I guess petitions have political educational aims, not only psychological
ones. As a matter of fact I can't see any satisfaction in doing something
that does nothing. In the same way I can't think that kicking a concrete
wall or a iron post please anything. I can recollect rather bending to care
for my foot five minutes later when noone is watching (it hurts more than
it pleases the insatisfaction). But signing creates a sense of belonging to
a cause, to the discourse it employs, to the politics it represents. It is
more like cheering up a football team, that looses.Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Arnold" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 4:10 PM
Subject: Re: UK citizens only - signatures required
> Hate to rain on anyones parade, (but I suppose that like the British
> weather, I can always be relied
> upon to)
>
> But .......
>
> Has anyone ever carried out any research into the effectiveness of these
> petitions?
>
> I mean why is a good one likely to attract any more support than a bad
> one, and should a large
> number of people signing a petition to repatriate immigrants or to hang
> autism researchers actually
> influence the government in bringing about either of these to objects?
>
> I believe (anecdotally of course) that these petitions are not much more
> than memetics, or even
> emetics (because I like a rhyme) that is to say they purger one of the
> desire to effect what they
> set out to do, by giving one a sence of satisfaction that one has got it
> out of ones system and done
> something.
>
> "Hey that bus driver did not stop for me, but I gave the shelter a good
> kicking, I feel better now,
> never mind the next bus will pass me by to" ...
>
> Seriously I would have thought that we as a body of people supposedly
> swayed by logic, and rational
> enquiry, validated by empirical evidence, would not casually fall for this
> trap.
>
> Anyway I don't like the wording of the convention as translated into
> English so have semantic and
> rational difficulties with signing it anyway.
>
> Larry
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mark
>> Priestley
>> Sent: 13 February 2008 09:39
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: UK citizens only - signatures required
>>
>> Hi
>>
>> Richard Light writes...
>>
>> A petition calling for ratification of the UN Convention has
>> been posted on the Number 10 web site. Please follow this link
>> (http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ratifyconvention/) to sign the
>> petition and don't forget to respond to the e-mail that will
>> be sent to you.
>>
>> The petition has under 1,300 signatures at the time of
>> writing, whilst over 44,000 have signed a petition to make
>> Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister!
>>
>> Please forward the link, or this message, to as many people
>> likely to support the petition as possible.
>>
>> Unfortunately, we can't cheat and ask friends in other
>> countries to sign, as a UK address is requested.
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Richard
>>
>>
>>
>
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