Does Call-in really work? FRSO is asking people to call government officials and school administrators drop the charges against Tampa 4.I don’t know much about American political culture, but I have some superficial knowledge. I don’t think it will have any effect.
US organisers know that most USians either don’t do politics or only do the kind of politics that one can do by taking a stroll to a voting booth or from the comfort of one’s own home. I assume a call-in is where people call the office of a decision-maker, to ask them to make a different decision or to reverse a previous decision.
It probably can’t hurt, and is probably slightly more useful than a change.org petition. But it doesn’t really shift the power dynamics. If the decision-maker is elected, then enough people have to call to make them think that they will not be re-elected. But if the callers are not in their voter-base…
That’s what I think. Americans are very low on political engagement. Yelling at the operator is the most they can do. In this case,FRSO urged student and faculty at the University of South Florida to call/email school administrators. I’m a freshman, and I know your .edu email is monitored by the school…Doesn’t that create a bigger problem? It doesn’t help anything except make the school ”focus“ on you…