SUVs with Saudi crude.

Then there are all of the emails purporting to be the wisdom of Charles Schulz or Bill Cosby or some other beloved figure, until you arrive at www.snopes.com and find out the person never made those remarks.

And while Nostradamus did not predict 9/11, he did better than the Bush Administration.

Why is it important to Snopes check the facts before forwarding? Number one, it only takes a minute. Secondly, spreading false information is like spreading a virus. Stupidity is catching. And we don’t need more ill informed people in the country.

There are few things more ridiculous than a worldwide communications system of fiber optic cables, mainframes, computers and silicon chips used to convey old wives tales, urban legends and myths. Snopes-check, people. Peace.