# Either volunteer or STFU **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 13, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836 "2013-11-13T17:20:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/1 "2013-11-13T17:20:40Z")
Our PTA is holding a fundraiser and a few parents are loudly protesting the vendor. Did they attend the PTA meeting where fundraisers were discussed? Did they volunteer to be on the fundraising committee? Did they offer to help or provide comments to the fundraising committee? Did they comment after the fundraiser was proposed before the commitment was made? You guessed it: nope. They need to just STFU. The PTA consists of people who generously volunteer their time to help the school – criticism is fine but not loudly and publicly. (For the record, I pay PTA dues but otherwise am not involved – so even if I’m not thrilled with what they are doing I keep my mouth shut.) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/2 "2013-11-13T17:23:08Z")
Out of sheer curiosity: who’s the vendor? I mean, it’s one thing if the vendor is Pringles or something, quite another if it’s the Westboro crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/3 "2013-11-13T18:39:52Z")
The sheer bald-assed boldness of people to bitch about things that they didn’t bother to help with always astounds me. You didn’t want to pay anything or participate in anything, so STFU is indeed the correct response. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/4 "2013-11-13T18:41:07Z")
Word. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/5 "2013-11-13T18:46:03Z")
Participate or not, selling _Death to the Jews!_ brand potato chips might have some negative connotations for the school. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/6 "2013-11-13T18:49:04Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Out of sheer curiosity: who’s the vendor? I mean, it’s one thing if the vendor is Pringles or something, quite another if it’s the Westboro crowd. Same question. What are they raising such a stink about? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/7 "2013-11-13T22:43:55Z")
If its NAMBLA I can kind of sympathize with them… ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/8 "2013-11-13T22:47:39Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > If its NAMBLA I can kind of sympathize with them… Yea, I get where the OP is coming from, but I suspect there is some things that a PTA could do where it would in fact be appropriate to protest their decision, even if I didn’t get involved earlier. After all, there’s only so many hours in the day, and one can’t participate in everything. I don’t think that means we can’t expect the people who do participate to do at least a semi-competant job, and complain if they don’t. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Participate or not, selling _Death to the Jews!_ brand potato chips might have some negative connotations for the school. 🙂 Seriously, those things taste terrible! ---
**Author:** ![Happyasaclam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7c8e57/32.png) [@Happyasaclam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happyasaclam)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/9 "2013-11-13T23:00:54Z")
My hats off to any kind of volunteer in schools. it’s a real cut throat place to be sometimes. I too pay for PTA and stfu. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/10 "2013-11-13T23:07:26Z")
I would expect the PTA to put reasonable effort into choosing a vendor that wouldn’t be too controversial or offensive. It’s part of their job. If they chose _Death to the Jews!_ potato chips, yeah, I’d feel that it was okay to complain even if I hadn’t commented before. If they chose that nasty flavored popcorn stuff instead of something I considered a better idea, I’d have no place to complain. So I’m really interested to hear what the situation here is. > [@Simplicio](#): > > Seriously, those things taste terrible! The Zyklon B flavored ones aren’t too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/11 "2013-11-13T23:26:47Z")
I’m not a fan of the chips, but the commercials with their mascot, Swasti, make me chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/12 "2013-11-13T23:40:20Z")
OP here. The vendor is Boosterthon. They come in and do a very enthusiastic presentation to the kids. Looks like some kids who’s parents don’t want to participate are upset that they might not get prizes – boo hoo. That’s how all of those fundraisers go. So they are pushy but no Nambla or Death to the Jews! potato chips 🙂 At least it’s a run instead of that stupid wrapping paper again. ---
**Author:** ![NotBob13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e19b73/32.png) [@NotBob13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotBob13)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/13 "2013-11-13T23:45:14Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > The Zyklon B flavored ones aren’t too bad. I love you guys. this is the best line in a great thread. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/14 "2013-11-14T01:50:52Z")
Huh. I was going to guess Chik Fil A (which seems to be way too involved in all of our school’s fundraising efforts). Out of all the stuff we do, Boosterthon is my favorite. I like the message - exercise & good sportsmanship. The prizes are reasonable - sunglasses, balls, frisbees (not the unreachable iPad if you sell $8000 worth of stuff). They get pledges for the laps they run instead of selling junk nobody wants. And they have to actually run the laps. Not to mention, all the really hot Boosterthon guys work carpool the week of the event. Yeah, they need to STFU. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/15 "2013-11-14T02:04:48Z")
The Missus decided to do some volunteer work for the PTA since she wasn’t working at the time and needed/wanted something to do with her time. They were working on some graduation stuff, or something, and lining up people for various jobs. One particular one was mentioned and, the Missus, raises her hand and says… Oh, my husband can do that! Wait, what…?:smack: ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/16 "2013-11-14T02:41:05Z")
No kids here, so I have no idea what the local PTA does…however I do a lot of volunteer work for other causes. I support this pit 100%. If you aren’t willing to get involved, you are not allowed to complain about our methods or results. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/17 "2013-11-14T03:20:21Z")
I can agree with this pitting. If people are given a chance to put in their ideas and they don’t bother to, they can just keep quiet. I’ve been doing volunteer work for one cause or another for many years. It happens way too often. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/18 "2013-11-14T04:10:53Z")
Boosterthon? Well, it sounds to me like it turns kids into car thieves, a very useful skill! ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/19 "2013-11-14T04:39:20Z")
Not [this one](http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/11/richardson_high_schoolers_lear.php) then. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836/20 "2013-11-14T08:28:00Z")
In total agreement with the OP. I get that you can’t please everyone all the time, but if you get emailed the meeting agendas and minutes and invited to express your thoughts via facebook or email if you can’t attend and don’t bother, then STFU. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-volunteer-or-stfu/673836.md?page=2)