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"It’s distateful when public interest orgs transform into political orgs with agendas." Okay, so what exactly do you think public interest orgs are?

mc32 8y ago
I’d like to see them explore truth (or close enough) rather than other tangential ideologies. I expect them to work on behalf of the public, rather than being anti something without good reason.
- astrodust 8y ago
  Pretty much every group can be defined in terms of anti-something. Environmental groups are anti-pollution, anti-global-warming, anti-whatever. They all believe they're working on behalf of the public in some form. Anti-tax groups are helping billionaires which will something-something trickle-down and help everyone!
- DannyBee 8y ago
  "I expect them to work on behalf of the public, rather than being anti something without good reason." Certainly you realize whether they are working on behalf of the public depends on your relative viewpoint?
AnthonyMouse 8y ago
> Okay, so what exactly do you think public interest orgs are? Public interest organizations represent the diffuse general public against concentrated power, e.g. when the EFF pushes back against Hollywood lobbying for retroactive copyright term extensions. The issue is to avoid an "us vs. them" frame, because not everything MegaCorp wants is against the public interest. There is a public interest in having access to more medicine. It's counterproductive to fight something that helps everyone just because it also helps MegaCorp.
- DannyBee 8y ago
  The OP said was distasteful when they turn into "political orgs with a political agenda". The EFF is in fact, a political org with a political agenda. They don't pretend otherwise. Whether they are working on behalf of the public all depends on your relative viewpoint. Pretty much all of them believe they are working on behalf of the public, even the ones HN would classify as industry lobbying orgs, etc.
  - AnthonyMouse 8y ago
    > The OP said was distasteful when they turn into "political orgs with a political agenda". There is a difference between political in the sense that all legislation is political, and politics as an "us vs. them" tribal conflict where anything which is bad for your opponents is good for you and vice versa. Having anyone, but public interest orgs especially, participate in the second kind of politics is distasteful.
- DanBC 8y ago
  > There is a public interest in having access to more medicine. Only if it provides benefit and doesn't cause harm, and that's not clear with these medications.

mc32 8y ago

I’d like to see them explore truth (or close enough) rather than other tangential ideologies. I expect them to work on behalf of the public, rather than being anti something without good reason.

astrodust 8y ago
Pretty much every group can be defined in terms of anti-something. Environmental groups are anti-pollution, anti-global-warming, anti-whatever. They all believe they're working on behalf of the public in some form. Anti-tax groups are helping billionaires which will something-something trickle-down and help everyone!
DannyBee 8y ago
"I expect them to work on behalf of the public, rather than being anti something without good reason." Certainly you realize whether they are working on behalf of the public depends on your relative viewpoint?

AnthonyMouse 8y ago

> Okay, so what exactly do you think public interest orgs are? Public interest organizations represent the diffuse general public against concentrated power, e.g. when the EFF pushes back against Hollywood lobbying for retroactive copyright term extensions. The issue is to avoid an "us vs. them" frame, because not everything MegaCorp wants is against the public interest. There is a public interest in having access to more medicine. It's counterproductive to fight something that helps everyone just because it also helps MegaCorp.

DannyBee 8y ago
The OP said was distasteful when they turn into "political orgs with a political agenda". The EFF is in fact, a political org with a political agenda. They don't pretend otherwise. Whether they are working on behalf of the public all depends on your relative viewpoint. Pretty much all of them believe they are working on behalf of the public, even the ones HN would classify as industry lobbying orgs, etc.
- AnthonyMouse 8y ago
  > The OP said was distasteful when they turn into "political orgs with a political agenda". There is a difference between political in the sense that all legislation is political, and politics as an "us vs. them" tribal conflict where anything which is bad for your opponents is good for you and vice versa. Having anyone, but public interest orgs especially, participate in the second kind of politics is distasteful.
DanBC 8y ago
> There is a public interest in having access to more medicine. Only if it provides benefit and doesn't cause harm, and that's not clear with these medications.