At work recently, someone mass e-mailed one of the latest internet hoaxes: the ol' Microsoft/Disney e-mail tracking prank. I couldn't believe that the person who sent it to me actually believed the silly thing, and I advised him it was a hoax. His response was something like, "Well... just in case."
I didn't give it much more thought until a few days later when we received an official e-mail from the communications department telling us that it was, in fact, a hoax, and also inappropriate use of company e-mail.
Evidently, a lot of people had been forwarding this piece of drivel around. I e-mailed the communications person and voiced my bafflement over the situation. She echoed it.
I then said to her, "Is ours such a desperate society that so many of us will believe even the most outrageous of claims simply because it makes us feel optimistic?"
Of course, even as I was typing the message, I knew the answer.
All one has to do is look at how people jump onto the latest "miracle cure" touted in the tabloids... Or buy lottery tickets at odds of a bazillion to one. Or... of course... believe in a deity.
We are a desperate society. And why not? Things are really freaky out there. And people will latch onto anything in the hope that it will make things all better.
But when Microsoft and Disney don't dish out the money, they'll just realize it was a hoax and not think much more of it. When the "miracle cure" doesn't turn them into the picture of health, they'll just blame it on tabloid exaggeration. When they don't win the lottery, they'll realize that they never had much of a chance to begin with.
But when their deity doesn't solve all their problems... When their faith doesn't have all the answers... When their religion continues to spread bigotry and hatred throughout the world in the name of salvation... What will they learn?
Probably nothing.
More's the pity.
