Two weeks after a column on Vietnamese dietary habits written by professor of communication Joel Brinkley prompted controversy and criticism nationally and in Vietnam, Brinkley has continued to defend the column’s substance amid a proliferation of petitions calling for an apology or even his resignation.
The website, founded by Rattray and a former dormmate, Mark Dimas ’02, facilitates the creation of online social petitions to address specific instances of social inequity. Petitions support a host of different causes, including gay rights, the environment, economic and criminal justice, education and immigration. Nearly 15,000 petitions are started each month on the site — a number that continues to grow.
The Editorial Board suggests to readers that they do more than sign a petition if they want to bring about change.