Make Complaining Fun
When was the last time you had fun complaining to your Senator? Apparently, it is possible. Here’s our recipe:
Step 1: Identify an issue you care about.
- For example: Care about big tech companies abusing their monopoly power to stifle competition and violate our rights? Perhaps you support the bipartisan Senate bills 2992 and 2710?
Step 2: Identify a person you can contact about the issue. You can choose your target wisely, go with someone a group you trust has identified, or experiment with contacting a local leader or elected official to see if they respond.
- For example: Regarding antitrust bills, John Oliver helped identify Senator Chuck Schumer as the gatekeeper to the vote in the US Senate and Antitrust Summer identified these 6 Democrats as derailing the bills.
Step 3: Identify the stuff. What do you have lying around your home that you don’t need and are happy to give away? (You might first post it to a gift economy network like Buy Nothing Project to make sure it doesn’t have value to a neighbor.)
- For example: junk mail, CDs, old pens, obsolete electronics cables, shells you collected at a beach that one time, pine cones from a nearby tree, or go even further outside the box.
Step 4: Brainstorm how your stuff could be a metaphor for the issue. Here’s where some creativity and fun can come in! It doesn’t have to serious, funny, or perfect, just make the connection so when the recipient sees that item in the future they might associate it with your opinion...particularly if you and your friends continue to send them the same item!
- Example antitrust metaphors: We went with some old CDs, a DVD, and a BluRay – laws regarding tech companies are obsolete. Here are some other ideas: Clean old socks with holes – our antitrust laws are old & have holes in them. Junk mail – our antitrust laws are junk. Rags – Clean up this mess of laws. Monopoly money – break up the monopolies. (Who really enjoys monopoly anyway? Might as well have some actual fun with the pieces.)
Step 5: Write your message and package it. You can make packaging quick and easy by reusing old packing materials from packages you’ve received, or have some more fun by making it into a decorative craft project, wrapping the package all fancy to get extra attention.
- Antitrust Message Examples for mailing DVDs to Senator Chuck Schumer: “Get out of the way of innovation. Put S. 2992 & S. 2710 on the floor! Time for an update – to our antitrust laws!” or “Laws regarding tech companies are obsolete, like this DVD. Time to update! Put. S. 2992 and S. 2710 on the floor!” etc. etc.
Step 6: Deliver it! Depending on your target, this could be as easy as dropping it on a doorstep on the way to the store or making a run to the Post Office.
- For example: You can ship a single DVD anywhere within the US via USPS Media Mail for $3.49 Packages under 1 pound that include items like books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, CDs, and DVDs ship for $3.49 when mailed from your local post office. Mailing one old sock would be even cheaper. “Not” following this Savage Love advice could cost you $13.95, we’re just guessing ;)
Shipping items to all 9 Schumer offices around New York still brings a smile to my face. We’d love to hear your stories! What did you send? Did you have fun? Did you hear anything from it?
