S.A. Woman Charged $32 For Opinion (one born every minute - and she is blond...)

http://www.clickonsa.com/ant/money/12onyourside/stories/12onyourside-166661920020913-110936.html ^

[chance33_98]

S.A. Woman Charged $32 For Opinion
Fax Company Profits From Controversy
Posted: 11:46 a.m. CDT September 13, 2002
Updated: 12:08 p.m. CDT September 13, 2002

SAN ANTONIO -- A San Antonio woman was recently charged $32.45 for her opinion on a hot topic.

Susan Lyman-Krom (pictured, left) said she decided to respond to a poll from an unsolicited fax whether the phrase "One nation under God" should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance.

"I felt strongly about that question," Lyman-Krom said in an interview with KSAT 12 News.

After writing down her vote, Lyman-Krom faxed her opinion to a 900 number.

According to the fax, calls cost $2.95 a minute. The average fax takes about two minutes in standard mode, the fax stated.

"We figured it would cost $6," Lyman-Krom said.

But when Lyman-Krom received her bill, she said she was shocked to see that she was charged $32.45 for an 11-minute fax by Right2Vote Limited, a Canadian company.

"I think it's a scam," Lyman-Krom added. "I think its a way to hit a nerve with the general public on a heated issue. They are turning right around and collecting all this money on a phone call."

Lyman-Krom said that AT&T told her that the 900 number she called belonged to British Fax Directory.

British Fax Directory is a subsidiary of 21st Century Fax, a London-based company that was fined $1 million by the Federal Communications Commission for junk faxes.

KSAT 12 News tried to contact Right2Vote, but there was no telephone number listed. A phone number to remove a fax machine from the company's list was constantly busy.

[chance33_98]

I am getting a 900 number and telling people I will listen to their rants for $2.99/Minute. Then I will fax them asking them if Al Gore should be given the next election. Will be sweet to retire early!

[RepublicanHippy]

What's with the rude comment about being blonde? I am a natural blonde and I am offended by your remark. The woman in the picture is not a natural blonde (you can see her dark roots and her dark eyebrows).

[chance33_98]

My apologies, but I could not help myself :) It had all the classical elements...

[Diddle E. Squat]

Hmmmm, how do I explain this.

Blonde jokes are just that, they are jokes. I don't think too many people actually think there is a genetic link between hair color and intelligence. Its just a stereotype genre of jokes that has caught on. Kinda like Aggie jokes, redneck jokes, Polish jokes, etc.

Better get used to it, since I doubt that they are going away. Sorry.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Yeah, but which did she vote for?

[Dog Gone]

So let me get this straight. She KNEW that it would cost money to voice her opinion to the company asking the question, but she did it anyway?

[johniegrad]

I would take it to the Admin Monitor. After all, no one is ever offended around here by others' comments.

[Senator Pardek]

...I think it's a scam...

That's my impression, also.

[RightOnline]

""I think it's a scam," Lyman-Krom added."

Golly..................ya think???

[RepublicanHippy]

No, I am not ever going to get used to it. It is rude and offensive and terribly hard on young blonde girls in school or in the workplace to have to be the object of "dumb blonde" jokes. I have been collecting data for quite a while now and am interested in filing a lawsuit against websites, etc. that produce blonde jokes if I can find a lawyer willing to take the case. Why should blondes have to tolerate being discriminated against when it is illegal to discriminate against others?

[RightOnline]

I hear ya. Blonde jokes have been around forever, but my strawberry-blonde wife HATES them with a passion.

[Rebelbase]

"I am offended by your remark"

Thanks for letting us know. Please post your nationality, sex, age, religious affiliation and sexual orientation on your profile so we can be sure not to "offend" you again with some silly offhanded comment.

[Thumper1960]

No, I am not ever going to get used to it. It is rude and offensive and terribly hard on young blonde girls in school or in the workplace to have to be the object of "dumb blonde" jokes. I have been collecting data for quite a while now and am interested in filing a lawsuit against websites, etc. that produce blonde jokes if I can find a lawyer willing to take the case. Why should blondes have to tolerate being discriminated against when it is illegal to discriminate against others?

You have to be kidding! If I thought you were really serious............
But, I know you're illustrating absurdity with absurdity.

;-)

[RepublicanHippy]

Hey, maybe we can start a class-action lawsuit! Actually the "dumb blonde" thing started in the 1950's with Carol Channing and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" which appeared on broadway and later was made into a movie starring Marilyn Monroe. channing made some comment in a Ladies Home Journal article and the "dumb blonde" thing took off from there. (As I said, I did a lot of research on this topic.)

[RepublicanHippy]

Well at least I am polite and do not purposely try to offend people, especially those who share the same political views I do.

[Lockbox]

Thanks for clearing that up.

[RepublicanHippy]

You must be some middle-aged white male correct?

[RepublicanHippy]

Thanks for clearing that up.


Clearing what up?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Maybe I'm desensitized. I'm a conservative who has been in a very liberal work environment for most of the last 8 years, so I've felt the sting of many a barb and cutting joke. I understand where you are coming from, but at what point do we overshelter children, versus prepare them for the battles of the real world? Obviously not my place to decide, but something to consider. I hear where you are coming from, but not sure that there is a very effective proactive solution out there.

As to the lawsuit, gonna be a tough road. If Neonazi idiots can put racial jokes on the web, I doubt blond jokes are going to be deemed as more offensive.

Do you really think that many people actually believe hair color affects intelligence? Gender discrimination would seem to be the more likely explanation. And IMHO, any intelligent woman with attractive looks is usually at an ADVANTAGE in a business setting. Some things are just that way, fair or not. Human nature is a slippery cat to herd.

My guess is that more at the root of the problem(sorry about that) is insecure girls playing the dumb blonde image if they think it is to their benefit. Improving self-esteem would help that, but such is probably more effective coming from parents and peers, rather than the judiciary.

[Chad Fairbanks]

How many blondes does it take to fax something?