Re: “Never copy those forms for idiots. Take an idea or two and compose your own letter.”
While I would never discourage anyone from putting more distinctive or individual effort into their political activism, discouraging the use of the forms plays into politicians’ hands and is an example of the perfect being the enemy of the good.
Many people will start with good intentions, but never get around to a personal effort because the activation energy hump is increased considerably over the forms.
So the perfect attitude actually reduces the population count by the forms that never get mailed in (seen as potential lost votes) a congress critter sees because many will put the creation of their protest masterpiece on the back burner and it will never get sent or sent in a timely way.
Staffers only see numbers, they don’t take the time to read logic or content when they process junk mail, and rest assured your personal letter is work and therefore just as much junk mail as any form letter to a volunteer or staffer. Worse, since the content of an individual letter is harder to parse for positional content, it may not be counted correctly at all. I’ve had auto form letter responses from the mandarins that indicate they thought I was a gun prohibitionist. Either they didn’t read the letter, or thought it would be fun to torque a die hard, or the data entry automaton made a mistake.
Even if content is considered, what does a form letter communicate versus a personal letter? A form letter shows you are part of an organized initiative, maybe someone who donates money and time, and who doesn’t waste time being inefficient. A personal letter though more individual, may actually convey isolation, single issue focus (to a staffer this says crank), and handwritten says technologically backward.
So by all means, write a personal letter, but please do it after dropping the ready made form letter in the mail first. For the cost of an extra stamp, you double your representation and convey an organized unified voice that the politicos know will be following and communicating their compliance or treachery.
Put yourself in the pols or staffers shoes. Wouldn’t you want the myth of the ‘useless’ form letter propagated? “Those forms are ignored” says the perfect functionary from the czargressman’s local propaganda service office. Yeah, right, I believe that. Even if it doesn’t discourage you, that little gem of a deflection does keep less dedicated voices from speaking (form-lettering) out, and seduces the disciplined into spending more time and energy that might be spent pounding them on other issues.
The lib-socialist groups never discourage their ranks from showing collectivist organization because they aren’t proud to be individuals as much as part of a greater cause. While we may disdain their underlying philosophy, the staffers and bureaucrats are collectivists themselves and respect that behavior more than evidence (to them) of perhaps an even greater number of disparate lone voices. This applies as much to conservative pols as liberals. If they respected individuals, they would go find jobs in the voluntary market sector. Anyone who can stand working in the stilted environment of government has already displayed a hive mindset. If you don’t look like part of a big hive, your voice, regardless of position, will be discounted.
So hiving around is the only way to go, eh? Very liberal of you -- that why you call yourself LibTeeth? You are a river of chewed-up conservatives to your people? Er, your hive?
Political letters don't have to opus. They can be short and communicative.
This "just shut up and sign my form letter" stuff -- this "go along to get along" stuff -- is exactly what liberalism is all about.
Thanks for the "help". But I don't think so.
You should listen to yourself. You sound like Rahm Emanuel channeling Bella Abzug.
Many people will start with good intentions, but never get around to a personal effort because the activation energy hump is increased considerably over the forms.
Don't listen to me. Just look at what the Bradybots say:
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