A grass roots organization usually represents a group of people that have been silenced by government, big money, "the man" or whatever oppresses. Therefore, it is critical in a grass roots organization to listen to all opinions and not ignore the minority, lest the organization becomes a perpetrator of the evil that is associated with the oppressors.
However, I think we've blurred the definition over the years. We've made a big leap from "listening to" every opinion to "validating" every opinion. Hey, let's face it... some opinions are misguided, uneducated, or just plain wrong. I'm sick and tired of seeing organizations fail because some MEGA-BOZO joins with some bizarre agenda or ill-conceived opinion and everyone feels like they have to make that person happy. I'm not talking about the usual "let's be inclusive" or "lets use consensus" stuff that sometimes disrupts organizations, because I'm in favor of that crap and it is TINY when compared to the truly ill-conceived bullshit that I've seen. Things like, "So-and-so is conspiring to steal my boyfriend, even though they only met briefly... or were in the same 100-mile radius on the same day... or didn't actually meet but they both have vowels in their name and I smell a conspiracy so I'm going to badmouth So-and-so until she quits the organization." Now that kind of shit really wrecks a group. And don't try to claim it doesn't happen! These examples are based on real experiences that I've had.
I see this all the time on the internet, and I've been on the internet since 1987. Everyone always says things like, "The internet democratizes ideas." Yes, it does. A lot of people that aren't heard via other forums are no longer silent. However, it also lets some uninformed MEGA-BOZO post volumes of arguments that everyone feels obligated to be "polite" and agree with one or two points rather than say, "Hey, MEGA-BOZO, GET OFF THIS MAILING LIST." The people that do have a clue tend to have things called JOBS and therefore don't have 24 hours a day of free time to reply. Therefore they are faced with either quitting their job to reply to the MEGA-BOZO 24-by-7, or they just leave the mailing list. While this solves the problem for them, the remaining people on the list don't see anyone refute the MEGA-BOZO and therefore assume the MEGA-BOZO is right. The inteligence level of the mailing list keeps deteriorating until only other MEGA-BOZOs are on the list.
I want everyone to know that if I contribute to this problem I want to be told that I'm being a MEGA-BOZO because otherwise I won't realize it and won't be able to correct myself. Being called a MEGA-BOZO will signal me to perk up my pretty little ears and take the time to figure out why people aren't understanding my perfectly flawless opinion, or at least figure out that you, yourself, are a MEGA-BOZO (at which point I'll leave the mailing list like the people smarter than me have already done.)
The way to deal with this issue within grass roots organizations is quite simple. Grass roots doesn't mean we consider all opinions valid. The NAACP doesn't validate and support the opinions of the KKK. NGLTF doesn't validate and support Fred Phelp's opinions when he pays a visit. MEGA-BOZOs must be ignored until they go away.
So how do you decide who's opinions to pay attention to?
Ah, that's a great question! How do you create a perfect filter that doesn't exclude "the wrong people". It's easy to spot a MEGA-BOZO: they don't do work for the organization.
For now on when being involved with grass roots organizations I will multiply each person's opinion by the amount of work they do for the organization. As we all learned in grade school, zero times anything is zero. MEGA-BOZOs don't show up to the envelope stuffing parties, write articles for newsletters, or donate money. Oh, they say things like, "I flew all this way and paid for a hotel to be at this meeting! That's a lot of effort!" No, that's effort that supports the airline and hotel industries. Stuff a fucking envelope, bozo boy!
I VALUE PERFORMANCE, NOT EFFORT. I value results, not "work". Everyone works hard... sucessful organizations have people that produce results. Everyone has great intentions and promises to take on tasks, but if they miss more than 2 deadlines within 3 months, they are a MEGA-BOZO.
Before I close there is one more problem that needs to be addressed:
IF YOU ALWAYS FIND YOURSELF DISAGREEING WITH EVERYONE ELSE AT A MEETING, MAYBE YOU ARE AT THE WRONG MEETING.Think about it. Ok, it's not like you are a JESSE HELMS wandering around a pro-choice conference wondering why people aren't carrying bibles. That would be an extreme case. Maybe your case isn't so extreme: you're the anti-consensus person at a pro-choice organization that uses consensus. Don't try to "save" them by ruining their ability to get anything done until they stop using consensus! Find a pro-choice organization that doesn't use consensus!
Grass roots organizations work because they are many people with the same purpose working togther to gain results. If you are the person that always disagrees then maybe you should should join an organization that is more your style.
So let's summarize: