Help me -- I'm incredibly jaded now.

Good post.

I've been saying for years that there have always been rich and poor people. There always will be. But the difference is that in 1910, you just HEARD that the Rockefellers were rich. You weren't invited into their homes every night on MTV "Cribs." What makes matters worse is that you see illiterate fools like the Ying-Yang Twins renting Bentleys for the "Cribs" shoot and everyone figures they can lead the same lifestyle. No one sees the Bentley dealership coming back to collect the goods once the cameras leave.

 

There's a guy in my town who took it upon himself to help some of the Katrina evacuees who relocated here. They were placed in a local church camp that had a number of small single-family style cabins. So this guy goes to one of them and asks if there's anything she needs. First thing that comes out of her mouth is a TV. Not food, clothes, transportation or anything most of us would consider necessities. She did have kids, so he didn't question it, and he went and bought her a TV, then took it to her. When he delivered it, she said, you know, they don't have cable here, do you think you could help us out? He thought it was strange, but went ahead and paid for a couple of months' worth of cable. Then she called him and said, "This TV's too small ..." He immediately hung up.

Very disillusioning when someone tries to take advantage of someone's generosity.

 

I've had this question come up with family members, in the context of church giving and people who abuse it. Granted my answer is rooted in my religious beliefs, but I think it works from a secular standpoint also.

You are responsible for helping others.
They are responsible for what they do with that help.

 

Good point, Dixie. I was about to give up giving a buck to the panhandler on the street for fear he'd buy a plasma TV with it.

 

This is the downside to working in the non-profit or social sector: the disillusionment.

I used to work with inner-city kids in a sports capacity. The kids were dressed better than I was. And most, not all, were ingrate brats to boot.

 

The only time I've given a panhandler money in the last 10 years when a guy came up to me and asked for a dollar so he could buy some beer. Gotta reward the truth.

 

I should try that in front of my liquor store. Sign: "Want to buy Grey Goose. Only have money for Aristocrat. Help me."

 

I have a 27-inch TV that's been sitting on my floor unused since January. Anyone want it?

 

We just ran a brief on a woman who rented a $2,000 HDTV from Rent-A-Center and tried to sell it at a second-hand store.
Hello felony larceny and fraud charges.
If you drive through some of the poorest areas of my town, you'll see more satellite dishes than ESPN's HQ in Bristol.

 

The poor can't be bothered to mess with your lame 27-inch TV. Is it flat screen? Is it plasma?

 

No, just a regular old color TV that my rabbit ears won't work on. I've pretty much given up on TV viewing so it's just become a piece of furniture.