[SUBMITTED] Getting A Handle On Things

[Sleep]

Doorknobs Banned by Vancouver City Council

Title: Getting a Handle on Things (Third Draft)

Description: After aging novelist, and @@NAME@@'s poet laureate, @@RANDOMMALENAME@@ blogged about being trapped in his bathroom for two days unable to turn the doorknob to open the door, a human rights group has begun lobbying to have all doors equipped with lever handles instead of doorknobs to improve accessibility. The lobbyists have found their way to your doorstep.

Validity: Nations that have not outlawed doors.

Options:
[option]"This could have ended in tragedy!" shouts OpenAllDoors spokesperson @@RANDOMNAME@@ through the mail slot in your door. "Every closed door needs to be open-able and doorknobs can be a challenge for older people, people with injuries, and people with disabilities. Let's make it fair for everyone!"
[effect] Doorknobs are being replaced by levers across the nation.
[stats]inclusiveness increases, compassion increases, safety decreases

[option]"The doors and doorknobs here in the government building have historical significance to all @@DENONYM@@s," exclaims @@RANDOMNAME@@, a prominent local historian, while polishing the doorknob on your office door. "Just look at this craftsmanship. We can't really be thinking of replacing them! Who knows how many other treasured doorknobs there are out there? We need to protect our heritage!"
[effect] Having antique doorknobs is an important status symbol.
[stats] culture increases, wealth gaps increases,

[option]"Doors are a terrible, terrible thing," mutters @@RANDOMNAME@@, your neurotic intern. “Open spaces become closed spaces. I can’t handle it. I asked my psychiatrist about it and he says I’ve got claustrophobia and cleithrophobia. I have no doors in my house, you know? It’s the only place I’m okay. I think we should just get rid of doors everywhere. "
[effect] Bead curtains are the most common door covering across the nation
[stats] civil rights decrease, safety from crime decreases, safety decreases, primitiveness increases

First Draft

Description: A human rights group wants all doors to be equipped with lever handles instead of doorknobs to improve accessibility.

Validity: ALL?

Options:
[option]"We need to make our buildings more accessible!" shouts OpenAllDoors spokesperson @@RANDOMNAME@@ through the mailslot in your door. "Every closed door needs to be openable and doorknobs can be a challenge for older people, people with injuries, and people with disabilities. Let's make it fair for everyone!"
[effect] All doors have lever handles that cannot be locked.
[stats]inclusiveness increases, safety decreases, safety from crime decreases, compassion increases

[option]"The doors and doorknobs here in the government building have historical significance to all @@DENONYMPLURAL@@," exclaims @@RANDOMNAME@@, a prominent local historian, while polishing the doorknob on your office door. "We can't really be thinking of replacing them! Who knows how many other treasured doorknobs there are out there? We need to protect our heritage!"
[effect] Having antique doorknobs is an important status symbol.
[stats] culture increases, wealth gaps increases,

[option]"Closed doors are, like, a total buzzkill," comments @@RANDOMFEMALENAME@@, your hippie niece, while eating a suspicious brownie. “I think we need to get rid of doors completely! We need love and harmony, not doors.”
[effect] Bead curtains are the most common door covering across the nation
[stats]culture increases, civil rights decrease, safety from crime decreases, safety decreases, recreational drug use increases, primitiveness increases

[Frisbeeteria]

Why is this a national issue and not something that local builder codes can address?

[Sleep]

Why is this a national issue and not something that local builder codes can address?

Are you asking for that to be addressed in the issue or just a general rationale?

[Gnejs]

I think this has potential, and I like how you've included the new inclusiveness stat. The way to make this a "national" issue is probably to work on the description, and make up an event that triggered the human rights group to act and call for this being implemented nation wide. Regarding the last option, I honestly feel like NS has seen enough hippies on drugs in issues. Why not develop the "disability" aspect, and make the last person someone with a phobia for enclosed spaces, or just doors in general? I think that might be funny.

[Sleep]

I think this has potential, and I like how you've included the new inclusiveness stat. The way to make this a "national" issue is probably to work on the description, and make up an event that triggered the human rights group to act and call for this being implemented nation wide. Regarding the last option, I honestly feel like NS has seen enough hippies on drugs in issues. Why not develop the "disability" aspect, and make the last person someone with a phobia for enclosed spaces, or just doors in general? I think that might be funny.

I'll work on fleshing out those angles. I admit that the hippie angle was entirely added because I wanted bead curtains.

[Annihilators of Chan Island]

Niche issue... but that's what I look out for so I can't complain.

The description needs work. What happened to make this Human Rights Group call for the ban? Did some prominent elderly person twist their wrists out of shape on a round doorknob perhaps?

The first issue should reference this description event. It would fit.

The second option seems OK. Maybe it could be taken further, but there is nothing wrong with it as it is.

The third option, as has been pointed out, should have something that isn't a drugged out hippie, for that is a cliche at this point. How about a man with two broken arms, a claustrophobe or an actual burglar (which could potentially be hilarious)?

[Wallenburg]

I've seen plenty of lever handles with locks.

[Sleep]

I've seen plenty of lever handles with locks.

Entirely true. both my bathrooms have lever handles with locks. That outcome isn't very strong tbh.

[Gnejs]

I think this has potential, and I like how you've included the new inclusiveness stat. The way to make this a "national" issue is probably to work on the description, and make up an event that triggered the human rights group to act and call for this being implemented nation wide. Regarding the last option, I honestly feel like NS has seen enough hippies on drugs in issues. Why not develop the "disability" aspect, and make the last person someone with a phobia for enclosed spaces, or just doors in general? I think that might be funny.

I'll work on fleshing out those angles. I admit that the hippie angle was entirely added because I wanted bead curtains.

The bead curtains are funny! I think the new option #3 works a lot better, and the effect line still works, in my opinion.

[Wallenburg]

[Sleep]

(Image)

I know I know.

I'll find a better outcome for option 1. I think the trap I keep falling into is trying to make the outcome slightly more than one would want, but I fail to build up the option to reflect why. I'm hoping it is just a rookie thing I will outgrow as I get better at crafting issues.

On a different note, I was reading up on the debate that went into Vancouver's decision. There is a perception that levers are "less safe" than doorknobs (as in easier to break.) Also a concern from some parents that easier to open doors means a different thing to parents of toddlers. In fact, those little plastic things you can put on a doorknob to make it harder for a child to open are 3 times as expensive for lever handles. So I have adjusted the stats to imply a lowering in safety on option 1.

[Eaischpnaeieacgkque Bhcieaghpodsttditf]

Unique, that's what I'd say. It does make me wonder why it would be a national debate instead of a provincial or state handling issue.

[Bears Armed]

Unique, that's what I'd say. It does make me wonder why it would be a national debate instead of a provincial or state handling issue.

Well, for one thing, some nations have 'unitary' governments instead of being divided into provinces or states....

[Sleep]

Unique, that's what I'd say. It does make me wonder why it would be a national debate instead of a provincial or state handling issue.

Well, for one thing, some nations have 'unitary' governments instead of being divided into provinces or states....

That. and the common method I've seen of elevating an issue from the local jurisdiction to the national one seems to be including the phrase "and they've come to your for a solution" or something like that. There are a handful of existing issues that all clearly start as local issues that escalated. It seems that what I need to do is build that escalation into the description.

[Sleep]

In the absence of any additional commentary I've submitted. Thanks all for your input.