Does Petitioning Do Anything?

Question by Colonel B: Does petitioning do anything?
I am having a difference of opinion with a friend about a facebook petition to stop Japanese fishermen from killing dolphins in “the cove”. It isn’t that I disagree with the message presented, but I challenge the viability of a petition. I’m under the impression that a petition is primarily for gaining awareness of the issue, not solving it. I do not believe that a petition will influence people concerned with feeding their family, for example. Much like cocaine farmers in peru, their less than glamourous daily work pays more than any other local source, so shameful or not, they take the risk to make more money.
I digress.
Have there been any petitions in the past that have had significant influence on mass scale decision making? Or are petitions in place so that we can feel like we’re doing something good without leaving our comfy homes, and without donating time, resources?

Best answer:

Answer by Iffy
Petitions only serve a purpose when it is presented to an elected official and all the signatures are his constituents. Online petitions are just a way of obtaining your personal information and should be avoided

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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