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Originally Posted by Lenny2
Maybe I'm getting cynical in my middle age but I gave up on writing and faxing my congressman and wearing T-shirts and sporting bumper stickers for every cause I believe in a long time ago. Mostly because none of that stuff ever made a difference.
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That's a copout, pure and simple. This country has been taken into and out of wars on the back of public opinion, so it is ridiculous to say it never makes a difference. Changes are happening in the White House right now, because of public opinion.
The reason it often seems otherwise is because much of the time public opinion is most evident by its absence. If someone plans to pursue an unpopular agenda, he can ignore the majority opinion so long as the numbers tell him that most people don't care enough one way or another to prove an obstacle.
Which is surely what is going on at ICANN now. The money and influence on the table is the reason this issue keeps coming back, but ICANN currently have several problems in the broader arena and it's apparent that they want validation for approving the xxx TLD. While most who have expressed an opinion are opposed to this TLD, very few have been willing to express an opinion at all. That lack of reaction could be the very factor which persuades ICANN they can go ahead.