Today was a day of walking. A lot of walking. I'm slowly learning the layout of Cambridge pretty well...
I got off the T at Central Station, a little groggy because I had stayed up late reading the Hunger Games the night before (yes, READING). Some might say I was hopeful as I peaked into my first store, secretly wishing that the owners and managers within would hear my pleas and support our campaign for a world free from plastic bags.
No. Such. Luck.
At first, a few people toyed with me. I had one man talk to me for 15 minutes about how bad plastic bags were. Then he told me he doesn't sign things... Believe it or not, this paranoid old hippy was a pretty good representative of the people I spoke with today. They were willing to listen to what I had to say- some even went as far as to state that they absolutely disagreed with the use of these single use bags. BUT! They refused to put their name on paper to say so.
I think what I mostly learned today was that you can disagree with something, but just running your mouth about it to people in your life isn't actually going to change it. Whether it's putting your ink on paper to officially support a movement or seeking out a new audience to run your mouth to, you have to do something out of your ordinary to really help. I guess I just heard a lot of empty words today.
Something else I've picked up on was how social and economic demographics of a place affect my petitioning in them. When I was in Harvard Square, businesses were all over this. But down close to Central Cambridge, I was struggling to get some people to even hear me out. But, I also noticed that Central wasn't as clean as Harvard Square. I'm not sure how the taxing works here, but I'm thinking that even though the two areas are in Cambridge, one part obviously has more money than the other. As well, there seemed to be more houses than businesses near Central and not to be rude, but the businesses and houses near Harvard Square were of a higher quality in both up-keep, products, and employees. It's funny, the small culture shocks that I receive in New England- the way that people talk to each other is one that has consistently given me a jolt! Going back to my original point, I think that the best people to talk to about a plastic bag ban are rich people. Cambridge itself still has the potential for a lot of gentrification, but this is could affect how well the ban goes over.
I got off the T at Central Station, a little groggy because I had stayed up late reading the Hunger Games the night before (yes, READING). Some might say I was hopeful as I peaked into my first store, secretly wishing that the owners and managers within would hear my pleas and support our campaign for a world free from plastic bags.
No. Such. Luck.
At first, a few people toyed with me. I had one man talk to me for 15 minutes about how bad plastic bags were. Then he told me he doesn't sign things... Believe it or not, this paranoid old hippy was a pretty good representative of the people I spoke with today. They were willing to listen to what I had to say- some even went as far as to state that they absolutely disagreed with the use of these single use bags. BUT! They refused to put their name on paper to say so.
I think what I mostly learned today was that you can disagree with something, but just running your mouth about it to people in your life isn't actually going to change it. Whether it's putting your ink on paper to officially support a movement or seeking out a new audience to run your mouth to, you have to do something out of your ordinary to really help. I guess I just heard a lot of empty words today.
Something else I've picked up on was how social and economic demographics of a place affect my petitioning in them. When I was in Harvard Square, businesses were all over this. But down close to Central Cambridge, I was struggling to get some people to even hear me out. But, I also noticed that Central wasn't as clean as Harvard Square. I'm not sure how the taxing works here, but I'm thinking that even though the two areas are in Cambridge, one part obviously has more money than the other. As well, there seemed to be more houses than businesses near Central and not to be rude, but the businesses and houses near Harvard Square were of a higher quality in both up-keep, products, and employees. It's funny, the small culture shocks that I receive in New England- the way that people talk to each other is one that has consistently given me a jolt! Going back to my original point, I think that the best people to talk to about a plastic bag ban are rich people. Cambridge itself still has the potential for a lot of gentrification, but this is could affect how well the ban goes over.
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