Inside the store, a enticing cornucopia of fresh, brightly colored fresh foods. I felt the come-hither of everything, but my job was not to satisfy eye-greed but to collect signatures for a petition to put casinos in Massachusetts on the ballot for November.
Yori and I got permission from the store manager who gave us an hour, and only away from the entrance. Outside we divided, he to the left, I to the right to a place just beyond the potted vegetables and flowers.
'Do you care to sign a petition against casinos?' was the question I put to people walking under the overhang to the store door. When there was nobody but the innumerable teenage employees moving shopping carts around, I stood with the clipboard against my chest and sign on the back clearly displayed: 'Repeal the casino deal.' First on one foot, then the other, whistling, watching people go into the store empty handed and come out laden.
Lots of different reactions. 'Dumbest decision the governor ever made.' 'I like gambling, gamble three times a week...though my luck hasn't been too good lately.' 'Yes, I'm happy to sign. Gambling is no good for Massachusetts.' 'Don't have time; wife is waiting.' 'Gambling is great. You should try it,' in reply to which, 'I don't want to take your luck away from you.' Others: 'I don't have an opinion.'
One woman asked, 'Okay, what are the cons of casinos?' and after hearing three, said, 'All right, I'll sign. No, wait, I want to think about it some more,' and walked off.
Some people thanked me; nobody argued with me. At the end of an hour and a half, more than 20 signatures and Yori got a few more. This encounter with Public Opinion felt refreshing. People were free to sign or not, to ignore me or not. There were lots of opinions and reasons for and against and reasons for not having opinions. But the people were asked, and I did the asking.
I felt we were all attesting that we were a decision-making community in response to my simply being there with my 'Do you care to sign...' Good for us, I think.
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