Am I an insensitive bastard?

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

Let me give you a run down on a typical work day:

6:30 Alarm clock rings, I get up, pick up the newspaper and see somewhere on page X an appeal to please donate some money to charity cause Y

7:00 Take the bus to work where a poster hangs to please donate money to charity cause Z

7:30 At work, start my computer, open my mail and also read my private mail which is 90% spam. Some of these mails request to please think of charity cause Q and the little blind girl across the street (or something like that)

10:00 Take a snack at work where next to the sweetie box is a little pot to please donate your change to charity cause W.

12:30 Go out for lunch, go to the sandwich shop around the corner and find on the counter another of those pots to please donate your change to charity cause T. On the way back, I’m ambushed by charity workers for cause U to sign up and support their cause.

1:30 Come back from lunch to find an email from the company to tell that this year we won’t have a Christmas Night Out, bu instead donate that money to charity cause V. (I actually think this is a good idea, I hate Christmas Nights Out anyway).

4:00 Time to go home. I walk home and find on my way back: charity workers for cause S, some beggars and posters telling me to ‘Save the Rainforest, donate blah’

6:00 I’m busy making tea when the doorbell rings. Charity worker for cause R, trying me to sign up so that they can automatically withdraw X amount of money form my bank account per month. I ask if I can’t just give money, but that is impossible for some reason.

8:00 Watching the tele when show A is trying to find sponsors for charity cause K (I’m running out of letters here). I decide to go to the pub.

10:00 Pub. Having a pint with my friends when suddenly this guy comes up to us to please find a spot in our heart to donate to charity cause J. I’m almost losing my temper and ignore the guy. A few minutes later an elder lady comes up to beg for charity cause F. I just pretend I don’t hear her.

Now, this might be slightly exaggerated, but of the examples above at least 8 or 9 happen daily. I used to give some money to the occasional cause, but now I’m getting so jaded that I even can’t be bothered to actually donate to real causes like AIDS or Cancer Research, there are just too many charity causes to care for.

Is it me that’s getting insensitive, or should charity find a different way of approaching people? Is it just me or do other people have this problem as well? Or is it just Edinburgh that is flooded with charity workers?

#2

Nah, just put it down to over-exposure. It’s hard to walk a whole street now without seeing a dozen adverts for charitable concerns, a couple of charity fund raising shops and so on. After a while it becomes part of the background. Then again, I am an insensitive bastard so you might want to ask someone else.

#3

I don’t think you’re insensitive. Just donate to the cause of your choice (May I suggest St. Judes Childrens Hospital or the Humane Society?) When people approach you, just say you appreciate their need, but your allotted funds have already been used.

Zette

#4

Simple answer, I give at work. This is true. My company is a corporate sponsor for a large charity organization, of which I happen to agree with. For that reason I make a large donation each year, which is deducted from my check in any way that I desire. I have X amount deducted each paycheck. Anyone else that contacts me, or asks for a donation I simply explain that I already donate to my charity of choice. I wish I did have the money to give to each and every group. But I don’t, so I give to the group that I think does the most good for the most people.