# Change.org Has Sold Out **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 29, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208 "2012-10-29T14:45:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/1 "2012-10-29T14:45:50Z")
[Story in the Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/22/changeorg-corporate-gop-campaigns-internal-documents_n_1987985.html) [Daily Kos on the change at change.org](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/23/1149092/-Change-org-sells-out-progressive-movement) Basically, progressive bastion [Change.org](http://Change.org) will now start offering its services to all and sundry – folks who oppose gun control, folks who wish to ban abortion and generally control women’s lives, folks who want to exploit the environment, folks who want to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. This begs the question, why shouldn’t [Change.org](http://Change.org) offer its services to anyone? And the answer is, [change.org](http://change.org) has succeeded because it has a cadre of skilled organizers who can help petitions succeed. They used to work strictly for progressive causes. They will now work for both progressive and conservative causes, i.e., conflict of interest. And with [Change.org](http://Change.org)’s focus on bringing in more money, and conservatives being all about the money, guess who will get the short end of the stick? Plus, it’s got to be grating to use [change.org](http://change.org) to promote your petition and see it also promoting one or more petitions that directly oppose yours. Constructive suggestions: If you are signed on with [Change.org](http://Change.org)’s mailing list, unsubscribe immediately, that’s how they make their money. To promote petitions through strictly progressive organizations, go through SignOn and Care2, which remain strictly progressive … for now … ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/2 "2012-10-29T14:58:35Z")
Poisoning the well in your OP? For shame. Anyway, “change” doesn’t mean “positions you agree with”. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/3 "2012-10-29T15:12:34Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Poisoning the well in your OP? For shame. Not sure what you are referring to. > [@](#): > > Anyway, “change” doesn’t mean “positions you agree with”. Until this change, [change.org](http://change.org) dealt strictly with progressive causes. So if you are a progressive, [Change.org](http://Change.org) DID mean “positions you agree with.” ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/4 "2012-10-29T15:13:44Z")
Some whores can afford to be discriminating, and some rely on volume sales. **Omg** has a good point, though. Now you can use them to effect change and support the status quo! One-stop shopping for all your disease and cure needs. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/5 "2012-10-29T15:33:38Z")
In what sense has [change.org](http://change.org) actually “succeeded” at anything? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/6 "2012-10-29T15:49:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > In what sense has [change.org](http://change.org) actually “succeeded” at anything? [They helped fourth graders back down Universal Pictures.](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/kristof-after-recess-change-the-world.html) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/7 "2012-10-29T18:29:43Z")
What’s the debate? ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/8 "2012-10-29T19:07:23Z")
Looks more like a misplaced pitting, to me. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/9 "2012-10-29T20:09:26Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What’s the debate? You could claim that [Change.org](http://Change.org) has not sold out, as it was a for-profit operation, legally, all along. You could claim that there is no conflict of interest between taking on opposing political viewpoints. I think it HAS sold out as it started out with progressives as its only customers, and now whatever claim they had to progressive values is vanished. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/10 "2012-10-29T20:09:41Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Until this change, [change.org](http://change.org) dealt strictly with progressive causes. So if you are a progressive, [Change.org](http://Change.org) DID mean “positions you agree with.” Do all progressive agree on everything? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/11 "2012-10-29T20:10:45Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Looks more like a misplaced pitting, to me. If the mods want to move it, that’s fine, though I’m more disappointed than filled with vitriol. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/12 "2012-10-29T20:56:24Z")
There’s a bit of irony in citing Huffington Post on some organization having “sold out”. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/13 "2012-10-29T21:09:27Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > There’s a bit of irony in citing Huffington Post on some organization having “sold out”. I totally agree. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/14 "2012-10-29T21:12:42Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Do all progressive agree on everything? Well some progressives think environmental concerns should be the top priority, some think economic concerns should be the top priority, and some think social justice concerns should be the top priority. But I’d say there’s a broad general consensus on most issues. I doubt there would be a lot of progressives opposing each others’ campaigns the way conservatives oppose progressive causes. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/15 "2012-10-29T21:19:02Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > [They helped fourth graders back down Universal Pictures.](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/kristof-after-recess-change-the-world.html) > [@](#): > > The petition went viral, quickly gathering more than 57,000 signatures, and the studio updated the movie site with the environmental message that the kids had dictated. Seriously? They succeeded at making a change to a movie website? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/16 "2012-10-29T21:26:38Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > Seriously? They succeeded at making a change to a movie website? And let’s not forget that… (A) That would be far too late to change the movie, so they did nothing of consequence with regards to the actual film, and… (B) The movie was a critical failure, commercial flop, and according to most had a heavy-handed and stupidly simplistic environmental message anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/17 "2012-10-29T23:07:49Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > You could claim that [Change.org](http://Change.org) has not sold out, as it was a for-profit operation, legally, all along. You could claim that there is no conflict of interest between taking on opposing political viewpoints. I think it HAS sold out as it started out with progressives as its only customers, and now whatever claim they had to progressive values is vanished. So you are upset that _they_ (whomever _they_ might be) did not do what you wanted. Now you want people who didn’t care to defend the original basis that you won’t defend, to defend it? I’m not getting this. Could you please explain to me why I should care about your problem? Could you, maybe _explain_ what your problem _is?_ Frankly, I’m not seeing a problem. Perhaps you could explain it? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/18 "2012-10-29T23:18:49Z")
I see petitions for things like “help Mary save her house from greedy bankers” or “sign this petition to help Susan force the insurance company to pay for her son’s cure”, seems like a great deal of milquetoasty feel-good crap on top of any real progressive agenda. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/19 "2012-10-30T00:14:16Z")
I don’t see an actual debate breaking out after eight hours and The BBQ Pit will provide a better forum for glurge such as Vinyl Turnip’s. Off it goes. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208/20 "2012-10-30T00:23:46Z")
Well, OK, **Vinny** , if you really think a horse-whipping is called for, I’ll hold your coat. Just not really sure its the wisest course of action, is all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-org-has-sold-out/639208.md?page=2)