Give Until There's Nothing Left...?

I finally talked to that cute boy from portal F today! Or rather, he talked to me. I should come "late" more often. :)


Then I talked to RGFu for the rest of the hour block, or at least until InvisibleMan came, and discovered both that today was Mardi Gras and that I strike some sort of fear into his heart.
Once InvisibleMan got there, he monopolized my debate time as I was forced to explain to him that his inner child was either dead or very sick. Or twisted. And then, just my luck, he continued to literally poke fun at me as the forum started. And I can understand why he did. All my companions were obviously enjoying themselves very much, feeling that their existence as members of the conservative Christian right was validated by his speech. I heard, multiple times, requests for me to lighten up. But how could I lighten up when there is a man on the floor of the Marriott Center misrepresenting reality to his semi-captive audience of thousands of impressionable, young, largely conservative college students?


So when a person gives, they're happy, and they're better workers, so they make more money. Well that sounds just dandy. But the data set is skewed by the fact that if your family is starving, you have no money to spare, and if you're working two or three jobs and trying to raise a family as a single mother, you've got no time to volunteer. And since your life has been full of one disappointment after another, you're not all that happy. Well doesn't that fit nicely into Mr. Brooks' little data set? That Latina single mother must be unhappy because she's not serving her fellow men. If she'd just get out and work in a soup kitchen or donate 2% of her next paycheck, maybe the percent that was going to buy her kids new shoes, she'd be happy, and she'd start making more money, too! Instead of giving to these people, let's definitely get these people to give to others. That's what they need. That'll bring them true happiness.


And what about the giving that Americans do? Yes Mr. Brooks. We're such great givers. We give 3 times as much as French people, and 14 times as much as Italians. Of course, those countries do have much more extensive social systems where the "giving" Americans do is provided for by the government through tax monies. So in other words, they give just as much as we do, but they are "obligated" to through taxing. Which means they're not really being charitable about it. Well, in keeping with the ideas set forth by the conservative right, if these French and Italians weren't happy to aid their poor by paying these taxes, they'd simply vote down the legislation providing for these taxes. They have democracies! The people can change it. You and I both know, Mr. Brooks, that that's not how it works. This is reality, not ideal nations of angels.


Giving is all well and fine, and yes, we should all do more of it. But don't twist your data to vindicate your flawed ideals. Please.