Having gotten two internet warnings of dangers to women from
 rapists etc recently, both of which proved, with a little
 googleing, to be false, I came up with this.

 Comments?

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 Have you been a victim of terrorism?

 Terrorism is not just acts of violence intended to terrorize, it
 can be threats spread to the same end.

 The beltway snipers killed relatively few people, but frightened
 a great many.

 Timmothy McVeigh killed more, but still only a great number when
 considered the means and intent. Even the WTC attacks killed
 fewer than we lost in some days in WW2. A fraction of our
 traffic deaths every year.

 The real harm is from the fear, far more than the actual
 attacks.

 So, just how have you been the victim of terrorism? Well,
 threats intended to spread fear may be a less damaging form of
 terrorism, but that is what they are. And threats spread by
 email are no less threats, and can spread fear far faster and
 more extensively than almost any other method ever found.

 So, just what terrorist threats did you receive?

 Well, a few years ago did you receive, and forward, a report of
 a new virus that threatens to become a plague, and has a very
 high death rate? The Center for Disease Control debunked that
 one, but did you see their debunking?

 Have you recently received a warning about a drug that can be
 slipped into a woman's drink, and that sterilzes her? A drug
 that doesn't even exist in the real world. Now, just what
 purpose does that message server other than to spread fear?

 How about one of the many urban legends about women being
 kidnapped under the most unlikely circumstances? Kidnapped,
 raped and murdered?

 Sure you can excuse them on the basis that women should be alert
 and careful. Which purpose can be served by relating true
 stories, not fiction designed to cause fear of every stranger
 you meet.

 Physical terrorists gain a feeling of power by spreading fear
 among their target population. Internet email terrorists can
 gain much the same sense of power. They may lack the
 wherewithall, or will, to act in the real world, but they must
 get a sense of satisfaction if their messages go so far that
 they get them back from unsuspecting friends or aquaintenances.

 Sometimes the messages may not convey fear alone, but hate as
 well. It can be race based, or aimed at a religious group, it
 can be aimed at a public figure who may well be unpopular, it
 can name a famous and popular figure as the source, or as
 someone who will validate it. It may even identify something as
 small as a trivial, and legitimate, computer file you have on
 your computer right now.

 I've seen all of these in the last couple years.

 Someone recently said, "Some things that won't hurt us scare us
 so much we hurt ourselves."

 That is the effect many of these internet rumors have. And if
 you help spread them you are helping a minor terrorist in his or
 her aims.

 Perhaps you should forward this warning to every one you know,
 and make it the last email warning you ever forward. It is,
 after all, probably the only true one you will ever receive.

 From years of looking at those email warnings I can say they are
 100% false. Ok, there may be one real one out there, but so far
 I can't recall seeing any. Many are called urban legends, but
 their real intention, all too often, appears to be to spread
 fear or hate.

 In any case, warn every one you know...don't forward email
 warnings, and don't believe any of them. Except this one, of
 course.
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BOB KLAHN bob.klahn{at}sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

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