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How would respond to this little gem?

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Rachel Caldecott

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Lodeve, France
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This isn't anything to do with book writing or publishing, but I could turn it into an interesting intellectual exercise for anyone who cares to join me. Perhaps as an extra monthly prompt?

Today I received an email from someone who, judging by the content, could best politely be described as National Front. I have translated it (badly) into English from the original French.

To be honest, I don't think it is worth getting into an actual discussion with this man, but I thought I might draft a response (just for the fun and practise). I imagine he sent it to me because of the dreadful humanitarian work I do. It wasn't a round robin, it was addressed to me personally. So here it is:

Hello,
(Preamble: the earth should have no more than 5 billion people to live ecologically and well: we are already 7.6 billion and will soon reach 10 billion, mainly because of the "countries of the South": Asia and Africa but also the Americas.)
France is on the brink of bankruptcy on all levels, 5 million unemployed, suburbs ruined by foreigners who balkanize the territory and infect our society.
How will bringing all the poor of the world - the dirty, idiot fundamentalists (followers of circumcision and machismo) - improve the lives of the French?
I am neither racist nor xenophobe, but just like the Germans in 1939, I do not wish to see my country invaded by poor people who do not speak French, and whose problems are their problems and not ours.
Africans and Asians (especially) with their murderous birth rate are endangering life on earth, and when they are in France they breed like rabbits.
These migrants are cowardly abandoning their countries to come as parasites to ours.
All your humanitarian associations pay more attention to the poor foreigners than to the lives of the poor in France.
It's so easy to spend money (that of honest working Frenchmen) to facilitate invasions by migrants who have absolutely nothing in common with us. If we had so much in common why then do the Spanish people want to create independent regions.
Think before imposing your two bit globalism which will turn France into a giant balkanised slum without faith or law, as in Seine Saint Denis.
I wish that all the illegal foreigners will be driven out of France quickly and that they only come back with legal authorization.
Under the pretext of charity, your humanitarian association is destroying the society which is based on a common culture and identity, not on a childish idealism that works nowhere. (cf South Africa, USA, Israel, former USSR).
 
That is appalling and quite nasty!! I’d feel quite disturbed and upset to receive something like that so ((cyber hugs))
You’re right not to reply, don’t engage with people like this!!!
 
This is a person who feels aggrieved and unheard. The rights and wrongs are another matter. You don't have to respond. Better not. If you hear further though, or receive threats, it might be wise to have filed it.
 
Erm, how come this person has your name and email?

IGNORE IT! This person is not the kind of person you could debate with.

By the way, isn't racism illegal in France, or am I imagining it?
 
Provocative emails from senders you'd never have anything to do with, can be clever misdirection, for you're so offended that you open the message to see why the hell they've contacted you! This may install spyware, adware, malware or some virus on your computer.

This sneakiness is a variation on the age-old spam seemingly sent from Nigeria, full of spelling mistakes—which was actually more sophisticated a scam than it initially appears.

There's a reason Nigerian scammers are so obvious in their emails

I suggest that you run your anti-malware software. I know of what I advise, as my ex-wife was a network administrator who enjoyed hacking; she's continued to make my life hell from time to time by using sophisticated viruses. Life is drama free since I went over to the Linux operating system one year ago.
 
Ick! Ignore him. Reminds me of the fellow who accosted me and a friend while we were out with our (then) babies--praised us for breeding good white babies to counteract all the brown babies. A hateful old man--makes me shudder just remembering the encounter.
 
Ick! Ignore him. Reminds me of the fellow who accosted me and a friend while we were out with our (then) babies--praised us for breeding good white babies to counteract all the brown babies. A hateful old man--makes me shudder just remembering the encounter.
Urgh, @Robinne Weiss, that's horrible. What a terrible thing to say to you! I bet you walked away shaking. I feel for you. I have on more than one occasion been told by some disgruntled Brit or another to go back to my homecountry. Stuff like this really annoys. When will certain people realise that we are ONE world, ONE race, and we should all be friends.
 
I think it's funny but that's because it's so stupid, so obnoxious, and I prefer to believe in a world where the writers of such things have no traction. I prefer to believe in a world where they're so obviously odious no one would give such hateful nonsense an ear.

I don't know how much play it would get with French people. I don't know enough.

But I know things I've thought should only ever be very bad jokes have gotten play in the United States. I often have to do a double take with news headlines to make sure they're not from The Onion (a political satire/parody type of online magazine). So, to me, that's the danger of a letter like this.

How much reception does it get among people? How much does it speak to their secret fears? Hopefully not much.
 
This isn't anything to do with book writing or publishing, but I could turn it into an interesting intellectual exercise for anyone who cares to join me. Perhaps as an extra monthly prompt?

Today I received an email from someone who, judging by the content, could best politely be described as National Front. I have translated it (badly) into English from the original French.

To be honest, I don't think it is worth getting into an actual discussion with this man, but I thought I might draft a response (just for the fun and practise). I imagine he sent it to me because of the dreadful humanitarian work I do. It wasn't a round robin, it was addressed to me personally. So here it is:

Hello,
(Preamble: the earth should have no more than 5 billion people to live ecologically and well: we are already 7.6 billion and will soon reach 10 billion, mainly because of the "countries of the South": Asia and Africa but also the Americas.)
France is on the brink of bankruptcy on all levels, 5 million unemployed, suburbs ruined by foreigners who balkanize the territory and infect our society.
How will bringing all the poor of the world - the dirty, idiot fundamentalists (followers of circumcision and machismo) - improve the lives of the French?
I am neither racist nor xenophobe, but just like the Germans in 1939, I do not wish to see my country invaded by poor people who do not speak French, and whose problems are their problems and not ours.
Africans and Asians (especially) with their murderous birth rate are endangering life on earth, and when they are in France they breed like rabbits.
These migrants are cowardly abandoning their countries to come as parasites to ours.
All your humanitarian associations pay more attention to the poor foreigners than to the lives of the poor in France.
It's so easy to spend money (that of honest working Frenchmen) to facilitate invasions by migrants who have absolutely nothing in common with us. If we had so much in common why then do the Spanish people want to create independent regions.
Think before imposing your two bit globalism which will turn France into a giant balkanised slum without faith or law, as in Seine Saint Denis.
I wish that all the illegal foreigners will be driven out of France quickly and that they only come back with legal authorization.
Under the pretext of charity, your humanitarian association is destroying the society which is based on a common culture and identity, not on a childish idealism that works nowhere. (cf South Africa, USA, Israel, former USSR).
 
Nothing you say is going to change his mind. I would not engage in any dialogue whatsoever. Having said that, "writers gotta write" so these two short sentences should do the trick.
1) Allow me to point out that your forefathers also came to France from Africa (since mankind originated on the African continent)
2) Unemployment and poverty are societal problems and nothing to do with migration.

Best regards,
 
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