Well, here it is. Feel free to rip to shreds and sew back together! Let me know what you think--it's not quite the Bootstraps Myth, but it should serve. -Karin

The Case Against Charity:

Well, actually, this is not a case against charity. There are those who are in desperate need, and it is our duty to assist them. The question becomes, where is the line between charity and enabling? Is it still an act of charity to give money to a homeless man, even if one knew for sure that the man would spend it on a cheap bottle of booze? When does the kindness of the intent of the giver become cruelty towards the receiver?

Without being labeled a social Darwinian, there is much truth to the fact that it is struggle that makes us stronger. By taking away the struggles of another, we may in fact be weakening them. I remember from high school a girl whose parents bought her a red sports car for her birthday. She wrecked it shortly thereafter, and they just bought her a new one. One of my friends, on the other hand, had saved up the money to buy his own truck. It was a bit of a beater, but he took better care of it than a mother does her child. The fairly obvious lesson is that my friend valued his car because he had had to struggle and sacrifice to earn it. The rich girl trashed a much more expensive car because she felt entitled to it. The not-so-obvious lesson is that my friend also gained valuable lessons in finances and sacrificing instant gratification for a larger goal, lessons that most people must learn if they are to become successful adults. My friend matured and strengthened because he was not simply given a car.

When people begin to feel entitled to certain things, they will not struggle to earn them. Without struggle, they will not learn and grow and become stronger people. Without that strength, they cannot hope to better their circumstances. Simply giving people something without expecting anything in return can be a form of well-intentioned cruelty. Please bear in mind that I am not speaking of those who are in the direst need or who have the worst situations, or those who cannot give back. I am speaking of those who have fallen on hard times, but who can still work. If we raise our expectations for people, most will rise to meet them. Whom does it serve to keep our expectations low? It certainly does not serve us as a community, nor does it serve those whom we would “help.”

Give charity to those who are in actual need of it, but reconsider before handing something over for free. Ask before handing that $5 to a bum: Is this helping or enabling?

"America is not a place where you say, 'Love it or leave it.' You say, 'It's broken; I'll fix it.' "

-Randi Rhodes, Air America Radio.

From: "Duke Schempp" <duke@pepp.org> Reply-To: media@ipepp.org To: media@ipepp.org Subject: RE: [Media] follow up article Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 10:59:18 -0600 (CST) Karin Wrote: > I can play a decent devil's advocate. Just send me a copy of the article > and let me know when you need an opposing piece. > -Karin Great Karin, Just take a pull yourself up by the bootstraps view on why all these people are getting free food, they just need to learn how to manage their money better and work harder like the rest of us! Duke- -;) Here is the article: William Neuheisel letter: Food pantry among our responsibilities The Forum Published Saturday, January 15, 2005 I am impressed with the generosity of this community during this holiday season. People have contributed food, clothing and money to homeless shelters, social service agencies, churches, friends and families. As the temperature has dropped, the thermometer of giving has risen. There is genuine concern that all members of our community have their basic needs met and have a prosperous and comfortable holiday. What concerns me though, is what happens after the holidays are over. Will this generosity and commitment to basic human rights continue? The need for generosity, sharing and giving will continue well into the year. I had the opportunity to review the yearly statistics of Moorhead's Dorothy Day Food Pantry. I was amazed at the number of people that were assisted by this food pantry this year. There were over 17,000 people who received food from the pantry. Most of them were working and their wages were not enough to cover basic human needs for the family. I was also surprised to see that winter was not the time most people needed food. It seems that late summer time is the heaviest time for the food pantry. This is also the time where the pantry receives the least in donations from the community. I would like to challenge the community to keep the spirit of giving continuous throughout the year. I would also like to ask people to create more permanent solutions to hunger in our community. We need better paying jobs, affordable housing and daycare and economic justice for all our community members. The Dorothy Day House served 17,000 adults and children from our metro area and this represents 243,000 pounds of food given away. Next year I would like to see those numbers drop. Not because there are fewer resources; let's see the numbers drop because we have invested in eliminating poverty and hunger by creating economic opportunities for all the members of our community. In the spirit of giving, let us give justice instead of food. William Neuheisel Moorhead _______________________________________________ Media mailing list Media@ipepp.org http://ipepp.org/mailman/listinfo/media