Friday, August 22, 2008

touchy feely forwards

I hate the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series. The deliberate emotional maniuplation garnered to wring a dramatic touchy feely response just leaves me... cold. Don't get me wrong, when those books first started coming out and I read the odd story while sitting on Mom's toilet, I'd occassionally get all teary. "Awwwww.... *sniff* *sniff* Isn't that so touching? What a sad story."

But after awhile, the deliberateness of the set-up starts to shine through and all I can think about is the authors "term searching" through masses of "touching stories" to compile these endless books. And I imagine some poor slob sitting there reading them and labeling them with key words so they can be immediately added to the book for the "Dog Lover's Soul", the "Nurse's Soul", the Computer Programmer's Soul", and the "Cubicle Facing North-North-West's Soul". For crying out loud there's a book for every possible niche out there.

Anyway, those books have left me really cynical about touchy feely email forwards as well. I just can't get into them and feel my "heart melt" like I'm apparently supposed to.

I enjoy heckling the fundy ones and have several (?) times here on my blog. Hmmmm Checked the archives using Richard's blog search feature and only came up with I Want To Barf. Thought I had heckled more often than that, but perhaps I'm just not searching properly, and I can't be bothered looking further at the moment.

The most recent one mom sent was filled with the typical sickly sweetness of no less than 12 cute babies. 12???? Seen one at a time these pictures are adorable. But 12? And each one captioned by a life-affirming smug little "saying".

For example this little tyke...

Ideas won’t work unless ‘I’ do.


It's like someone found a catalog of motivational posters and copied down all 26 nifty sayings, covered the post with cutesy baby pics and clipped onto the end a challenge to try and get 12 people to email the damn thing back to you to prove your self-worth as a friend and quality human being. It's like the little antidote for all the happy thoughts they just sent you. That little seed of doubt planted so it creeps in and you're left feeling vaguely dissatisfied knowing there's no way you'll get 12 people to send back an email you just sent to them. And really? Who would want to get back an email they just sent anyway?

Stupid emotional claptrap if you ask me.

However, it was the first part of this email that caught my eye. Which is the only reason why I bothered to read to the end and heckle it here.

There comes a point in your life
when you realize who matters,
who never did,
who won’t anymore...
and who always will.

So, don’t worry about people from your past.

There’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future.


That one got me.

Courtesy of Neil Domenico - click the image to buy prints.


Now I wonder why I'm sad?

Stupid touchy feely forwards.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've made a habit (especially as I get older) to purge toxic people and relationships from my life.

It can be hard, especially if they are long time friends or family. But to me life is too short to live within their path of destruction.

Green-Eyed Momster said...

I sent you and Poodles and email that was worthy of forwarding. Even in a different language, it was worth it!!
Hugs!!
:)

Anonymous said...

Forwarded emails give me the shits pretty much all the time.

Especially the stupid fucking ones that say "forward this to twelve people and you'll have good luck for life crapola".

I mean c'mon, do they think we can't see that it is just someone's way of attempting to get their stupid idea multiplied and sent everywhere?

That is why I usually don't bother with memes, they seem similar and to me are unoriginal.

I question that last one you've got there where it says 'there will come a time in your life where..........blah blah blah".

Well no, actually what will happen is there will come a time in my life where I THINK I know what's what and who's who in the zoo, but the time when I REALLY know what's going on is when I admit that I don't really know everything and everyone, because this is the truth.

I have had times when I thought I knew all that, and in hindsight I have often found my own involvement has clouded my thinking and behaviour and often my own actions and words have been contributing factors, so I have to acknowledge that too.

Joe said...

I usually just shitcan all that kind of stuff. Though I am a sucker for a good meme.

Anonymous said...

Hi Fiery, good to see you back blogging, I've missed your acerbic wit.

You have a different idea on what constitutes cute, that baby just freaks me out!

I'm with you on the emotional manipulation, very annoying.

That first part of the email is very pertinent to me at the moment.

PS. I was going to comment on the abortion clinic post, but I got so angry reading it I couldn't work out what to write.

cheers and hugs for you sadness
OzA

Joe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fiery said...

Poodles- hopelessly toxic people are indeed not worth the effort. Did that with the inlaws. YUCK!

Tracey- *snerk* funny videos are always appreciated. Anyone wanting a copy- drop me an email.

Tribog- thank you for the words of wisdom. Stupid fundy email clouding thinking. Ultimately, I think that's the point of them- removal of rational thought.

Joe- lol. unless it's from Protium. Then you put it on your blog with a "this kills me" tag. ;)

OzA- Actually the dandelion tufted baby kind of freaked me out as well. lol But it's the type of pic that many people will look at and say, "Awwwwwwwww". Wishing you all the best with the challenges you've been facing. sending warm wishes and snuggly thoughts your way.

Joe said...

Yeah, guilty on that one.

And, sorry for the double post. I took care of it.

Fiery said...

Aw shucks Joe, it's not like space is at a premium. I thought it was cute!!! :)

Unknown said...

Just a heads up. If you're going to steal images from iStock at least give the illustrator (me) credit and post a link so if someone wants to they can buy it. Cheers.

Unknown said...

Just a heads up. If you're going to steal images from iStock at least give the illustrator (me) credit and post a link so if someone wants to they can buy it. Cheers.

Fiery said...

Neal,

One comment is sufficient to get your point across.

Is the updated link sufficient or do you need more than that?