STRATEGIES AND TIPS FOR WRITING EFFECTIVE PROTEST LETTERS & EMAILS AND MAKING PHONE CALLS & FAXES
WRITING EFFECTIVE LETTERS & EMAILS:
In this internet age we live in, emails seem to be the easiest and most popular format of written protest, but we also encourage you to write letters the old fashioned way too. (Some say that one real letter is equal to around 3 emails or more). No matter what format you choose, the more the better!
When composing letters or emails, there are some time tested and activist proven strategies for effectiveness.
Of course each cause will have its own set of criteria to follow, but with the seal hunt, the following applies:
*Leave out or limit profanity (Be creative and try and keep it professional sounding)
*Don't threaten, (or, if it's in your nature, at least do it subtely)
*State that you will be boycotting Canadian products & travel, (you won't ever travel to Canada as long as this hunt is happening.)
*Ask them to STOP THE HUNT
*Tell them who you are and what you do (the more rich and powerful you are, the better... make a point of it)
FYI: It is believed by some that letters to the Editors of Newspapers go further than letters to politicians, however that is a point up for debate...
MAKING PHONE CALLS AND SENDING FAXES:
Depending on the individual you are trying to contact, making a phone call direct to them can be a very powerful form of activism. Although it would be very rare to actually have your target individual answer the line, it's not unheard of.
All politicians and people in positions of power have secretaries and middlemen who will intercept you, but that's ok. (By making a call, you are tyeing up their phone lines during key business hours and this WILL have an effect on them.)
When you reach the cut off person, it's best to try and remain professional and follow the same line of logical communication points that you would use in writing letters or emailing. (see notes below)
Don't let your passions get the best of you and swear at somebody or yell at them... This usually has the effect of having them hang up on you.
Also, when on the phone with a secretary, you can doublecheck the target person's fax number and email for accuracy. If the individual or company has ANY kind of integrity, they will most likely give you accurate information, which you can then pander out to other activists...
As for faxes, the same logic and strategies for making your point in a phone call, letter, or email follow, of course, but with faxes you are using (wasting) their paper as well as tyeing up their line, and this is a good thing.
Whatever method of communicating your point to the targeted individuals or companies involved, the more you do, the better! Individual actions do make a difference!
... and always keep in mind the relevant facts:
*The quota of seals to be killed over a three year span beginning in the year 2003 is 975,000, with the quota not to exceed 350,000 animals in a given year.
In 2003, the best estimates of the quota taken is 308,000 seals.
(These numbers do not reflect the number of seals shot and lost and are not included in the quota.)
*The seals are also threatened by global warming and ice fields that have been severely diminished over the last ten years.
*The seal hunt is heavily subsidized by the Canadian Government.
*The killing of the seals is primarily a way of deflecting criticism away from the Canadian government for the destruction of the cod fishery due to the incompetence of the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
If
you do not have time to write a letter, simply write STOP THE SEAL HUNT in the
header and e-mail it to the targeted
person, company, or newspaper.
To give you some ideas and an excellent summary of the situation, read:
PAUL WATSONS ARTICLE: "SEAL WARS"
IF YOU NEED TO BORROW SOME WORDS OR IDEAS:
Some people are better with words than others. Constructing original letters is the best thing to do, but not everybody has the time, inclination, or skills to do so. If you want to write a letter or email, but don't want to spend time thinking about it, feel free to copy and/or cut and paste sentences from these example letters as your own:
Example #1- Template for writing to a politician- (Global Action Network)
Example #2- Template for writing to a politician- (Anonymous)
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