Negative Segmentation in the Food Court

So we were sitting there in East Commons Food Court on a high after completing our first successful focus group for our Family PACT project when a man came up with one of those petition clipboards. I NEVER stop and sign them but I guess I was feeling safer because I was in a group and/or I was feeling like I pay it forward because 5 very nice people had just spoke to me about their sexual health practices. So I took the board and then he quickly handed 3 more out to the rest of my group mates. That was the beginning of the end. The man sat down and his friend came over and sat on the other end of the table. I read the first petition, it was about allowing victims to know the status of their perpetrators (or at least I think that was what it was). After I read and signed that one, the man sitting next to me said, oh there are 7 total, just keep flipping and signing. So I flipped to the next one, I think it was about making sentences harder for people who commit violent acts, so I signed it. The next, was rezoning San Diego, I didn’t sign because I didn’t understand it. When the man saw that I didn’t sign he said to me “Oh, you don’t want to get corrupt politicians out of office?” I responded with “Of course I do, but I can’t tell that that is what this is saying so I am choosing not to sign.” He rolled his eyes and repeatedly said that by not signing I want to keep corrupt politicians in office. The next petition was about informing parents when there child is having an abortion. For me that was a definite NO. Next, ban gay marriages, again, NO. Lastly, there was one for sustainable energy, sure I signed that one. (That doesn’t add up to seven but I don’t remember what the other ones were) I handed the clipboard back to the man and so did another one of my group mates. He then looked through the petitions to see which ones we signed. When he saw that we didn’t sign the one about informing parents he asked us why. Both of us responded by saying that we don’t think it is right and that the girls should be allowed to if they wish. I was thinking in my head, what nerve does this guy have to question what he sign and don’t sign and then he opened his mouth with “Well, I think that girls should just keep there legs closed (and he used his hands to demonstrate) and then there wouldn’t be a problem.” WHAT?!?!?!?!? How dare he say that? But it only got better, he looked at us and said “Oh, you are girls that is why you don’t want to sign.” The other man piped in with “We shouldn’t of found such smart girls to sign. Those who read don’t sign and those who sign don’t read.” This simple act of reading and signing petitions was turning into an offensive segmentation experience. It gets better. The man sitting next to me, flips over the clipboard and there is a voter registration form on the back. He asks me to just sign it. Of course, I as why because I am already registered to vote. He asks me when I registered. I informed him that I registered in January. He told me that was too long ago (ONE MONTH!) and that my signatures would be invalid and that all I need to do is sign and he will fill out the rest. I was so disgusted at this point I rolled my eyes and said “You have got to be kidding me, I am not going to sign that” At this point, I was so upset with them that I don’t even know if they said anything else and they just left. After they left the four of us discussed the experience and how disheartening it was to be ‘attacked’ like that. Later, one of the staff from the food court came up and told us that he kicked the two guys out. I don’t want to let that one experience with petitioners taint my perception of the rest of them but it is hard, I don’t foresee myself stopping and giving them the time of day any time soon. I hope that the man is right, that my signatures will be thrown out and he doesn't get a cent.

I was telling my boyfriend about my experience and he said that he had seen a report on the news where people are illegally re-registering people to vote and they change their political party without them knowing it. He said the scam was exactly what happened to me, a person signed the voter registration form and then the petitioner filled out the rest, changing their political party. The news report he mentioned it was Republicans doing it but I am sure it goes both ways. Now that I think about it, the topics were very much Republican issues. Ah, I really wish I would have never taken that clipboard!