I love the notion of cooperatives, but at least those that abide by the Rochdale guiding principles for cooperatives, don't seem to be a solid foundation, their open membership and governance makes them too maleable, too easy to infiltrate. democracy is great for government, but it sucks for advocacy organizations to promote social change. the more they're welcoming to influence, the more that dilutes what differentiates them, weakening the social change and bringing them closer to the majority norm. and that's without even getting to the corrupting effects of groups' intentionally infiltrating the coop to change it from within. rather than a call to transform society, it becomes a call to transform itself.