Originally written by Kilgore on 07 Jan 2006.
George’s homeless person essay got me thinking about the whole issue of charity and why people are often quite reluctant to give to certain causes or individuals. Why should we care how the money is spent? Doesn’t it become their money after we’ve given it to them?
When people give to charity, they’re not actually giving so much as buying a service. In essence, they’re not philanthropists so much as customers who are fulfilling their self-interest. In George’s homeless person case, he is buying a bit of expiation for some perceived guilt because he is a pampered middle class white boy harangued by leftist pinko pukes for his “theft.” But George gets around this by pointing out correctly that this homeless person is probably a substance abuser and would “waste” the money. Yet, we have no qualms when the grocer takes the profits he gets from the food he sells us and spends it on Budweiser. That’s because it is his money to do with as he pleases.
In the case of the homeless person, it really is the same way. It’s his money, and if he spends it on crack, why should we care? But we do care because it isn’t his money at all. Like the grocer analogy, we are buying something, and that something is the promotion of our own values. This is why people seem to have no such moral hangups about giving to a political action group or party or some activitst organization like Greenpeace. They may or may not be wasting the money, but no one seems to care so long as they keep doing what they were paid to do which is to promote our interests. The same applies to churches and religious organizations. People don’t question these outfits because they are doing the job they were paid to do.
In the case of homeless people, giving them money promotes laziness and substance abuse. Therefore, we don’t want to pay for this sh*t. It makes total sense. In this way, we see that egoism trumps altruism. By being selfish, we actually become discriminating in where our money will go, and it goes to worthy causes while flowing way from unworthy causes like your local neighborhood crackhead.
The Left doesn’t really care about whether a cause is worthy or not. This is because they believe naively in altruism. It doesn’t matter what is accomplished as long as it is all done from pure intentions. This is how you get someone like Bono who wants the West to give more money to corrupt African governments and gives you a sob story about some guy in Ethiopia dying from AIDS when you question his logic.
What is my response to someone like George who wants to give? Really simple. First of all, quit feeling guilty. Second of all, give to those organizations and individuals that will promote your values. In other words, be selfish about it. It’s your money, so you have earned the right to spend it as you please. If that means giving it to some junkie to buy smack, then so be it. But I think most of us want our money to go towards some good, and good is that which we value. I don’t get into those questions since I think they are person relative. All I will say is that the customer is always right.
The next time a bum asks you for a dime ask him what’s in it for you. Chances are they will tell you not a damn thing. But a legit organization can answer that question everytime. That’s because by their very nature they aim to please the customer. The bum doesn’t care whether you are happy or not. He only cares about his happiness and not your values. Therefore, let the f*cker starve and die. He would do the same thing to you. And if you feel guilty about your good fortune, ask yourself, who did I rob or kill in order to get what I have? If you haven’t deprived anyone of their life, liberty, or property, you should quit feeling bad about what you have. You earned it. It is yours.
Finally, all people are selfish. Don’t think for a moment that the altruistic among us are really sacrificing. Even the lonely old woman who gives her Social Security check to some TV preacher expects to get something back in the next life even if she starves to death in this one. We give because we expect to get. Even parents give to their children because they expect their children to be an extension of their own lives and values. Then, they disown them when the kidsget nose rings and purple mohawks. Is it wrong to be selfish? If you’re not hurting anyone, I say no. But it is stupid to paint your selfishness as sacrifice when it clearly isn’t.
Out.
