Etiquette Hell

This has been happening with greater frequency over time.  My mother will send out a forwarded email (usually a joke, sometimes a large attachment of photos or PowerPoint).  A day later, my father will send out the same forwarded email. This has gotten so problematic, my brother has flagged both of our parents' addresses to spam  (which means I have to send him a note or call him if they have something important to say). 

I have previously taken my father to task about the content of his forwarded email, explaining it is inappropriate to send jokes about octogenarian Scrabble to his daughter.  However, now I need to find a polite way to let them both know their double-downing on email forwards is alienating behavior.

Suggestions?

Stop doing the bolded/underlined. All you're doing there is allowing the situation to continue. If your brother misses something because he's blocked them, that's between him and them; by inserting yourself there you make yourself responsible for their communications which is always a bad idea.

If they are reasonable people then "Please stop with the duplicated forwards; it's filling my inbox and I may well miss important things in all the noise. I'd hate to miss out on Aunt Gertrude's eleventy first birthday because of that."

If they aren't reasonable, then there are no magic words that will get what you want without pain and anguish, so you have to decide which is more important, harmony or an uncluttered inbox.

I don't need a cashier to address me by name to make me think their employer cares about me, yanno?  Be polite and efficient and even friendly and I will be happy.  This is a policy invented by people who have never worked in a store, I think.

But as my job partly involves getting people's names and contact information, I do run into the "how do I say this?" issue, so I will usually ask, as we are supposed to use their name at a couple of points during a call.  It's a bit silly but nothing like as silly as the cashier situation.  At least I have a need to acquire their names to complete a transaction!

And I never use "Mrs" unless she does, or unless it's what's in their existing information in my system.  Otherwise it's "Ms" or "Dr" or "Your Royal Highness" (okay, maybe not!).  Nobody's been offended yet.

Don't buy fancy clothes because grandma will do that!

Quote from: Hmmmmm on Today at 02:49:41 PM

The dad also says that if you aren't planning to participate then to call him and he'd come pick up the toy, but if a neighbor doesn't want to call, I'm sure he's not going to get bent out of shape if you toss the trinket.

It would be more contact with the neighbor than I want.  And if you have to call him then you have to be home to meet this total stranger, I really don't want that.  I notice he does not say that they can come to HIS house to drop it off, tho' - I would be able to that late at night when there was NO chance of meeting him.

In that case, you're free to dump it in the trash. You don't "have' to do anything, but if you "want to", the Dad has provided his contact information. The bolded almost makes it sound like you're ascribing some sort of malicious or predatory intent to this guy who just wants his son to have a normal Halloween experience.

The dad also says that if you aren't planning to participate then to call him and he'd come pick up the toy, but if a neighbor doesn't want to call, I'm sure he's not going to get bent out of shape if you toss the trinket.

It would be more contact with the neighbor than I want.  And if you have to call him then you have to be home to meet this total stranger, I really don't want that.  I notice he does not say that they can come to HIS house to drop it off, tho' - I would be able to that late at night when there was NO chance of meeting him.