I was walking by a mall one fine day, and was approached by a young male adult. I’m sure many people have encountered what I am about to describe next. He started to ask for donations and walked along side my friend and I. I declined waving my hand in his direction saying “no” but he continued to follow in the direction I was going, gesturing towards the clipboard in his hand and saying something about donations. I waved my hand again and said “Sorry, no”.
This is where it started to get annoying; he responded with a disgusted look in his face and said, “Say sorry for what, you’re not even helping”
OKAY, WELL EXCUSE ME SIR.
There were so many things wrong with that above situation and that made me reflect on some of the things and attitudes I had towards charitable organisations in Singapore.
To the guy that approached me, I did not donate, nor did I help which was why I was saying sorry. The attitude you have and the way you said those words really made me angry, for someone that doesn’t even know who you are. I highly doubt even if I donated, that the money would go where you said it would go. According to what I heard, which may or may not be true, these kids that ask for donations are paid commission by how many tickets they sell, and that pay is not all that shabby. But, let me give you the benefit of the doubt, let’s just you were really genuinely asking for donations to do good charitable work. I don’t understand why you have to approach people for donations. I've seen the good people of the Salvation Army standing around shopping malls/MRT stations/areas in general, just standing there ringing their bell and people donate anyway. But what happens when they stand there ringing their bell and people don’t donate? Do they get mad and look at those people with contempt because they don’t donate? No. No, they don’t. Am I obliged to donate? I am not.
This incident left me pissed off, just by walking through the mall and minding my own business. And made me think, who organises these stuff? And whatever it is, nothing truly good can come out of this.
I am a young Singaporean, and a skeptical one at that. Growing up, I’ve seen the NKF scandal and the Ming-Yi scandal and all those corrupt charitable organisations that siphon good-hearted donations into their own pockets. I am not particularly open about donating money to charity organisations and with this new thing (the young people approaching people asking for donations in exchange for coupons and all that) (not exactly something new, but it seems to be growing) it is easy to stereotype all sorts of people that ask for donations as frauds.
Whoever organises this food-coupon-donation-thing seems to target young teenagers that are impressionable, and easy to control, and perhaps in need of fast cash. These kids appear to have the license to ask for donations, but how much of it is really going into their own pockets. I do not feel that it is right to trick people, and play into their good-heartedness to ask for donations that aren’t really donations. (To the organisation behind this) perhaps you should not pay those young children selling coupons, rather look for volunteers that feel strongly for your cause? Charity is helping others; charity is not earning money. Hiring kids with the bad and outlandish attitudes makes everything seem really fishy.
This breeds a problem with the children that are hired. The kids that are hired to do these jobs are probably: 1) really gullible and have pure hearts wanting to help to less fortunate, or 2) just looking for fast cash and have no regard for how they earn it as long as they have the money
Hiring kids that are innocent and have yet to formulate their own thoughts on charity or just have an opinion in general, will condition them to think that one can get monetary benefits from doing good works. This idea is so wrong and that selfish mindset might permeate through their view on helping anyone in general. I am not a selfless person, but the concept of helping someone should not be linked with expecting anything in return.
Hiring kids that are just looking for fast cash that don’t seem to care to be playing on the good hearts of people strengthens and affirms them that this behaviour is not wrong. (Again, because charity is not charity if you are earning money from it)
(I’m not the world’s most perfect human being, but) By building a business (assuming it is a business) on the false pretence of helping someone else erodes any and every small amount good heart left in those who has hardened their heart towards donations, from all the false corrupt charitable organisations scandals Singapore has seen in recent years.
There seems to be more and more of this everywhere, I can safely say every single time I am at the mall in my neighbourhood, I encounter at least 1 of these kids. Why doesn’t anyone seem to be stopping this from happening?
(If this is really a real charity organisation, maybe you should work on PA enhancing stuff, or get better publicity and all that, and also, sorry for dishing out judgment before finding out more)
Skeptical Citizen
TRS Contributor