Charity worker told my mother to "get f*****"...

[Becks]

As my friend was loping along, he called back over his shoulder, "Dude? You suck as a predator."

Oh, that's funny!!!!! I would so totally say that myself!!!!!!!

[Tria]

KZC is dead, 100 percent right.

People like this know they can do what they do because 90% of everyone else is too polite to call them on it. They know that most of us are uncomfortable being rude.

Now see, I am one of the lovely 10% that calls people on their chosen flaw du jur.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yeah, me too. I figure it often falls to me to be the prick. Someone's got to do it.

Which brings me to a point I try to live by: If someone's got to be pissed off, it might as well be the OTHER guy.

I would rather nobody be pissed off. But if someone's jerkiness causing a problem for me, I'll serve that right on back. Then I don't go home feeling like "I wish I'd said something to that jerk." The jerk is pissed at being called out, but...so?

[Jade Pheonix]

(Sorry if this is kinda long)

I never give money to these "charity workers" simply because I know how they work. There was one time I almost became one of them. It was one of those " Help the poor children" charities that offered between $300 and $900 a week.

I was interested because of the good pay and they were interested in my special talent of making sales, the result of working in retail for four years. But then I asked where my paycheck would come from in a "non-profit" organization.

"You get 30% out of what you gather in pledges." the recruiter told me. Basically, my paycheck would be 30% of the money people pledged to help the "poor children"

"And, when you get promoted to being my assistant, you'll get 80%"

At first, this sounded fine to me, more money in my pocket. But then I slipped and fell on a patch of ice, hitting my head. It was then that my concience kicked in, told me it was wrong and I could do better. I limped up back to the recruiter and said I changed my mind, and then called the organization a phoney.


Long story short and some advice: When confronted with panhandlers, especially in the holiday season with all the "It's for the children!" charities, offer non-money donations like clothes, books, and toys. Chances are, they'll say they only accept money. Your donation is, after all, their paycheck.

[protege]

How about this? One of my grandmother's friends would always donate to a certain Midwestern college (with the same name as a large cathedral in France). For years, she'd make the same amount. About 5 years ago, the school actually got pissy with her because she didn't want to increase the amount. Not surprisingly, she told them to "get bent" and hasn't sent them another dime.

BTW, can you imagine a lady in her early-to-mid-80s saying "Get bent?" That just made my day when she told me

[Dreamstalker]

BTW, can you imagine a lady in her early-to-mid-80s saying "Get bent?" That just made my day when she told me

That sounds like something my step-grandmother would do.

[SongsOfDragons]

About two people this semester have tried to get me to sign up for something I can in no way afford. Both times I've told them I'm on student budget and have to spend my money on food, toiletries and uni supplies. The first ignored that, the second tried for the guilt trip about people starving in Africa. That pissed me off, so I just went 'me starving myself is not going to help Africa in the slightest'.

The only charity I give to is the one I'm a member of, Epilepsy Action, and that is it.

[MystyGlyttyr]

HA! I got some today! This couldn't have been scripted better. Booya, heh heh.

I was headed into Wal-Mart today and the usual bell ringers were there, but there were some other freaks lurking around, too. One of them approached me.

Lady: "Hi, we're with Cure Autism Now-,"
Me: "No."
Lady: "Uhh...um, we're collecting for-,"
Me: "No."
Lady: "Look, we-,"
Me: "I know who you are and I know what you're doing. The answer is no."
Lady: *miffed* "Don't you care about curing this disease??"
Me: "I'm an anti-cure Aspie."
Lady: *obviously not catching the whole statement* "How can you be against a cure for autism?!"
Me: "I AM autistic, and I LIKE being this way."
Lady: *incredulous* "You can't be autistic!"
Me: "Oh, I can't, huh? Don't you know what Asperger's Syndrome is? Do you know how wide the autistic spectrum goes? You ever been to aspiesforfreedom.com? Do you know anything about the 'disease' you're campaigning against other than what's in your crappy little brochure?"
Lady: *stammers* "We...wuh...you're..."
Me: "Again. No." *enters store*

Whether or not you agree with the politics I leveled her with (and I'm cool if you don't, just don't scream at me please ), you have to agree that if you're going to be collecting money for something, you should have at least SOME working knowledge of your subject...

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Having a buddy who is pretty much a functioning autistic, what you said is probably right on.

And as for Aspergers, I bet the guys and gals making billions of dollars in Silicon Valley aren't busting their butts to be cured of their "afflictions."

[Casino Jockey]

Whether or not you agree with the politics I leveled her with (and I'm cool if you don't, just don't scream at me please ), you have to agree that if you're going to be collecting money for something, you should have at least SOME working knowledge of your subject...

Awesome!!! as an aspie i totaly agree with what you said. I did a few units of psych at uni and even they had not much clue about AS!

i wouldn't trade my AS for anything.

[JustADude]

Okay... woah... you know, I did some reading on Asperger's Syndrome since I realised I didn't know jack about the subject, and I have an odd feeling I might just qualify. I'm torn between being depressed at having finally been stuck with a lable and proud that there may be other people whose heads work like mine.

[Dreamstalker]

Awesome!!! as an aspie i totaly agree with what you said. I did a few units of psych at uni and even they had not much clue about AS!

i wouldn't trade my AS for anything.

Me neither. Yes, I have my bizarre (and at some times incomprehensible) quirks, but that's what makes me me. BTW, cool site, Mysty! I hadn't seen that one.

Have either of you read The Speed of Dark?

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