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Questionable Charity
17 years ago
General
Cross-posted from my LiveJournal Page:
I consider myself a fairly charitable person. I donate to various charity organizations on a regular basis. I have commissioned artwork from friends who were short of money to pay bills. I have given assistance to complete strangers (like when I recently helped a middle-aged couple get their car out of the snow). I do these things willingly because I look at it as my way of balancing out the rudeness and lack of common courtesy that increasingly infects our society in these difficult times.
Yesterday, I came across a situation in which a person's response to my charity rubbed me the wrong way...
Yesterday, Artemis and I went to the mall. As we were walking into the entrance, we were stopped by a man handing out CDs. Handing Artemis and me each a CD, he said that he was "trying to get the word out" about his music. He said that we were welcome to make copies, but that we should not give away the originals. Before I could respond, he asked for a donation to cover his costs.
I pulled two dollars out of my wallet. On this, he said, "It's a three-dollar donation." When I pulled a third dollar bill out, he said, "The CDs are three dollars each."
I paused for a moment. He didn't mention a specific dollar amount in the beginning, and saw fit to ask for more when I offered two dollars. What if I'd offered three dollars to start? Would he then have told me that it was a four-dollar donation for each CD?
"Good sir," I said. "I am giving you back one CD, then."
The man frowned. "Well, I was just about to give you a deal by letting you have them both for five dollars."
So what was supposed to be a donation is sounding more and more like a sale, I thought. "I'll take one CD, and you get three dollars," I said firmly.
I handed him my CD. The man, "Well, if that's the case, you can have this one instead," taking Artemis' CD out of her hand and replacing it with one containing a fewer number of tracks.
As we continued into the mall, I became very irritated with what had happened. I don't mind helping people, but this was a sale (and possibly a con game) disguised as an act of "getting the word out" about his music. If he'd been upfront about the numbers, I would have felt better about the situation.
On our way home, I looked inside the plastic sandwich bag containing the CD. Inside was a leaflet titled "Know Your Rights". The bullet points on the slip (minus the explanations) were:
1. Don't Leave Contraband in Plain View.
2. Never Consent to a Search.
3. Don't Answer Questions Without an Attorney Present.
4. Determine if You Can Leave.
5. Do Not Be Hostile; Do Not Physically Resist
6. Informing on Others (short explanation stated not to do so without an attorney present)
7. Learn More (linking to a website)
We listened to part of the CD. What we heard was mostly gangsta rap (including one track that made heavy use of the N- and F-words). In fairness, I linked to the website (flexyourrights.org). The web site had some decent advice on how to conduct oneself during an encounter with the police. All the same, the music had little to do with this leaflet's message. Whatever message the man was trying to get out, it doesn't change the fact that his sales/charity pitch left much to be desired.
Meanwhile, I have no plans to let this encounter change my nature. I will still help others in need, for I know that the economy will get worse before it gets better.
I consider myself a fairly charitable person. I donate to various charity organizations on a regular basis. I have commissioned artwork from friends who were short of money to pay bills. I have given assistance to complete strangers (like when I recently helped a middle-aged couple get their car out of the snow). I do these things willingly because I look at it as my way of balancing out the rudeness and lack of common courtesy that increasingly infects our society in these difficult times.
Yesterday, I came across a situation in which a person's response to my charity rubbed me the wrong way...
Yesterday, Artemis and I went to the mall. As we were walking into the entrance, we were stopped by a man handing out CDs. Handing Artemis and me each a CD, he said that he was "trying to get the word out" about his music. He said that we were welcome to make copies, but that we should not give away the originals. Before I could respond, he asked for a donation to cover his costs.
I pulled two dollars out of my wallet. On this, he said, "It's a three-dollar donation." When I pulled a third dollar bill out, he said, "The CDs are three dollars each."
I paused for a moment. He didn't mention a specific dollar amount in the beginning, and saw fit to ask for more when I offered two dollars. What if I'd offered three dollars to start? Would he then have told me that it was a four-dollar donation for each CD?
"Good sir," I said. "I am giving you back one CD, then."
The man frowned. "Well, I was just about to give you a deal by letting you have them both for five dollars."
So what was supposed to be a donation is sounding more and more like a sale, I thought. "I'll take one CD, and you get three dollars," I said firmly.
I handed him my CD. The man, "Well, if that's the case, you can have this one instead," taking Artemis' CD out of her hand and replacing it with one containing a fewer number of tracks.
As we continued into the mall, I became very irritated with what had happened. I don't mind helping people, but this was a sale (and possibly a con game) disguised as an act of "getting the word out" about his music. If he'd been upfront about the numbers, I would have felt better about the situation.
On our way home, I looked inside the plastic sandwich bag containing the CD. Inside was a leaflet titled "Know Your Rights". The bullet points on the slip (minus the explanations) were:
1. Don't Leave Contraband in Plain View.
2. Never Consent to a Search.
3. Don't Answer Questions Without an Attorney Present.
4. Determine if You Can Leave.
5. Do Not Be Hostile; Do Not Physically Resist
6. Informing on Others (short explanation stated not to do so without an attorney present)
7. Learn More (linking to a website)
We listened to part of the CD. What we heard was mostly gangsta rap (including one track that made heavy use of the N- and F-words). In fairness, I linked to the website (flexyourrights.org). The web site had some decent advice on how to conduct oneself during an encounter with the police. All the same, the music had little to do with this leaflet's message. Whatever message the man was trying to get out, it doesn't change the fact that his sales/charity pitch left much to be desired.
Meanwhile, I have no plans to let this encounter change my nature. I will still help others in need, for I know that the economy will get worse before it gets better.
better message than the one he sold with his music.
Plus, I doubt that he follows those seven tips seriously.