No one would argue that internet safety is a valid concern. Online predators, identity theft, downloaded viruses...these things are real and scary and there are many precautions available to protect against them. I can't help but wonder, though, why the biggest danger to online life doesn't receive more attention. Why does it have no safeguards? Would it be so difficult to password protect it? I speak, of course, of the Reply To All button.
Who among us has not been the victim of this single, innocuous little click? Not long ago, I wrote a scathing reply to my friend with whom I co-chair our school's Scholastic Book Fair. It was all meant in fun. It would best be described as a mock rant. I threatened to quit the Book Fair completely. I used the words: "You are dead to me." I unknowingly hit Reply To All.
It's one thing to realize you hit it a split second too late. (Once I heard the comedian Jake Johannsen do a bit about realizing you've locked your keys in the car just as the door is slamming shut. It feels the exact same way.) The mail is sent off and you have no recourse. I found that its even worse to hit Reply To All without realizing it. My over-the-top reply went out to approximately ten PTA moms who had helped us set up the Book Fair. A good 12 hours of blissful ignorance went by before I had any idea what I'd done. I didn't know until one of my friends emailed me with a short reply. I was horrified and panicked as I realized that my little rant had resulted in the equivalent of a prolonged, uncomfortable internet silence. I decided I had to undo what I had done. I needed to send out another email. Turns out it's a fine line between laughing something off and making yourself look like a total loon. I kept it short and sweet. The use of a blushing smiley seemed to help. After I sent out my second email, there were a flurry of responses from people saying how amusing they thought my original rant was. Funny how they didn't mention that until that they felt it was safe to make eye contact with me again.
Obviously, it could've been worse. I hadn't called any of the PTA moms dirty whores or anything. But I probably will eventually....
Oh hey, I found the Jake Johannsen bit on Youtube. The part I'm talking about is during the last minute of the clip.
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4 comments:
Dirty whores!!!....Oh my God, dirty whores! I am laughing myself to tears (because that's what the PTA mothers here call me....just not in the plural!).......what a hoot. It's really too bad that wasn't included in The Rant! It's really, really, really too bad...now that would have been a whole different story! Thanks for the laugh :)S
Ha! Thanks for introducing me to Jake. I think I love him!
Your angst brings me so much pleasure. lolol
If any of those people have half your sense of humor, you KNOW they were howling.
I would just like to say that: a)I am a PTA mom; and b)you have called me a Dirty Whore.
Sorry for the delayed response, as I am just catching up. WHY DO I WAIT SO LONG TO READ YOUR BLOG?! It makes me laugh so hard that I almost pee. Just a little.
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