Some scenes from the “Save Mount Benson” booth at Country Club Mall.
Me: Excuse me, would you like to sign a petition to help save Mount Benson?
Passerby #1: (Scurries away. Avoids eye contact.)
Me: Help save Mount Benson?
Passerby #2: My dad’s a logger. I wouldn’t feel right.
Me: That’s okay. This is BC. Everyone’s got a logger in the family. That doesn’t mean every inch of the province has to be logged.
Passerby #2: Well, okay. But do I have to use my real name? Because my dad would be really mad.
Me: Help save Mount Benson?
Passerby #3: (Speeding up.) I don’t have my wallet.
Me: (To their retreating back.) But we only need a signature…
Me: Sign a petition to save Mount Benson?
Passerby #4: You’d get more signatures if you were more outgoing.
Me: Oh.
Passerby #4: Yeah. Just go like this. (Starts yelling at other passersby.) HEY! SAVE MOUNT BENSON!
(Other passersby crowd into booth to avoid Passerby #4.)
Passerby #4: (To people huddling in booth.) I told her she had to be more aggressive! Because I’m in school for marketing and so I know how to do this! (Spots another group of hapless passersby) HEY! YOU! SAVE MOUNT BENSON! (To me): See! This is how you do it!