[ExI] Charity vs. Entitlements

ablainey at aol.com ablainey at aol.com
Tue Apr 29 22:45:06 UTC 2008




-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Corbin lcorbin at rawbw.com


Rafal responds to Stathis:

> Stathis wrote:
> 
> > Charity is fickle and degrading; when
> > I'm given something I want it to be
> > because I'm entitled to it.
>
>Exactly!!!   I myself probably just suffered a family
>reverse because I had been too generous to a .sibling.
>The poor resent the rich anyway, and generosity
>only makes it worse, at least for all too many.

 
I am on the fence with this. As someone who has come from less than nothing to considerably more, I have been recipient of charity and 
given it to others. I have always had that dirty and indebted feeling on the few occasions when someone has bailed me out of a situation
when I had neither the means or ability to help myself. because of this I have had a few periods of unemployment when I refused to take
state handouts. Which perversely prevented me from receiving any practical help or other free 'entitlements' because I wasn't signing on.
Despite that, I have always felt that you learn nothing and only loose self respect when you take charity.


Now the shoe is on the other well healed foot, I only give to those who cannot help themselves. Financially that is. Anyone is welcome to
my time and what little expertise and intelligence I have.
 

>I congratulate Stathis on seeing through to the way that
>poor people really think, despite his own favorable 
>position. (As for me, for some reason I am incredibly
>grateful to people when they do me a favor because
>they have some talent I lack;  I *believe* that I'd really,
>really be grateful if some old friend struck it rich and gave
>me a million dollars.)
>
 

I do think that the poor are indoctrinated into a culture of entitlement. They deeply believe that free handouts are a right and it surprises

me to what lengths and hard work they will go to receive something which they perceive as free. If only they could direct some of that

business savvy, logistical skill and hard work in the direction of supporting themselves. It is doubly troubling when people who do just that 

are ostracised by their family and peers or are the recipients of constant begging.

Alex


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