fish@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (03/28/84)
I think that women used to send envelopes full of pepper to prominent M.C.P.'s at some point in the women's movement. I think the practice dates back to Margaret Sanger, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it seems like a good way of disposing of those business reply envelopes, and the person opening it gets the idea you don't appreciate it. I'm not sure this is legal, though -- I've never done it myself. I've found that the best way for me to handle junk mail is just to toss it in the laundry room wastebasket, so it never makes it into my apartment. -- Bob Fishell ihnp4!ihu1g!fish
wmartin@brl-vgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (03/30/84)
A most dangerous practice, to dispose of your junk mail unopened in a publicly-accessible wastebasket. Anyone who wishes to annoy you or is otherwise hostile to you can merely take the items out of that basket, remove the order forms and cards with your address label upon them, and send them in (postage paid, at no cost to them). Then you start getting all this "unsolicited" merchandise and the like -- unsolicited by you personally, but the company has your name on the form with no indication that it was not you who sent it in. If you refuse to pay, your credit rating may be damaged. You stand to lose much time, inconvenience, irritation and annoyance, and maybe money, if you are careless enough to let others get to such an easy means to harass you. Basic principle for disposing of junk mail: DESTROY IT. At least tear it in half, through the address label. Better to pull off the address label entirely. Just because nobody is out to get you right now doesn't mean they aren't lurking around the corner. Make basic paranoia your unthinking default method of operation, and it won't cost you anything, and may save you a lot! Will (is that his real name?) Martin (sure it is...)
rob@ctvax.UUCP (04/01/84)
#R:ihu1g:-26900:ctvax:60900001:000:636 ctvax!rob Apr 1 23:25:00 1984 Re dealing with junk mail: 1) Tear up all the stuff with your name or address on it. 2) Stuff the remaining stuff into the reply-paid envelope. You'll probably have to fold it, since the mailers are careful to ensure that only the right stuff fits the envelope. Mail it back to them. Questions: 1) Can they trace you by those funny little bar codes on the envelopes? 2) Does this kind of action have any effect apart from further clogging the mail system? Wasting my life away looking for important mail, I remain, Rob Spray uucp: ... {decvax!cornell!|ucbvax!nbires!|{allegra|ihnp4}!convex!}ctvax!rob