Actions speak louder than words

[Ketchup]

We all do it, from time to time ... Forums throughout the worldwide web are full of frustrated, disgruntled grumblers, complaining about the state of the world around us ... "Outrageous!" ... "Disgusting!" ... "Shouldn't be allowed" ...
"Something should be done about ...[mumble mumble, grumble grumble, huff puff and poppycock ... insert pet peeve]"

(None more so than the various skeptic community forums littered throughout the net)

'Talking' about it may create awareness, but talking alone without the doing doesn't pay the bills!

I recently discovered this excellent site - http://www.change.org/en-GB
( thanks to 'watchman' on the Bad Psychics site - relating to a recent Petition http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/t ... s-centre-2 - where that very grievance has been discussed in another thread on this site) - Giant's Causeway
where people can add the doing to the talking - and things DO get done - and fast, as evidenced from their 'Victories' section. I have seen a number of projects quite dear to my heart where recently justice has been seen to be done, as a direct result of a petition created through that site. Well worth a mention, I feel, for anyone who wants to do something about their personal grumble (however worldwide or localised it may be) by joining with others who share and sympathise with their cause, and actually doing something to help bring about the desired change.

As a member of "the old place" ;-) , my avatar depicted the words "I don't want your coins, I want change" - just another way of saying "actions speak louder than words".

If you want to start a petition that will make people sit up and take notice, here's the place to do it: http://www.change.org/en-GB/start-a-pet ... tion_alert

Change.org is a non-partisan organisation that empowers anyone, anywhere to start and win campaigns for social change.

Every day, people who start petitions on Change.org win meaningful change using the most easy-to-use & powerful grassroots campaigning tools on the web.

[Asthmatic Camel]

I do what I can by signing petitions and writing letters etc. but I don't know how much difference it makes. I suppose every little helps.

Sense about Science seem to have made some impact against the homeopaths.

Trouble is, there are so few of us who really care.

[Matt]

I tend to avoid click here to care slacktivisim. If it doesn't take at least 5 minutes to do then it probably wasn't worth doing.

[Asthmatic Camel]

Hmmm. I'm not the world's greatest critical thinker and prefer to leave the really serious stuff to people who are far more eloquent than I. It can't do any harm to show support, though, surely?

[Matt]

The same is often said for prayer and whilst I accept that it does no harm in itself and there may be some small positive in the knowledge that people are thinking about an issue. There's also the argument that it offers an easy "out"

You get all fired up about how unjust X is. What might you do?

Tell your friends, write a letter to your MP or to the press, offer time or money to a campaign, protest.

Or maybe you'll get over it without having to go to any of those lengths.

I submit for your consideration (but without any evidence) that maybe offering up prayer or slacktivism as alternatives reduces the probability of carrying out some of these other (arguably more effective) actions.

[Tinkerbell]

I do what I can by signing petitions and writing letters etc. but I don't know how much difference it makes. I suppose every little helps.

I believe it does! This campaign may not be of interest to anyone on here, but it is something I feel very strongly about - lots of previously 'cruelty free not tested on animals' companies are now selling to China, which means that the Chinese goverment will do animal tests on the products. When Urban Decay announced their intention to start selling there, they hit such a backlash from the consumers on Facebook and though petitions that they have withdrawn. I was very pleased to have been part of this and also means I will continue to buy from them

http://www.urbandecay.com/Animal-Testin ... lt,pg.html

[Ketchup]

lots of previously 'cruelty free not tested on animals' companies are now selling to China, which means that the Chinese goverment will do animal tests on the products. When Urban Decay announced their intention to start selling there, they hit such a backlash from the consumers on Facebook and though petitions that they have withdrawn. I was very pleased to have been part of this and also means I will continue to buy from them

http://www.urbandecay.com/Animal-Testin ... lt,pg.html

This campaign may not be of interest to anyone on here

Definitely of interest to me.

Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand and is committed to ending animal testing. We do not test our finished products on animals, nor do we allow others to test on our behalf. Additionally, we require our suppliers to certify that the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products are not tested on animas, nor do we allow others to test on our behalf.

"If you see a purple paw print next to a product, Urban Decay certifies that it does not contain any animal-derived ingredients."

"We are often asked which of our products do not contain animal by-products, and for those customers, we offer our paw."

I like it!

[Asthmatic Camel]

The same is often said for prayer and whilst I accept that it does no harm in itself and there may be some small positive in the knowledge that people are thinking about an issue. There's also the argument that it offers an easy "out"

You get all fired up about how unjust X is. What might you do?

Tell your friends, write a letter to your MP or to the press, offer time or money to a campaign, protest.

Or maybe you'll get over it without having to go to any of those lengths.

I submit for your consideration (but without any evidence) that maybe offering up prayer or slacktivism as alternatives reduces the probability of carrying out some of these other (arguably more effective) actions.

I have considered.

Tell your friends, write a letter to your MP or to the press, offer time or money to a campaign, protest.

I do all that apart from protest, (if by that you mean direct action), and have done for many years. I'm getting old and can't be bothered with marches and suchlike; I'll leave that to the youngsters who still have fire in their bellies and strength in their limbs.

[smudge]

I do what I can by signing petitions and writing letters etc. but I don't know how much difference it makes. I suppose every little helps.

I believe it does! This campaign may not be of interest to anyone on here, but it is something I feel very strongly about - lots of previously 'cruelty free not tested on animals' companies are now selling to China, which means that the Chinese goverment will do animal tests on the products. When Urban Decay announced their intention to start selling there, they hit such a backlash from the consumers on Facebook and though petitions that they have withdrawn. I was very pleased to have been part of this and also means I will continue to buy from them

http://www.urbandecay.com/Animal-Testin ... lt,pg.html

I think it's a great result and an example of how consumers can have 'some' influence on the behaviour of those they buy from.
It bothers me when the alleged 'good behaviour' becomes a marketing tool in itself. But it is a positive thing when folks show an interest and use the voice they have to modify their own behaviour and therefore that of big companies.