Dear AOL user: be brave

Dear AOL user,
     Please don't use the Internet to do your dirty work.  If you don't want email from someone you know, then please simply contact them and tell them so.  Don't use the Internet to do your dirty work for you.  There are two reasons you should take direct action:

1. It doesn't work.  When you mark an item as spam in your AOL inbox, it sends a message to the ISP of the person who sent that message.  In the case of actual Unsolicited Bulk Email, this might be the appropriate thing to do, but when it's from an actual person who really put your address in the "TO:" field, it is definitely the wrong thing to do.  This subjects ISP technicians the world over to reading the pithy, lolcats-laden, sentimental stuff you didn't want in the first place.  COME ON!  It will not block that person from sending to you; they never find out.  In addition, AOL redacts your email address from the original message so we cannot even tell our customer who it is that doesn't want their email.  In the end, it's a waste of everyone's time.  But more importantly:
2. It's the right thing to do.  Ethically, I think email should be treated like regular postal mail or notes passed in class; you should acknowledge receipt.  If you don't want that type of email, just let the sender know.  With any luck, they're adults and will accept it.  If not, then what have you really lost?

 Please, please, please do the human thing.  You know those tee-shirts that nerds wear that say "I read your Email"?  Well, this is one of the few things that actually makes us do that and, trust me, we have better things to do.  Thank you.

Signed,
The Management