Kludge
11-10-2011, 07:57 AM
"The White House's We, The People (https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/) petition site is definitely an interesting experiment in an attempt to be more open in governing. However, as we discovered last week when we mentioned the petition against SOPA/E-PARASITE (http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111101/10154016584/white-house-petition-against-e-parasitesopa.shtml), many people believe that the administration is not really taking the whole thing seriously. In particular, there's been a fair amount of anger over the bland, political non-answers given to issues raised in the petitions. That's resulted in a petition to take the petitions more seriously (https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN), as well as a slightly more sarcastic response (found via Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/11/over-21000-sign-whitehousegov-petition-seeking-vapid-response-cookies.ars)), in the form of a petition demanding "a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response to this petition."
(https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/we-demand-vapid-condescending-meaningless-politically-safe-response-petition/gCZfn86x)
We demand a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response to this petition.
Since these petitions are ignored apart from an occasional patronizing and inane political statement amounting to nothing more than a condescending pat on the head, we the signers would enjoy having the illusion of success. Since no other outcome to this process seems possible, we demand that the White House immediately assign a junior staffer to compose a tame and vapid response to this petition, and never attempt to take any meaningful action on this or any other issue. We would also like a cookie.
While extremely snarky, it's a pretty good way of making a point. While the press may be mollified with boring standard political emptiness, the public is pretty damn sick of it. It seems like the public really yearns for just a bit of authenticity out there, and that's not what's coming back. Unfortunately, petitioning for authenticity just doesn't seem likely to get much of a result."
Article by Mike Masnick of Techdirt. Original article with comments @ http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111107/18294916672/we-people-are-sarcastic-not-easily-mollified-bland-political-non-answers.shtml
(https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/we-demand-vapid-condescending-meaningless-politically-safe-response-petition/gCZfn86x)
We demand a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response to this petition.
Since these petitions are ignored apart from an occasional patronizing and inane political statement amounting to nothing more than a condescending pat on the head, we the signers would enjoy having the illusion of success. Since no other outcome to this process seems possible, we demand that the White House immediately assign a junior staffer to compose a tame and vapid response to this petition, and never attempt to take any meaningful action on this or any other issue. We would also like a cookie.
While extremely snarky, it's a pretty good way of making a point. While the press may be mollified with boring standard political emptiness, the public is pretty damn sick of it. It seems like the public really yearns for just a bit of authenticity out there, and that's not what's coming back. Unfortunately, petitioning for authenticity just doesn't seem likely to get much of a result."
Article by Mike Masnick of Techdirt. Original article with comments @ http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111107/18294916672/we-people-are-sarcastic-not-easily-mollified-bland-political-non-answers.shtml