Was Called a Gullible Moron Today

YKA

YKA

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YKA
Today, I was called a 'Gullible Moron' for donating money to a charity. So my question is this a common way of thinking, or just a grumpy old man who needed to be rude?
 
PaulS said:
Charity is a private transaction IMO, talk about it and that's what happens.
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My girlfriend's parents and grandfather were over for dinner, and they liked our new puppy as well. My GF mentioned that I got a golden retriever in part because of my friends guide dog being the same breed, and how much I like it. Then she added that I donate yearly to a charity that raises guide dogs for the blind. Well her grandfather blew a gasket, and started yelling and calling me names.
 
Try to ignore if you can. That reaction sounded uncalled for.
 
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Palmpilot said:
Looking on Google, it seems to be a legitimate charity. The main negative I found is that fundraising costs are 49% of donations. Of course, I have no idea if that has anything to do with the reaction of your girlfriend's grandfather.

https://www.charityintelligence.ca/charity-details/70-canadian-national-institute-for-the-blind
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Good info, thanks.

He hates all charities, and apparently gets mad at anyone who supports a charity, we found out later on tonight.
 
Weird. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
 
There are two schools of thought out there 1) It's your money to use as you wish and 2) Charities arise because the Government isn't doing its job and donating to them just enables that behavior.
 
cgrab said:
There are two schools of thought out there 1) It's your money to use as you wish and 2) Charities arise because the Government isn't doing its job and donating to them just enables that behavior.
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Well, I’d say there’s more schools of thought than that. For example, one would be that charities should be doing this work, and governments shouldn’t have anything to do with it. In other words, people should be helping causes they believe in voluntarily rather than the government forcing you to help causes you may not believe in.
 
cgrab said:
2) Charities arise because the Government isn't doing its job and donating to them just enables that behavior.
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what good charities do isn’t the government’s job in the first place. We all have a moral requirement - but not a compulsion - to help those less fortunate. We apply judgement as to who is really needy and when that is in private hands, it seems to work. In government hands, it is almost always corrupt.
 
YKA said:
Today, I was called a 'Gullible Moron' for donating money to a charity. So my question is this a common way of thinking, or just a grumpy old man who needed to be rude?
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It's a pretty good rule of thumb that when people call you names it's an attempt to draw attention away from themselves. So if someone calls you a "moron", they're afraid they're not that bright; if they call you a "snowflake", they're probably oversensitive to criticism; etc. With the name calling, they're revealing far more about themselves than they realise (especially a deep insecurity), so just look away in embarrassment, the same way you would if someone was walking around with their fly open.
 
I think it's a good and noble thing you did there, and really it's nobody's damned business how you use your money. I'd suppose most here in some way or another support charity.

EDIT: Well, maybe not @Sac Arrow 's Charity.
 
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Of course, none of this proves you aren’t a gullible moron, but that’s another story. :p
 
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I'll flip this on end - I have been given stink-eyed looks by cashiers because I declined the donation at checkout for cancer/MS/pet rescue (at PetCo)/Wounded Warriors.... Problem is... my wife and I donate plenty of money and time to various charities (some of the ones I just listed). Am I a heartless scrooge because I don't donate the $2 when buying groceries??
 
Salty said:
Well, I’d say there’s more schools of thought than that. For example, one would be that charities should be doing this work, and governments shouldn’t have anything to do with it. In other words, people should be helping causes they believe in voluntarily rather than the government forcing you to help causes you may not believe in.
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+10,000!

I give a good amount to various charities but it would be a lot more if I did not pay the obscene taxes I pay.
 
cgrab said:
There are two schools of thought out there 1) It's your money to use as you wish and 2) Charities arise because the Government isn't doing its job and donating to them just enables that behavior.
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Or another school of thought (think PHD) might say government is wholly inefficient and this work is better left for those at the local level who have a passion for it. We can all cite examples of government waste and inefficiency from both sides of the aisle.
 
If you hand over your life savings to some TV preacher, you're a gullible moron. If you give some money to a legit organization you care about, it makes you a good human.

Don't worry about what he thinks, he'll probably be dead soon anyway.
 
YKA said:
Good info, thanks.

He hates all charities, and apparently gets mad at anyone who supports a charity, we found out later on tonight.
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Well, he is just upset that you are giving away the inheritance he expects to get after you are gone ;-)






Most of my charitable giving is to local institutions where I can see how the money is spent. In many of the larger national charities, a good share of the money given is used up for fundraising expenses. Even the 'mission related' expenses go to businesses and consultants associated with the charity rather than the beneficiaries.
 
YKA said:
My GF mentioned that I got a golden retriever in part because of my friends guide dog being the same breed, and how much I like it. Then she added that I donate yearly to a charity that raises guide dogs for the blind. Well her grandfather blew a gasket, and started yelling and calling me names.
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Guide Dogs for the Blind is a very worthwhile charity, and I applaud your generosity. Your GF's grandfather is a grumpy old man.

Goldens are the best.

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YKA said:
My girlfriend's parents and grandfather were over for dinner, and they liked our new puppy as well. My GF mentioned that I got a golden retriever in part because of my friends guide dog being the same breed, and how much I like it. Then she added that I donate yearly to a charity that raises guide dogs for the blind. Well her grandfather blew a gasket, and started yelling and calling me names.
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The only other item I might add, in addition to the many thoughtful comments above, is to perhaps consider the implications of this in terms of family dynamics and your relationship.

Don’t have any idea how far the GF relationship is along, how serious, behavior of the other parties, etc. But if the GF’s parents have some of the same tendencies you could be living with that for a long time. Only you can decide if important at all, but just something to possible consider.
 
Good for you for donating to a charity you believe in! I believe there's a moral obligation to "give back" in some form - that might be money, it might be volunteering, it might be something else.

Sac Arrow said:
Last time I donated to Charity I got a double lap dance.
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Helping those that need money. Good for you, Sac. Remember that your tax deduction might be limited.

bflynn said:
what good charities do isn’t the government’s job in the first place. We all have a moral requirement - but not a compulsion - to help those less fortunate. We apply judgement as to who is really needy and when that is in private hands, it seems to work. In government hands, it is almost always corrupt.
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In earlier days, the government didn't really fund charity work. That changed with the New Deal and the Great Society - but in return we get a tax deduction for what we give to charity. A lot of folks have reduced their gifts to charity because they've been led to believe that the government will fund all needed charities (which is not true) or that they're giving enough money in taxes (compulsory) that the government claims to use to support things that charities used to do (which is unfortunate). I agree with the moral obligation to help the less fortunate.

Bill said:
I think it's a good and noble thing you did there, and really it's nobody's damned business how you use your money. I'd suppose most here in some way or another support charity.

EDIT: Well, maybe not @Sac Arrow 's Charity.
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Agree. Well, maybe Sac's Charity needs the money. Putting food on the table and all that. With luck, there will be a happy ending.
 
YKA said:
its a charity close to my heart.
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This is the most important part of what you said. It's your money and it's something close to your heart. It's not for Grandpa to decide.

I've always donated to St. Jude. I believe in them and like what they do with the money.

When I was going through kidney cancer, I was being treated at Johns Hopkins. I rode in a van from the airport to the hospital. On this ride, I met a mother and her young child who was terminal. The van dropped them off at the Ronald McDonald House. Talking to the Mother later, she told me the stay was free to them and really helped her put money toward the treatment needed to extend her son's life. I'm a big guy and not a pretty crier... but my heart was sure touched that day and I now send them donations. My money, my heart.

Deelee said:
Am I a heartless scrooge because I don't donate the $2 when buying groceries??
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In Texas, we have a grocery store called HEB. They bag up groceries and have a list of what is in them and a price on them. You can grab one and pay for it when checking out and then they give the bag to someone who needs it. I feel much better about this than giving an extra $2 that I'm sure has some admin fee attached to it.
 
Lowflynjack said:
In Texas, we have a grocery store called HEB. They bag up groceries and have a list of what is in them and a price on them. You can grab one and pay for it when checking out and then they give the bag to someone who needs it. I feel much better about this than giving an extra $2 that I'm sure has some admin fee attached to it.
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That's an awesome service! Helps in a real world way.

It's kind of like paying it forward in the fast food line, which I do whenever someone that looks like they might need it pulls up behind me, I pay for their meal for them. Usually a mother in a crappy car that looks like she hasn't slept in days. But really I do it for anyone that looks like they could use a reason to smile. (Unless they are driving around in a brand new $50,000 car).

I've done it a couple times in the grocery store also, but I'm not willing to blow $200 on someone I haven't checked out first, so only when they have a smallish cart full of practical stuff.
 
GaryM said:
Guide dog aviation content!

(I remember this one from my pre-pilot days. Only noticed when I looked it up today that Larson routed the wing spar through the center of the turbine.)
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That's what probably confused the guide dog...
 
If giving to this particular cause makes one a "gullible moron," then we could use a lot more gullible morons.

My only caveat is that, if there is a cause to which I want to donate, I do it directly, and not by response to a solicitation from a paid canvasser.
 
This is a reason I believe charitable acts should be done in secret. Those that give and have to talk about it are doing so for recognition. The ones that give in silence receive their own inner benefit.

Besides, any financial, income, purchases, giving, should all be kept private.
 
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