Oopsie, and I just noticed that myself. Thanks!
I didn’t know you weren’t American (perhaps I did–you’re British or Canadian, right?)
Since I’ve never lived within those cultures (although I have visited both several times), I can’t say for sure. The CU wasn’t being a “jerk” here–the OP’s friends might have been; certainly some here have been. Maybe if I put it another way:
In a sport, do Brits like to cheer on the undefeated team or do they want the opposition to have a sporting chance? Brits like underdogs. They also tend to be somewhat diffident about their successes. Ditto Canadiens. Americans aren’t. They revel in their successes and love winners. (you realize this is grossly oversimplified, but look at the Atlanta Olympics for one example–the rudeness of the America fans in the gymnastics arena [and that was called “over-exuberance” or “just cheering on USA!” here]; and to use another Olympic example, the recent “loss” of the Olympics by Chicago. It was considered an embarrassment by many in the press, and here, lordknowswhy ).
I’m sure that all other countries have their jerks as well, but perhaps they are jerks about other things?
So, inasmuch as anyone can state categorically that one nation harbors this or that characteristics, I say that America doesn’t like losers and they don’t like people to talk about their failures. This is considered whining or open season on giving now useless advice, but as has been said upthread, it serves the purpose of distancing the criticizer from the “loser”. Woulda, coulda, shoulda makes the listener more comfortable; it doesn’t help the person having trouble at all.
I’m american, but a hockey fan. Make of that what you will.
Or perhaps they’re not. It’s an assumption being treated as fact with little to support it.
If we’re again using this thread as a cross section of America, I think it fails to support your argument. Aside from a handful, the thread has been supportive in nature.
As for the underdog theme, as a culture american movies glorify the underdog. It’s one of the great classic formulas. I’ll point to every single sports, dance, action, romance, and whathave you movie. We like the underdogs to win, the nerd to dance, the outnumbered hero to triumph, and for the romantic lead to marry the scruffy but well intentioned slob as opposed to the rich/gorgeous person. Even then, underdogs are supported because universally (across cultures) we want them to win in either a straight up or a moral sense.
I don’t follow sports, so the only example I can give is the Cubs. I have several friends who are huge fans. When they talk about it with other people (at least when I’m around), it seems like about 1/3 also love the Cubs and support the underdog–it’s just so exciting when they win!–and the other 2/3 want to know why the hell they’d support a team of losers.
Make of that what you will. It’s wildly unscientific and filtered through someone who couldn’t care less about sports. But that’s my observation. More people love winners than losers.
My business partner’s wife also tried valiantly to keep up appearances with their friends and family. She didn’t want any mention of how badly the business was going or that it had failed. She was ashamed to let anyone know what had happened.
I think a lot of people like to claim to support the underdog, but in reality, most of us like to win. And we don’t like to be associated with people who don’t win. (Personally, I like people with good stories to tell. Usually those are the losers, or the winners who took a long time to get there.)
Your situation is precisely why I believe there ought to be a federal bank open to all U.S citizens. What happened to you was inexcusable:
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What if you were temporarily holding cash for a funeral or for a large purchase, only to find that the money you had in your account was taken? T*he money in your bank account is yours. *For a credit union to reach their hand in your account and take some cash amounts to theft.
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If a credit union wants steal funds from your account, they should have the decency to notify of you the transaction before hand.
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I can’t believe it’s legal what they did to you.
If we had a nationalized bank, this shit wouldn’t happen. While I wouldn’t put my money in a matress; I’d certainly open a new checking account with another bank and make sure to refuse any credit card offers from them.
- Honesty
Considering the fact that there are 30 teams in baseball and 1/3 of the people you know are Cubs fans, I’d say that’s a pretty big percentage of fans who support a “losing” team.
Not 1/3 of the people I know. But my friends who are Cubs fans (I can think of three), when I’m with them and they strike up a conversation with someone else about sports, 1/3 of the people they talk to will agree with them and say they are Cubs fans as well.
As I said, wildly unscientific and probably not accurate either given how quickly my eyes glaze over when the topic turns to sports.
OH, I forgot to mention…
We were out of town this weekend, helping my in-laws take care of some stuff around their house to get ready for winter. When we got back this afternoon, there was a letter from the credit union letting us know they withdrew money from our account.
Whew. Good thing they let us know. That could’ve been really upsetting…
But at least they did notify us. Eventually.
Yes, it’s a classic formula because the underdog WINS in the end. How many movies are about the Charlie Brown team making it to the tournament and then losing?
Another common theme is plain Jane marries Hero–but Plain Jane isn’t so plain after her makeover (or in the case of librarians or teachers, letting her hair down and removing her glasses). She’s a winner in disguise.
I like the underdog as well; I just don’t see American culture treating those who fail, even in the clinch or at the end, kindly. Of course this isn’t true of every single American, but even our humor lacks the twisted dryness of British humor–we don’t do self-deprecating or dark humor well in general. Obviously, YMMV about this. Fair enough.
Well, there’s the Bad News Bears, and Rocky.
Well, what would you consider supporting it? It’s a subjective observation about the culture that one lives in.
FWIW, I have lived in another country, and it did appear to me as though Americans are more gung-ho about winning and success and less accepting of failure than other nations. They call it the “American Dream” for a reason.
We’ve already gone over it in this very thread. The credit union did not steal anything. What does saving for a funeral or a large purchase have to do with it? Your naivete is stunning.
Cite?
The Cubs are atypical of most ‘loser’ teams, they have a big payroll and make a whole ton of money. See also: Redskins, Knicks, and Rangers (NHL). They aren’t the plucky Marlins who seem to win on grit and determination alone.
Bullshit. If you drive drunk, you don’t get credit for not crashing this time. There’s nothing savvy about turning a blind eye to this sort of insolvency until everything collapses. It’s unethical, even if it isn’t criminal in the United States.
If Moonstarssun continues to focus on defending her attempts at damage control instead of looking at how she could have prevented the situation altogether, she’s not going to do any better the next time, is she? Personally, I’d rather make sure there isn’t a next time.
I don’t have any first hand knowledge of this, but doesn’t a small business involve a huge amount of debt and risk usually? That’s what I’ve always heard. In fact, on another board where I am a frequent poster, the conservatives are always arguing against taxing entrepreneurs because they are the ones who drive the economy at great personal risk.
Is it irresponsible to start a business at all? Or am I incorrect in my impression that these risks are necessary at startup? I admittedly am not well versed in this, but I’m curious.
If you have money in a savings account at a bank it is not the bank’s money, it is your money. Taking money that does not legally belong to you is called “stealing”. Yes, the credit union might have the right to seize any of your assets which they are holding, or freeze your account, but there are legal procedures which must be followed first. Sending a letter after the fact does not constitute due process, unless the loan agreement which the OP signed specifically stated that the credit union has the right to withdraw money from any account at any time.
It seems to me to be of dubious legality to simply set-off money in your account against what you owe.
It may be that they have a right to it - but that, surely, is up to a court to decide (absent you having signed over a right to set-off in whatever loan agreement you signed). If you owe me money and don’t pay, I cannot exercise “self help” by pocketing some of your handy posessions while I’m visiting your house.
Edit: Oops, Lurkmeister already said as much.
I am a member of a credit union (currently with just the bare minimum required to keep the account open) and the last time I took a loan out from them it was very explicit in the loan agreement that, in some circumstances, they could indeed take any money I had in a savings account with them and apply towards the loan balance. In addition to it being in writing this was also verbally explained to me at the time I signed the papers. This was standard with every loan issued by that credit union. It certainly can be legal.
Of course, many people sign papers without reading them, and many people, several years down the line, may have forgotten that part of the agreement.
That said, this same credit union is known for working with people if you talk to them about your situation. Of course, even if do communicate effectively with a credit union (or anyone else you owe money to) that doesn’t guarantee the results will be something you’re happy with in the end.
Me, I also kept my main household checking account at a separate financial institution from the credit union so there was no way they could “confiscate” my paycheck. But that’s me. If I had been 20 years younger I may well have not known to do that. Most people aren’t taught much about financial matters and all too often have to learn the hard way.
It probably did.
Yes, they will. But they will always have more money owed to them and other assets than money owed to others. So if push comes to shove they sell everything, pay off their debts, and keep what’s left.
The risk an entrepreneur faces is that their share in the business will reduce in value, meaning that if they sell the business, there will be less money left over than they put in. If it goes far enough that you start reneging on your debts you aren’t the one at risk any more, your creditors are.