There is a great deal of variability in the kinds of emails students send their professors. Most emails are courteous and clear. Others are angry and barely comprehensible. I enjoy sending emails to my colleagues pretending to be an angry, unstable student.
A colleague had completed an experiment in which students had to answer a lengthy questionnaire after taking Vitamin C (or placebo). They also had to put on a blindfold and draw a few figures. I sent the following email to the graduate student running the experiment (from HannahNakerson@yahoo.com):
Subject: YOU’Re STUDPID ESPERIMENT
I DID NOT GET ANY CREDITS FOR THE STUDY AND I WNET TO THE ROOM AND I ANWERED 100000000000000000 STUPID QUESTIONS THAT MADE ME FEEL FUNNY INSIDE. THEN I HAD TO WEAR A DIRTY RAG ON MY FACE AND DRAW STUPID DRAWINGS. PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO GET CREDIT FOR THE EXPERIMENT OR I'LL andj plus i had to take vitamin d and i hate that stupid vitamin it's the worst for you.
Sincerely,
Hannah Nakerson
The response:
Sorry if you didn't read the instructions. Let me know who your instructor is and I'll let them know that you got confused and did the wrong survey and ask if they would give you points.
p.s. In the future I would never talk with such disrespect and threat to a teacher, especially when you are asking your teacher to do a favor. Most teachers would give you nothing in response to such a mean-hearted email.
Hannah Replied:
I FEEL SAD WHEN YOU SAID THAT I WAS MEAN IN THE LAST EMAIL YOU SENT TO ME TODAY.
I TRY TO TREAT PEOPLE WITH REFLECT AND HUGS. NOW MY EYES ARE CRYING.
ALSO SOMETIMES I DO
The response:
Your message was cut off and I never got your breakout teacher name and section #.
Also if someone called what you do for a living "stupid" wouldn't you feel like it was kind of a mean thing to say?
More Hannah to come.
