10 Crazy and Controversial Online Petitions
From Blue Ivy's hair to Twinkies, these appeals made waves.
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"Comb Her Hair" - A Change.org petition is urging for someone to comb the hair of Blue Ivy Carter — Beyoncé Knowles and Jay Z’s 2-year-old daughter. While organizer Jasmine Tolliver insisted that the petition is only a “clever joke,” several debates on Black natural hair in the U.S have been sparked as a result. Keep reading to learn about more controversial and wacky online appeals of past. —Patrice Peck(Photo: Beyonce via Instagram)
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"Let Bert and Ernie Get Married on Sesame Street" - The proposed marriage of famed Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie has garnered nearly 11,000 signatures for a petition aiming to teach tolerance of “those that are different” to children viewers, and, subsequently, reduce bullying and teenage suicide. Despite a gentle denial from Sesame Street Workshop, a 2013 New Yorker cover showed the puppets celebrating the recent SCOTUS rulings on gay marriage.(Photo: Matthew Simmons/Getty Images)
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"Demand Rejudgement at the Sochi Olympics" - A February 2014 petition to probe a controversial Olympic figure skating result briefly crashed the Change.org website due to a record-breaking amount of traffic. In just six hours, more than 700,000 people signed the viral appeal to investigate Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova’s gold medal victory over South Korea’s Yuna Kim. (Photos: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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"Nationalize the Twinkie Industry" - In order to save the Twinkie from possible extinction, fans of the popular Hostess product took to the White House’s We the People petition website to protest Hostess Brands’ possibly going out of business and liquidation. However, thanks to the company’s new ownership, the sweet treat returned to store shelves on July 15.(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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"Shut Down Rape T-shirt Seller" - “Autumn is perfect for date rape,” read one of the T-shirts previously sold on the now defunct Etsy store, FyourT. A Change.org petition that racked up 6,830 signatures got the controversial seller’s T-shirts removed.(Photo: FYourT via Etsy)
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"Deport Justin Bieber and Revoke His Green Card" - Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber’s recent legal run-ins prompted a We the People petition calling for his deportation. "He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nation's youth,” read the request. After 273,968 signatures were reached, the White House responded with a polite rejection that highlighted President Obama’s immigration plan.(Photo: Palace Lee, PacificCoastNews.com)
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Texas Secession - The Texas secession movement, which has been brewing for decades, gained momentum after the reelection of President Obama. Nonetheless, a petition demanding that the White House allow the Southern state to break away from the United States was refused in an official 476-word response. In short, the White House emphasized the importance of teamwork.(Photo: Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
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Cancel Oxygen’s All My Babies’ Mamas - The protesters urging for the cancellation of Oxygen Media’s proposed reality series All My Babies’ Mamas received their wish after a Change.org petition reached 37,749 signatures. A coalition of groups, including Parents Television Council and Black Men in America, joined organizer Sabrina Lamb to denounce the show as a stereotype of Black children and families.(Photo: Oxygen)
Photo By Oxygen
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"Pardon Edward Snowden" - Although the successful petition to pardon whistle-blower Edward Snowden qualified for an official White House response on June 24, 2013, the president’s administration has yet to respond. A separate petition to grant Snowden asylum in France has already received 150,000 signatures.(Photo: AP Photo/The Guardian)