It is very common for bloggers to preface a meme with some statement about how they don't normally do chain letters but the one they're doing is fun, or will honour their blogging friends etc. This is especially true when the meme in question is one of those "blog awards", survey memes, or recipe exchanges.
Often, the excuses are already within the meme itself so the people doing the re-sharing don't even have to write their own.
Although very common on blogs, this is done everywhere memes are replicated.
Some people make excuses for spreading chain messages simply because the message socked them right in the heart or seemed so spot on that they just have to share, and it matters very little if at all whether or not it is a chain letter or if it is even 100% true.
Probably the most eye-roll-inducing pathetic and hypocritical are bloggers who publish entries consisting entirely of blistered rants against chain letters that appear to be trying to tout a Christian or conservative point of view, but are found out to love other memes such as lolcats, rage comics, Bad Luck Brian, various anti-chain letters, or any other meme that tickles their funny bone and/or has nothing to do with religion, politics or misinformation about products, crime etc. It becomes quite apparent that they aren't really against chain letters at all,but against Christianity and/or conservatism, so getting the meme from the dupe who fell for it, simply gives them the opportunity and excuse to rant against Christianity or some aspects of republicanism instead of against the memes themselves, while making sure to stress that Christians or conservatives are the ones who spread memes.
Excuses are made by people who say they don't like memes but always turn out to like some of them anyway.
Let-downs are similar, but may or may not come with an excuse attached. Let-downs are when someone protests against memes, then is found to have started or reposted memes, especially anti-chains.
There are other types of let-downs too, such as the ranter about fraudulent religious memes, always turning out to be atheist, neopagan or some other sort of non-Christian, especially if they are anti-Christian, and when it's a rant about a political meme, it's always a liberal ranting about a conservative meme, or else a conservative trying to debunk a liberal point of view with a meme. Christians who seem to discourage the spreading of meme, only for their words turning out to be little more than token efforts, where they still make exceptions for replicating memes are also huge let-downs.
Excuse 1: 5 Simple rules To Be Happy
Let-down 1: The makers of this Youtube video saying stupid FB virals need to stop, have unfortunately posted yet another anti-chain video.
Excuse 2: Supposedly not into chain letters but posted the Dance In the Rain parable chain on their blog.
Excuse 3: nature picture probably photoshopped
Excuse 4: Makes an exception for the the Sunshine Blog Award
Excuse 5: Reblog if you care about a cause
Excuse 6: the Warren Buffett congress thing
Excuse 7: Hates those phoney religious chains but loves those annoying lolcats.
Excuse 8: "I can’t condone chain letters!" then starts a chain letter on their blog! *STARTS* one!
Excuse 9: "I reread this chain and it was so good I just had to share" the lady who carries stuff and then lectures on burdens and stress
Excuse 10: Generally deletes the crap forwards BUT this one came at a time when
Excuse 11: "hate hate hate chain letters" BUT thanks somebody for the Liebster blog award.
Excuse 12: They say they don't usually post chain letters but this one is like really important and really valid and extremely urgent etc etc. Yeah right, it's the social security check now supposedly called the federal benefit payment chain scare.
Excuse 13: hates chain letters but had to make an exception for wip because it was such an awesome idea…
Excuse 14: Same thing, blogger never falls for the ordinary chain letters but couldn't resist the call of the WIP writer's chain.
Excuse 15: doesn't usually do chain letters, doesn't believe in them, but this gushy "Tell all the women you love them!" was just too irresistible and made her smile so she just HAD to share...
Excuse 16: Doesn't like chain letters yet thought the stranged-minded word puzzle chain was good enough to repost.
Excuse 17. another one making the claim of not doing chain letters but then accepts and reblogs that dreaded Liebster blog award chain!
Excuse 18. Rambling explanation about why it's supposedly okay and good to junk up blogs with the so-called Lovely Blog Award chain letter.
Excuse 19. Mostly, email forwards are dumb, but sometimes enjoyable enough to spawn a blog post, admits this blogger. One of these forwards, Random Thoughts AKA Adult Truths.
Excuse 20. The dude says he hates chain mail as much as anyone but - yes, there's always a but… - and this particular but is a real doozy! He replicated a chain email that didn't just wallop, it winded him enough for him to hang on to it and wait for an opportunity to spread it on his blog!
Excuse 21. Lindsey Karol at Teachspeech365, new to blogging, thought it would be cool to start a blog chain letter! Same old motives as every other blogger who has ever started or just replicated blog memes. The whole trying to connect with other bloggers thing.
Excuse 22. They claim to be usually not fans of chain emails and loathe them with their entire beings. BUT - once again, make that at least twice over, some people just couldn't resist the urge to share one of those sickly cute chain emails loaded with cute doggy pictures that totally made their day. Yes, very same chain, very same excuse and explanation, on two different blogs!!
Excuse 23. Is so glad to get "nominated" for and to obey the instructions in mutation of the Versatile Blog award meme chain because there are so many blogs that deserve wide recognition or something like that. Ugh. They are right in assuming that if every blogger participated, the blogosphere would be awash in "nominations" well, actually, it already is. That's the biggest blog blight out there right now. This bloger calls it the best chain letter ever *Rolling eyes, having gotten it from here from here.
Excuse 24. Sorry, I will feel bad if I don't post this chain mail! and it was that horrendous "Johnny Brought A Gun To School" thing. *Rolling eyes*
Excuse 25. Knows everybody hates spam but just couldn't resist sharing The Writing On The Wall
Excuse 26. Knows it's a chain letter and participates anyway. Link up the dang chain!
Excuse 27. This liberal lulz-at-republicans joke chain letter was reposted on Yakkr with the usual excuse of "I normally loath chain letters but…"
Excuse 28. Identifys this stuff correctly as blogger chain mail, but absolutely loves it because it’s so much “fun”. Random survey meme.
Excuse 29. Gets excited over a blog chain mail. *Herumph* and it was the 9 questions meme.
Excuse 30. Wants to feel the 'blog love' again *cough* same 9 qs meme.
Excuse 31. Doesn't usually do these but somebody sent en email they just had to share.
Excuse 32. It's an award, not a chain letter."
No, it's not an award, it is a chain letter…
Excuse 33. knows it's stolen, but just had to repost because it was thought to be "so eloquently put"
Excuse 34. knows this Liebsters thing isn't everyone's cup of tea, but they're a big fan of pay it forwards. Gah.
Yeah right, memes are chain letters, so you don't really hate chain letters all that much. Only some of them…
She doesn't think story-writing is much different from chain letters anyway, and her reasoning is ludicrous.
Excuse 36. The dreaded Liebsters is cliche and Barbara Walters all in one, so pretty cool in this blogger's opinion and she's thankful for the *cough* 'nomination'.
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