The proliferation of online petitions raises the obvious question of whether they make any difference. Detractors say that signing online petitions make the signers feel better with very little investment—or impact. Among the tens of thousands of online petitions, few actually lead to a change, especially for large and controversial issues. Supporters note, however, that even unsuccessful petitions produce benefits like exposing unknown problems, demonstrating support for a remedy, and creating networks of like-minded supporters. So if you're expecting your online petition to bring about world peace, you're bound to be disappointed. But if you're hoping your petition might direct enough attention to an unscrupulous business practice to change that practice, you might achieve victory.
How does the author's presentation of this issue make the argument more credible?
Responses
Offering examples of different unsuccessful petitions creates a stronger case against them.
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Spending more time discussing petitions makes a more persuasive argument in their favor.
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Presenting both sides of the argument shows that the author understands the issue of petitions.
1 answer
Presenting both sides of the argument shows that the author understands the issue of petitions.