What Is Our ‘Sell-By’ Date?
Unsolicited messages sent in bulk email to our junk email or spam folder are ubiquitous, unavoidable irritations that are launched based upon our preferencces. These preferences evolve from conversations, web browsing, or Google searches that promote a product, place, or life-style change.
Each time I look into the spam folder to see if I’ve actually missed something important, I am concerned about the over lord that takes conversations or searches and produces a targeted narrative for monetary gain.
The insidious pressures of modern life are used as a springboard towards those that phish to gain sensitive information to defraud and accumulate data germane to bank accounts, social security numbers or other guarded secrets. Just the other day I was told that my bank account card had been used to purchase a large some of merchandise at Walmart.
I pay no attention to these phishing expeditions. However, there are those that live in fear that would buy into this constructed allegation. For those people the possibility of losing key information becomes a real concern especially with age. Most older people have increased agitation based upon living with a heightened nervous complexion.
This group must gain resolve to trust modern day protections. Lifelock, Norton and other services designed to fight for our peace of mind must be installed in this world we now live in.
Now the spam folder includes a myriad of political messages based upon our voter registration. The lenght and depth in which these ads project division is truly amazing. The messages always relate to the most divisive dialogue between political parties, races, religions, or genders.
The key to spam control is to nip the messages in the bud and direct them to the junk folder ASAP. Of course spam is not just indicative of the space reserved for emails or texts. There are the robo calls that are most certainly an irritation of modern life. These will continue until you block them or install the app “Robokiller”.
In the days of future past we look to the rotary phone and the way of life before modern technology as a breath of fresh air. There was no spam and certainly very few robo calls. People honored and respected the sanctity of privacy and protection. When you received an unwanted solicitation it usually was in the form of a salesmen selling vacuum cleaners door to door, or perhaps cleaning supplies, encyclopedias, or even Jehovah Witnesses trumpeting their belief about the end of the world.
At least those interactions were few and far between. Especially if you lived in a setting that made it difficult for the salespeople mentioned above to hoof it over to your dwelling.
I remember when I was in college, every Sunday we’d get these Jehovahs Witnesses coming to our door. Of course Sunday was not the day to knock on our door at 8am in the morning to pontificate about the need for us to go to church and listen to the word of God.
It was their version of what the truth about God was and at that point in time we didn’t need a preacher we needed a priest. Then we could go to the “Sacrament of Reconcilliation” to confess our sins from the previous day, month, and year which certainly would have taken the priest into the following week.
So, we came upon a diabolical plan to stop the every Sunday ritual of opening the door to greet the Jehovahs Witnesses. They opened the door the next Sunday and we simply told them, “We worship the devil.” They never came back. In retrospect perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea as it will probably be the difference between going to heaven or in the other direction.
Now my spam folder is filled with mostly topical political issues that provide a no-win scenario. What can we do about the gender dialogue or race issues? All we can do is hope that because it’s in a folder we don’t open (hardly ever) the emails will stop. Taking a pole which only promotes more division is certainly not the answer.
How about this? We rise above the spam folder and judge each person individually and not as a group. Hence, taking away the power of the organization usually designed to extract money from the very people they are trying to help.