Villain of the moment, Part 1

E-mailers.  A vast, undefined demographic – all of us really, and so, all of us are guilty. We are all dirty trick playing villains.  The villain I want to target specifically however is the one who uses e-mail as a vehicle to air their issues with someone. This individual,  instead of picking up the phone, or asking to meet in person, opts to send an e-mail, an electronic memo stating their frustrations.

Writing out your anger is very simple and clicking send is easier. Clicking send is therapy. It’s release. The words transmit to the recipient in a package, a ticking bomb, with chemicals and shrapnel that having been liberated from the writer’s mind at the time of clicking the send button, explode when received and read by the intended target. The anger, the hatred, the frustration comes right back to life when the recipient reads the note and unlike face to face or voice to voice confrontations, the recipient has time to think about what to do next, which is often even more dangerous.

1.Write back with equal fury. 2. Wait and compose an eloquent and mature message. 3. Ignore it. 4. Write back with equal fury and CC the message to a few people.

The options are endless, but the trigger has been pulled, the bullet shot and is already lodged deep into the tissues of the recipient. Anything the recipient does will be considered weaker than the first shot but has the potential to be sinister.  A punch back will not match the wickedness expelled by the first sender. The first sender, so weak and immature in the first place, took the upper hand however, calculated the shot, took aim, pulled back, and BANG! No turning back and no way that the victim will recover. The first sender won. No contest.

The first sender – that’s who is the villain of the moment. That is who must learn that e-mail is the wrong way to air feelings. Enfuriating the victim is the only outcome but by then, the first sender is empowered and brave, liberated of their own rage and frustration, and able to wash their hands. The first sender will move on, knowing what they did was right and easy and they will put their weakest weapon back in their holster so that one day, they can fire again.

Beware of these e-mailers, these nasty memo brandishing cowards. They’ll get you in the end if you’re not careful.