General Question

elbanditoroso's avatar

Are petitions to corporations worthless?

Asked by elbanditoroso (33550points) November 5th, 2015

Donald Trump is scheduled to be on Saturday Night Live this weekend. Several groups have collected more than a half million signatures on petitions that demand that Trump be dis-invited; largely on the basis that he shouldn’t be rewarded for a number of of his positions, including immigration and what he has said about Mexicans.

I don’t think that NBC will back down, nor do I think they should. Should they respond to a mob? What about the 10 million viewers who DIDN’T sign a petition?

It seems like a half million people want to censor a controversial person. That sets a very dangerous precedent, and I’m against it.

But would NBC care about a petition in the first place? It seems that petitions are designed to make the activists feel good, but aren’t very effective. (not just this petition, but others as well).

Would a better and more effective approach be for viewers to simply stop watching SNL? No viewers = no ads = No SNL.

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3 Answers

ragingloli's avatar

Yes. The only thing that counts to a capitalist is the quarterly profits.
The only way this would work is if the public backlash was so big that it decreases the amount of dough they rake in, or they predict such an effect.

ragingloli (52231points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…
Love_my_doggie's avatar

Yes, petitions are worthless. A petition is something prepared by another party (often with an undisclosed agenda), barely read by the signer, and signed by many other people. Compare that effort to someone actually using his/her own words for self-expression.

I worked on Capitol Hill for 8 years, where petitions were common. Congressional offices were always delighted to receive petitions, because signers provided their contact information for constituent databases and direct mail pieces. Otherwise, they carried no weight at all. But, a sincere letter, written carefully by one person, was very powerful.

Love_my_doggie (13077points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…
stanleybmanly's avatar

Even money that the majority of the signatories will tune right in to the program. After Sarah Palin, and her effect on NBCs ratings, nothing short of an act of God would deter the network.

stanleybmanly (24153points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…

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