So my aunt sends me this chain email that bashes Brokeback Mountain...

[tsarren]

and I'm trying to figure out how to respond. The letter was obviously written by a right-wing fundamentalist - it's overblown and overdramatic (and, y'know, all the God references [dry humor]). A simple, "hey, as a Christian you don't have to support this movie just because it has a lot of acclaim and you think you need to fit in or be PC," would

Comments

[huffingstardust]

Personally I really think you should put a lot of what you've written here into that letter for your Aunt. It shows her that you're not trying to get into some debate, make it a win-lose situation, but that you disagree with the letter she sent out and why. It expresses your opinion, and it's respectful. It also shows that you care about the person (your aunt) involved as well as yourself. I think just by pulling a lot of this post out and putting it into a letter to your aunt you would be doing what you have been describing.

[tsarren]

Thanks. I'll try something like that. Anything more and I'm likely to stress too much over it.

[huffingstardust]

Welcome of course :-) Hope it goes well!

[fox_c]

I know this could be seen as a cop-out and I think I've told you this before, but I have the same problem with my grandfather - sends me all kinds of fundamentalist Christian, uber-nationalist, fascist crap. At one point I did craft a very detailed letter rebuffing one of the most offensive ones and asked him not to forward such stuff on to me again. Response? None. Still getting "emails" (he never adds anything himself, mind you, not even a "thought this was interesting" or "Hell, yeah!" Just hits forward and adds everyone he knows)? Yup. Found out later he never even read it, just assumed that I was forwarding him some liberal diatribe. So guess where all his emails go now? Straight to the junk folder. My mom, an uncle and two of my mom's cousins do the same thing. Evidently, he's never actually written an email himself, just sends forwards.

Are you sure your Aunt isn't doing the same thing?

[tsarren]

The first time I asked her to not send me Christian forwards, she asked what I was if I wasn't Christian. I explained to the best of my abilities. Not a month later she sent me another one. I tersely responded and told her on no uncertain terms that I did not want these sent to me. That got me about 9 months of no forwards, then she sent another one. I ignored it. It's been about a year since then. So she will actually read responses.. whether they get through her thick skull is something else entirely.

[fox_c]

Well, at least she's that high up the evolutionary chain then. Good luck with the letter. Perhaps having you in her life will give her some enlightenment then.