Getting Put On The Spot

Jim Raynor · Post by **Jim Raynor** » 2003-03-25 01:54am

I was walking back to my dorm today when I saw this Chinese guy asking for charity donations from a white guy, who turned him down. He darted over to me quickly upon seeing me, probably thinking I would give more of a shit just because of how I look (I'm also of Chinese ethnicity).

Not to be insulting, but this guy looked SICK. Judging from his clothes (T-shirt and jeans), he was probably just another college student. However, his face was all wrinkly, making him look like an old man. He even TALKED like an old man, with his weak, trembling little voice sounding just like that of a stereotypical old man on TV. This guy was also all skinny and bony, giving him this Ghandi-like appearance.

"Will you p-p-please help save the children?" he asked as meekly and politely as possible. He handed me a flier for some obscure charity I never heard of, something about helping starving Chinese children. The only thing on it was a picture of this sad-looking girl. That's all, no other information about what exactly I was donating to. I had no idea what this charity was, or how much of my money would actually go towards the children rather than lining someone else's pocket. However, who could say no to such a pathetic-looking guy? I grudgingly took out my wallet, prepared to shell out a few dollars.

"Th-thank you very much. Just sign right here." He handed me a form, the only two fields being your name and the amount of money you donated. Now, the donation was being done in completely in cash, on the spot. As I said before, he offered no other information on the charity. Therefore, the taking of signatures was a completely useless gesture. The only use I could think of was so that the charity group could post some useless-ass list of donors later. I looked at some of the donations. BASTARD!!! There were amounts of forty, fifty, and even SIXTY dollars! No wonder he gave me this thing to sign! The ridiculous amounts donated by the first few donors (there was only a dozen of them, and I bet they were all from his group) meant that any smaller donations would make me look like a cheap bastard. Nope, this wouldn't just be a chump-change donation of a few bucks. No wonder he showed this to me!

I looked for the smallest donation there, and found one for $20. Pissed off, I took out a $20 bill and handed it over.

Now, I don't want to sound cheap, and I'm not opposed to donating for a good cause. It's just that I'm not exactly rich and don't have a lot of money to waste. Also, I really didn't appreciate the methods this guy used to get me to hand over my cash. I guess I shouldn't make any hard accusations, since I have no proof. However, it wouldn't surprise me if whatever group he was collecting for decided to send this sickly, pathetic looking guy to make people feel guilty, and have him shove that form in people's faces to force them to pay up big.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2003-03-25 02:01am

If they're going to be assholes about donations, then screw it. Charity is all great and fine, but if they offer you no information and set you up, the hell with it.

Johonebesus · Post by **Johonebesus** » 2003-03-25 02:04am

Just as likely it was a big fraud and he is a bum. The other names could have been faked. It all sounds very suspicious to me.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2003-03-25 03:45am

I don't like it when someone sets a minimum for a sonation. Take what you are given and then shove off.

I honestly would say that you should have turned him down, and not regretted it one iota.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-03-25 03:56am

Smells of cult, it does. A pretty fucking slimey one, too. Send an ill looking, pathetic person out on the street with a con like that? Clever, and shitty in the extreme.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2003-03-25 08:04am

This was probably a fake. If you wanted to give $1, you should have (he probably needed it for himself, anyway). You should never base what you give on what others give. Give what you can afford to those causes you think most worthy.

I hate those people on TCR that come up with you with "Can you spare a few moments for Barnados?" then expect you to hand over your bank details. Grrrrr....

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-03-25 08:38am

Well I wouldn't have given any money. If I were so inclined I would have asked for the name of the charity, then looked it up, and sent the money directly to them.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-25 09:04am

Did you get a registered tax receipt for your charitable donation? No? You just gave a bum $20 to spend on drugs.