![]() Variations on similar stories are widespread, with people “add their own little touches or maybe even just copy something wrong,” says Belanus. ![]() “They are formulated to trigger emotional responses and depend upon the reader’s inclination to do what serves their interests or the interests of the groups to which they belong.” By preying on people’s fears (“A woman made fun of this in 13 days her daughter went blind”), superstitions (“ The one who breaks this chain will have bad luck”), beliefs (“ Pray that the chain may not be broken”), desires (“Your joy will come in nine days”), morality (“ that you are always willing to do all you can to help the worthy poor”), and sense of self (“Your action will help put the price gougers in their places”), these messages implore recipients not to break the chain.Ĭhain letters “pivot on an appeal to a sense of identity and natural self-interest,” writes communications expert Marjorie D. Lynn Heidelbaugh, a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, also cites letters that test how quickly chains can “move through the system”-a kind of “social network experiment” that includes what VanArsdale dubs world record chain letters.Įxamples of the aforementioned categories include a 1909 prayer chain promising “he who will write will also be delivered from all calamities” (luck, protection and religion) a 1903 postcard protesting the sale of cigarettes to minors (advocacy) an 1896 request for funds for “homes for needy boys” (charity) a 1945 “war stamp plan” suggesting those who maintain the chain will receive “approximately $101.25 in stamps” (money) a 1935 friendship quilt chain (exchange) a scatological 1935 parody and a 1996 letter warning that “if you were to break the chain we would have to wait another nine years to be in record book.”Ībove all, chain mail strives to replicate. Types of chain letters run the gamut from luck to protection, charity, religion, advocacy, money-generating schemes, parody and exchange. Oftentimes, this correspondence involves slightly modifying the original message, perhaps by updating a list of intended addressees. VanArsdale, the folklorist who compiled the Paper Chain Letter Archive and wrote an accompanying treatise on chain letter evolution, defines chain letters as writings that “explicitly” ask recipients to make or purchase copies for distribution. From ancient Egypt to the Great Depression and the rise of social media, this is the story behind the notes currently flooding your inbox. As one popular recipe exchange warns, “Seldom does anyone drop out because we all need new ideas.” The implication is clear: Participation-while not required-is strongly suggested.īefore deleting (or forwarding) the next chain letter you receive, consider reading up on the medium’s surprisingly rich history. Still, even seemingly benign chains come with a catch. “It’s more of a bolstering of the spirit, or appealing to something that everybody’s doing now, like cooking.” “Those aren’t the kind that are being perpetuated in this climate,” says Betty Belanus, an education specialist and curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. ![]() Preston-the missives currently circulating are largely non-threatening. Unlike luck chain letters-which promise “a big payoff” if sent on and a “curse … if you comply,” according to folklorist and literary scholar Michael J. Now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the polarizing mode of communication is enjoying a renaissance, with individuals stuck at home forwarding recipe chains, inspirational quotes, photo challenges and other ostensibly comforting prompts to their friends and family. ![]() The 900-plus chain letters in folklorist Daniel VanArsdale’s digital archive range from the conventional-an 1896 fundraiser for a Louisville orphanage and a 1982 note urging recipients to relay the contents onward or suffer devastating consequences-to the unexpected, including a 1917 missive detailing how potential draftees could obtain conscientious objector status, a 1940 postcard calling for those addressed to ship handkerchiefs to strangers, and a 1986 petition advocating the boycott of Proctor and Gamble products adorned in “satanic symbol.”ĭefined broadly as messages designed to be passed on for alternatively self-serving, altruistic or nefarious purposes, chain letters have taken an array of forms over the centuries. ![]()
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