[Noisebridge-discuss] A modest proposal

[rachel lyra hospodar]

On Oct 25, 2012 1:53 PM, "Martin Bogomolni" <martinbogo at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Well, considering the only thing Membership really gets you is the
> warm fuzzy feeling of supporting Noisebridge.. is there much of a
> point?

I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think there was a point.  Your
question is phrased disingenuously but I'll honor its intent.

Membership is a social contract giving the member certain rights and
obligations within the noisebridge community.  Ability to fully participate
in the consensus process. A sense of security against witch hunts and oogle
raids. A sense of responsibility to fulfill obligations that have been
taken on, including but not limited to a recurring donation.  Social
Contract. You know, the power and engine of an anarchist system??

I have worked with lots of people in lots of different settings, and my
social science data tells me that creating a structured relationship
between a person and an organization increases the persistence of that
relationship.  The more clearly defined the terms of that relationship are
(as well as being well-matched in terms of scale of commitment) the more
likely the relationship is to succeed.

I know it's a popular meme to say 'membership doesn't get you anything!'
but maybe we want to rewrite this thought.  We should use our
meta-linguistic programming to reinforce the algorithms we prefer. If we
want our social contract to have strength, we would do well to give it its
due.

>
> Also, are there any tax or other non-profit considerations to take
> into consideration when someone is performing/donating volunteer time?

This is the type of detail that is kind of irrelevant to 'do we want to do
this'. Nonprofits get volunteers all the time. The IRS couldn't give less
of a flying fuck who blocks what in our consensus meetings.
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