charity, anyone?
"excuse me, miss, i wouldn't take up alot of your time. just give me a few minutes....*blah blah blah* would you like to buy a coupon/ticket?"
today was quite an exception. i shooed the girl off even before she could tell me what organisation she was volunteering for - my mother was waiting for me at bishan and my sister and i were running late. her second try consists of shoving the coupons into my face and a failing attempt to explain her cause. needless to say, i was rewarded with a bitchy stare for saying no the second time.
i should feel remorseful. i've deprived kids/handicaps/senile senior citizens of a meal and possibly could have been the indirect cause of someone's death because of my incharitable ways. but that lousy attitude i got from the volunteer (is it correct that i call her volunteer?) totally removed any particle of remorse and charity from my heart.
reasons for my harsh attitude?
for one, i am not obliged to contribute. those coupons will deprive ME, a student who gets about $5 allowance a day, of a decent meal, knocking at least $5 from my wallet and making it remotely more empty. if i were obliged to give to every single person who asks me for $5, i would be the one who requires the charity and not kids/hapdicaps/senile senior citizens because i'll be starving to death.
secondly, to ask me to give a lump sum of $5 is simply exhortion. it's one thing to give some coins to those little tins, but to give a nice $5 to some obscure charity for a dubious coupon? that's way too much if you ask me. besides, how would i know what my money would be used for? if i really want to be fleeced of my money, there's always hmv, starbucks and kinokuniya for me to get ripped off.
third, i felt i did not deserve such a bad attitude from that volunteer. as i said, i have no obligation to donate. respect this right of mine and at least give me a smile and be grateful that i've actually acknowledged your presence. others would have been worse, treating you as transparent or verbally abusing you. the moment you gave me that contemptuous look any second thoughts of donating to you vanished immediately. thanks for saving me a guilt trip.
also, upon your decision to volunteer for such a task would indicate a recognition that you would have to face rejection. not everyone has the $5 (especially a student, of all people) to give to your charity. if you want to take up such volunteer work for charity you must be prepared that people would wave you away. (majority of us would, seeing that you're going to take money off us.) so quit it with that attitude. it's human nature. just in case you didn't know, singaporeans are an apathetic lot. a homeless man can be dying on the streets and 70% of our population can pass by without giving a damn. while i pity you for having such a tough community assignment, you have no right to be angry at me for my refusal to donate. can you safely assert that you will donate if i were to shove the coupon into your face and demanded $5 from you?
if you want to do charity work, do it with a sincere heart and a ready smile. i don't care if you're tired or too pissed by too many refusals. if you cannot take that, you either find some other way to fulfill your community service or stop being such a hypocrite, forcing yourself to look better by doing charity work. as for me, just forget about asking me to buy that coupon of yours. if i really want to contribute, i'll do it my way - a more meaningful way.
charities should stop pulling such gigs. it's unreasonable to expect people to give lump sums to you unless they are rich (that which makes up a small percentage of our population. for your information, the majority of us are NORMAL people struggling to maintain our lives. wake up and smell the coffee.) besides, how would i know if i were giving $5 to some rich man's pocket? how would i know that my money will be going somewhere meaningful? last but not least, if you have the resources to pull off such gimmicks to print and distribute glossy coupons, why waste them on trying to fleece people of money? why not just direct them to make your beneficiaries' lives better? stop being such hypocrites by calling yourselves charity. you insult that term.
forgive my cynicism, but that is basically the reason why i scorn nkf and those organizations with those huge fancy fundraising shows. to contribute money to them is to contribute to the already widening gap between rich and poor. hypocritical glitz and glamour. how would we know the money we give them (by the millions) is actually given to the deserving and not to those volunteers who help out in nkf?
charity, anyone?
today was quite an exception. i shooed the girl off even before she could tell me what organisation she was volunteering for - my mother was waiting for me at bishan and my sister and i were running late. her second try consists of shoving the coupons into my face and a failing attempt to explain her cause. needless to say, i was rewarded with a bitchy stare for saying no the second time.
i should feel remorseful. i've deprived kids/handicaps/senile senior citizens of a meal and possibly could have been the indirect cause of someone's death because of my incharitable ways. but that lousy attitude i got from the volunteer (is it correct that i call her volunteer?) totally removed any particle of remorse and charity from my heart.
reasons for my harsh attitude?
for one, i am not obliged to contribute. those coupons will deprive ME, a student who gets about $5 allowance a day, of a decent meal, knocking at least $5 from my wallet and making it remotely more empty. if i were obliged to give to every single person who asks me for $5, i would be the one who requires the charity and not kids/hapdicaps/senile senior citizens because i'll be starving to death.
secondly, to ask me to give a lump sum of $5 is simply exhortion. it's one thing to give some coins to those little tins, but to give a nice $5 to some obscure charity for a dubious coupon? that's way too much if you ask me. besides, how would i know what my money would be used for? if i really want to be fleeced of my money, there's always hmv, starbucks and kinokuniya for me to get ripped off.
third, i felt i did not deserve such a bad attitude from that volunteer. as i said, i have no obligation to donate. respect this right of mine and at least give me a smile and be grateful that i've actually acknowledged your presence. others would have been worse, treating you as transparent or verbally abusing you. the moment you gave me that contemptuous look any second thoughts of donating to you vanished immediately. thanks for saving me a guilt trip.
also, upon your decision to volunteer for such a task would indicate a recognition that you would have to face rejection. not everyone has the $5 (especially a student, of all people) to give to your charity. if you want to take up such volunteer work for charity you must be prepared that people would wave you away. (majority of us would, seeing that you're going to take money off us.) so quit it with that attitude. it's human nature. just in case you didn't know, singaporeans are an apathetic lot. a homeless man can be dying on the streets and 70% of our population can pass by without giving a damn. while i pity you for having such a tough community assignment, you have no right to be angry at me for my refusal to donate. can you safely assert that you will donate if i were to shove the coupon into your face and demanded $5 from you?
if you want to do charity work, do it with a sincere heart and a ready smile. i don't care if you're tired or too pissed by too many refusals. if you cannot take that, you either find some other way to fulfill your community service or stop being such a hypocrite, forcing yourself to look better by doing charity work. as for me, just forget about asking me to buy that coupon of yours. if i really want to contribute, i'll do it my way - a more meaningful way.
charities should stop pulling such gigs. it's unreasonable to expect people to give lump sums to you unless they are rich (that which makes up a small percentage of our population. for your information, the majority of us are NORMAL people struggling to maintain our lives. wake up and smell the coffee.) besides, how would i know if i were giving $5 to some rich man's pocket? how would i know that my money will be going somewhere meaningful? last but not least, if you have the resources to pull off such gimmicks to print and distribute glossy coupons, why waste them on trying to fleece people of money? why not just direct them to make your beneficiaries' lives better? stop being such hypocrites by calling yourselves charity. you insult that term.
forgive my cynicism, but that is basically the reason why i scorn nkf and those organizations with those huge fancy fundraising shows. to contribute money to them is to contribute to the already widening gap between rich and poor. hypocritical glitz and glamour. how would we know the money we give them (by the millions) is actually given to the deserving and not to those volunteers who help out in nkf?
charity, anyone?
don't worry lyn, you are not alone. These people are actually geting like a certain percentage of the amount earned after the coupons are sold. They get even more if they complete certain number of booklets. My friends have done this thats why I know. Whatever it is, don't ever buy such coupons - joie
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:21 PM