MassPIRG

[dmaze]

Someone from MassPIRG dropped by last night trying to get me to sign up. The spiel, as I understood it: global warming is a problem. Check. Mr. W isn't going to do anything about it. Check. If I join MassPIRG, then maybe the esteemed Mr. Romney will. Uh, huh? It's not obvious to me that (a) Massachusetts, on its own, can cause significant changes in emissions policy, (b) our Republican presidential-candidate governor is motivated to address this issue, or that (c) my joining your organization makes a difference in any of this.

Comments

[desireearmfeldt]

I think the logic is "if we have lots of members, we can pressure Romney to do stuff because we'll represent lots of constituents." I wasn't totally impressed by the logic, but on the other hand, the kids who came to my door did a good job and I do presume that MassPIRG is generally doing something more useful than not...which is not to say "as useful as it could be", and is not to say I understand the whole lobbying system. :)

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

Also, they will put you on a few zillion mailing lists, and will start phoning you constantly after about a year asking you to "renew your support" (send money) and whatnot. In addition, they support a great many causes beyond the ones they solicit door-to-door about, not all of which may be your cup of tea, so definitely think twice before encouraging these folks.

[capsicumanuum.livejournal.com]

Also, a good chunk of the money you give them goes towards paying the wages of the kids that go door to door. Additionally, if those kids don't make quota on any given week they are fired instantly, with no grace period or second chance. The model encourages the people who go door-to-door to really press people hard for donations, be reluctant to give them time to think about the issues, be reluctant to talk about anything except the one cause they think will net them money. The scheme doesn't sit well with me.

[desireearmfeldt]

It's true, I have mixed feelings about the door to door thing. It does seem to me that the kids stand a chance of learning more than they would flipping burgers...but not all the lessons are necessarily good ones. :/

[twe.livejournal.com]

I admit the one who came to my door pressed hard enough to put me off on the group, but then I've grown pretty biased against anyone who comes to my door or calls me on the phone expecting me to buy something on the spot.

[gigglefest.livejournal.com]

I've been the kid going door to door (though thankfully it was for Sierra Club, which has much better name recognition and so is much easier than canvassing for PIRGs). I had fabulous managers who acknowledged that you won't ever be able to canvass well for something you don't wholeheartedly believe in. I suspect the MassPIRG kids I've seen on Newbury St. and in T-stops haven't been trained quite the same way.

[gigglefest.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on (b), and to a large extent on (c) as well. For (a) I think it depends - Massachusetts won't have a large impact on emissions no matter what, but it's possible that the state could have a significant impact on emissions policy, as a groundbreaker/catalyst if nothing else. Among the state PIRGs, MassPIRG is known for being one of the oldest and most powerful, and I know they've done some groundbreaking stuff, though I don't remember the exact areas.