Progs in PIRGatory: DUmmies decry "McActivism sweatshops"

How's your PIRG? What, you don't know what a PIRG is?? Well, to be honest with you, I didn't know what a PIRG was, either--until I read a recent DUmmieland thread. But the DUmmies sure seemed to know what a PIRG was! They would mention the term all over the thread and never bother to explain it, since of course all progressives would know what it meant. But me, being a regressive oppressor--I had never heard the term before. So I looked it up. Apparently, it stands for "Public Interest Research Group," which is a fancy way of saying "an organization that promotes various leftist causes by canvassing people for support and using low-paid 'volunteers' to do the grunt work." In other words, it's phony grassroots activism.

However, not all DUmmies are pleased with their PIRG. Some are complaining that the PIRGs and other left-wing activist groups are mistreating the troops. We read about it here in this THREAD by DUmmie backscatter712, "Beware of sleazy 'progressive' McActivism sweatshops that chew up young progressives."

Progs in PIRGatory! I love it! For several reasons: 1) It illustrates how the Left can't get anything done unless they PAY their slacktivists to get off their lazy @$$es. 2) It shows what whiny wusses the slacktivists themselves are. 3) It exposes the hypocrisy of the self-righteous Left, squawking about "social justice" while mistreating their workers.

By the way, whatever happened to the Democratic Underground Activist Corps, aka DUAC? I thought DUAC Earl was going to mobilize the DUmmies into a force to be reckoned with, a mighty army rising up to change the world, and they would do it voluntarily. Oh, that's right. The DUmmies are too busy sitting at their computers, munching on Doritos and posting on DU. But, um, they'll be sure to get a LTTE off sometime this afternoon . . . or tomorrow . . . or sometime. . . .

So let us now go to the disgruntled grunts of DUmmieland, in Bolshevik Red, while the commentary of your humble guest correspondent, Charles Henrickson, wondering when the Prog Spring will start up this year, is in the [brackets]:

Beware of sleazy "progressive" McActivism sweatshops that chew up young progressives

["McActivism sweatshops"? How can this be?? I thought all liberals were just and righteous and kind to animals and all living things! Besides, young noble progressives don't need any EMPLOYER to get them out onto the streets! They just do it spontaeously! For The Cause! DUAC! DUAC!]

I had a bad job experience. I lasted two weeks.

[Well, no wonder it was a bad experience! Two weeks is WAY too long to have to work!]

Then I got fired.

[For some strange reason, I am not surprised.]

If you're not a superstar at raking in contact information and donations, you don't make quota, and you're out.

[Can you imagine that? If you don't do the job you were hired to do, you get FIRED??  How unfair!]

The management calls themselves progressive, but they treat their employees like sh*t. And I'm f***ing pissed.

[Perhaps your language skills did not endear you to possible donors.]

Go to any college campus, and see the ads posted all over "MAKE MONEY SERVING A GOOD CAUSE!!! GREENPEACE!!! ACLU!!! MAKE $12/HR!!!"

[WE CAN'T FIND PEOPLE COMMITTED ENOUGH TO VOLUNTEER!!! WE HAVE TO PAY PEOPLE!!! HEY, WE CAN KEEP YOU IN DORITOS!!!]

Most of us have seen these people - they're the folks with the clipboards who are accosting people at college campuses, busy town centers and going door-to-door trying to get donations or contact information from you.

[The Jehovah's Witnesses of the political world.]

In my case, the cause I was hired to canvass for was Fair Share Alliance. You'd think that a well-run progressive activism outlet would provide opportunities to network progressives together, build connections, foster community.

[Look, the only reason I signed up was to make some easy cash and to hit on the chicks. But the b*st*rds wouldn't let me! They made me get out there and WORK! Or ELSE!]

Nope. None of that here. They put you on the street knocking on doors either taking contact information from people, or taking donations.

[It was crazy, I tell you! They made us DO what they HIRED us to do! Brutal!]

And they have you working under less-than-ideal conditions. . . . The law says you can canvass until 9:00 at night, so they make you canvass until 9:00 at night.

[NO!!!]

One of my coworkers had a gun pulled on her because she knocked on his door after dark.

I didn't make quota. So I got fired. As did a bunch of my coworkers. They chew people up and spit them out. They don't give a f*** about their safety, and insinuate that you're a sh*tty activist if you're not ultra-pushy.

[Quick, somebody call the WAAAAAAAAAAHMBULANCE!]

Lest you think that . . . I'm just bitter and have a bad attitude and I'm a bad worker and a bad progressive. . . .

[Now where would we get such an idea??]

I'd say getting fired from these sh*t-flingers is actually a blessing, because now I can say what I really think. F*** YOU, FAIR SHARE ALLIANCE! F*** YOU FOR TREATING YOUR WORKERS AND ACTIVISTS LIKE SH*T! F*** YOU FOR SOILING PROGRESSIVE CAUSES! F*** YOU FOR RECKLESSLY ENDANGERING YOUR WORKERS TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK!

[Righteous rant! Speak truth to power, brother!]

I'm going to broadcast my grievances loudly, and see what I can do to damage their reputation.

[No, you're not bitter at all!]

And I'm gonna switch to some other form of activism. . . .

[DUAC! DUAC! How about activisizing against liberal activist groups! Yes! Perfect!]

. . . and some other job.

[No, no, don't go THAT far! Now you're talking like a crazy person!]

At a place that doesn't treat employees like used toilet paper.

[Well, thank you, DUmmie backscatter712, for sharing your painful story. We all grieve with you. Now on to your colleagues . . .]

I did one day on a NYPIRG canvas when I was hard up for money in college. One day, and I recognized exactly what kind of scam this was and never went back.

["NYPIRG"? What's a "NYPIRG"? The "NY" I get, but what's a "PIRG"?]

it's essentially a pyramid scheme like any other, selling stupid bath soaps or whatever.

[Bath soaps!! No wonder the young progs are adverse!]

That was my experience with WIPIRG 20 years ago.

["WIPIRG"? The "PIRG" made it into Wisconsin?]

Also overheard a very angry manager at a Gay yellowpages in AZ go on a 30 minute YELLING spree with the sales staff. 

["This yellow does NOT go with my outfit! Yellow is so 2007! Get with it, people!!"]

Door-to-door canvassing is hard work.

 

I did a two or three day stint with NYPIRG back in college. . . .

[OK, so I finally looked up "PIRG," which all you DUmmies seem to be familiar with. "Public Interest Research Group." Astroturf activism.]

I did canvassing once. . . . they drove me to another area in DC where several people warned me about recent muggings. I did not collect a single dime. I was fired.

[Diversity is our strength. Next time wear a hoodie.]

Any org that accepts money from these sleezeballs is F***ED.  I'm looking at you, Greenpeace.

[AKA Greedfleece.]

Welcome to the wonderful world of PIRGs.

[Welcome to PIRGatory. Meet your quota, and you too can work your way up to being an oppressor!]

Being Liberal doesn't mean whining. It is no wonder the Right seizes upon this weakness and uses it against us. Buck up, little campers, and get ready to put some real effort into your lives. . . . Fir crying out loud...stop boo hooing about some crappy job and get on your game face. You people are ridiculous.

[DUmmie LittleCharlie (no relation to me, btw), you with only 32 posts, the two preceding of which were "hidden by Jury decision": I don't know whether to award you a Kewpie Doll for a Brief Moment of Mental Clarity . . . or to call you a LOUSY FREEPER TROLL!!! I'm leaning toward the LFT.]

I personally hope the admins toss you out on your ass for being a jerk.

[If being a jerk were cause for removal, all of DUmmieland would be vacated.]

Looks like he's already gone. Good riddance to this subhuman troll.

[LFT, I knew it.]

I'm a canvass director at a non-profit that works on similar goals as many of these groups.

[DUmmie thepurpleknuckle admits to being an oppressor!]

For fund-raising canvassing . . . there is a HUGE racial gap. I've hired people from the inner-cities hoping I could train them . . . I had to fire them before I could ever get that far. Fund-raising canvassing favors white, upper to middle-class women over any other demographic. I've tried countless times to break this horrible fact within myself and within the field of canvassing to no avail. I'm white and I acknowledge my privileged background.

[RACIST!!]

I spend 12 hours a day doing this job. . . .

[Ha! You're oppressing YOURSELF!! You should fire you!]

I do fire people for not making quota. It's part of the job. It f***ing sucks and has brought me to tears before.

[Yeah, right. You probably chortle.]

I school my canvassers in the basic concepts of community organizing as put forward by Saul Alinsky.

[Saul Alinsky, Mentor to the Stars. Sounds good. DUmmie backscatter712 responds . . .]

I'd happily join your union if fate brought me to your organization rather than a PIRG/GCI sweatshop.

[These white, upper to middle-class women you have . . . Do you have any pictures?]