I'm monitoring my wife's email while she is busy at an out-of-town conference. But I saw one come in yesterday concerning safety tips for women. I opened it and read the "tips," most of which had some element of value but some of which were simply contrary to what I'd heard elsewhere.
Sure enough, a quick search at Snopes.com revealed the origins of the message. As in most cases where a long line of people try to pass along a specific message, by the time it gets to the other end, the message is somewhat less than what was intended at the beginning. Many of you may have seen, on your local TV stations a 'filler' made by a gentleman who is preaching appropriate responses to attacks and not just on women. An attendee of one of these seminars apparently wrote what he thought the gentleman said and that got the "urban legend" started many years ago. Many thought the original message was too long and it was edited down several times resulting in what is currently making the rounds as a "Forward this to as many people as you are concerned about" email. Obviously, the current version is only a shadow of what was originally was said.
If you are
really concerned for the safety of your friends, male or female, please tactfully reply with a link to the Snopes article so they can get truly useful and tested advice without the half-truths and faulty information now circulating. And then, pass that along to those you want to know how to protect themselves.
