#replygate2016

The fact that this is a thing I actually have to make a blog post about is nothing short of embarrassing. However, I can’t really say I’m surprised. Really, the ability for a group of university students to take a small everyday mistake and make it into a thing is astounding.

What is #ReplyGate2016?

The result of a small everyday mistake, a lack of understanding of how emails work, peer pressure and love of causing problems. But how did that get to the point where we’ve gotten a few hundred emails, a bunch of harassment and a heap of anger? Well, this is where things start sounding ridiculous and I start being embarrassed for us.

This all started when someone accidentally added the SGA mailing list into the To: box instead of the Bcc: box when sending a routine email blast. Now, this is a tiny mistake, one that literally anyone could make, and whoever made it is in no way, shape or form responsible for this, and if anyone has given them, whoever they are, a hard time about this, I want you to do two things: forgive them, and remember that the majority of people don’t even know what the Bcc: box does.

Now, knowing that most people don’t know what Bcc: does, it should come at no surprise that some people don’t know the difference between Reply and Reply All or really how most functions of an email work for that matter.

So when one person received the original email, which was aimed towards graduating students, they asked to be removed from the mailing list, however, they hit Reply All, and everyone received it. This started an avalanche of other people doing the same, which created a flurry of emails. Which then, because people don’t understand how emails work, started spawning emails from people wanting to be removed from the email. This accomplished nothing, while simultaneously making those people part of the problem.

Then It Got Worse

After finally dying down for a few weeks, and seeming as though it was over, someone decided to Reply All again. This started an outpouring of people continuing the same behaviours, however now with added “jokes” and filler material, meant to keep the emails coming without actually having anything to add to the conversation. Then someone’s email accidentally set off the Barracuda service, which sent an email out to every recipient on the email chain and succeeded in creating a brand new email chain.

What then happened is appalling, wrong, and honestly, completely not okay. I seriously expected better from our students. Some of you, not naming names, but you know who you are, started blaming other people who were on the list of being the root of the problem and starting sending rude emails towards people who were no more involved than anyone else. These emails quickly escalated into harassment towards some people. This is not okay.

The only people responsible for this are those who continue to reply all to the email for no reason other than continuing the chain.

What Now?

The solution to this is very simple. Stop sending replies saying you want to be removed from the list. Stop sending replies about Superbowl plans. Stop harassing people, because even if they were the cause of the problem, which they are not, they don’t deserve to be harassed.

Just stop replying to the emails.