Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

I don't remember which class it was (since it's been about 100 years ago) but in middle school I wrote a paper that said something along the lines of, "If you're nice to people, they'll be nice to you." At the bottom of that paper, in red ink, my teacher suggested I think long and hard about that. I got a good grade but for years afterwards I felt like a chump, like I'd just fallen off the turnip truck and made myself a target for every mean person I would ever come across.

But I still feel that way. I know there are jerks out there who will steal the stink off shit if they get the chance. I know there are liars and ass hats who live just to make other people miserable, and I avoid them when I can. When I can't, I fight back hard and don't regret it, but I don't let the morons of this world set the tone for how I treat everybody else.

A blogger I follow brought up some good points about designers and dyers who put out patterns and yarns with the intention of donating some or all of the proceeds to charitable causes. I have no problem with her bringing up the issue. None, zip, zero, nada, so please don't send me hate mail about her. I think she has a lot of valid points. In fact, it bothered me that some responders told her they were as jaded as she is, because I don't see her as being jaded at all. Here is where we might differ, however: I have no problem with supporting charitable causes through purchases. The fact that the designer or dyer gets exposure and maybe a tax write-off doesn't bother me. Who wrote the rule that a good deed doesn't count if the doer benefits too? What does bother me is the fact that some people will use this as an excuse NOT to give, and that breaks my heart.

If you are one of those stink-stealing people who takes advantage of others, may you get the Mother of All Hemorrhoids. You are stealing more than money; you are stealing faith and hope, and in the end that's all we really have that's worth anything, family and friends aside. When I hear Sarah Palin ask how that "hopey changey thing is workin' for ya'," I want to bitch-slap her and do the jail time. I've been to that place where hope is so close to being gone that I bequeathed my green bananas. It's not a punch line to me. If wanting to hold on to hope makes me a chump so be it.

It's a good thing to be cautious about who we give our hard earned money (and time) to. Norma is 100% right about that. I figure she's earned her place in The Great LYS in the Sky for the Red Scarf project alone, never mind how loving she is to that adorable dog of hers. I've never met the woman but I know she has a heart of gold. But so do the people who write patterns and ask us to buy them so they can help give hope to others.

All together now, people! Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya. Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya...

3 comments:

  1. Heh-heh, Kumbayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Made me giggle. I do hope no one thinks I was bashing designers. And I do agree that everyone's heart is (more than likely) in the right place.

    I don't even mind if a person makes a windfall once in a while to offset all the agony and paltry earnings that are probably the usual case, though too bad it has to happen as a result of some tragedy or other.

    I do get a little itchy about the tax deduction thing, though, because I am a self-employed person who gets regularly and fully hammered with taxes. And if I could figure out a way to get someone to send me a boatload of money to help me with my tax burden via big old deduction due to a charitable contribution, .... well, hey! lightbulb moment! Maybe this was all sour grapes on my part. LOL. No. It wasn't. But anyway.....

    kumbaya. :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Norma, we might be disappointing a few people who expect us to have a cat fight over this. Maybe we should pretend to slap each other or something. I'll buy the beer after, but you have to promise to bring Mr. J. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. singing along here .... you women rule - and I agree 100% about the kindness. Turnip truck? I don't think so. The Dalai Lama asks us to fight ignorance, anger and ass hats with weapons of wisdom and kindness. He's got my vote.

    ReplyDelete

A few people seem to be having problems leaving comments. I have no clue why--Blogger doesn't make it easy to figure these things out. If you are having issues, you can always email me. Thanks for commenting, or trying to...