Friday, 10 July 2009
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Why Are People So Damn Cheap?
A friend of mine agreed to do Canadian cancer society relay for life with me a few weeks ago. Days before the event she backs out.
Conversation:
"Hey hunny, I won't be able to go to the relay for life thing with you next week because I just got a new job and I need to adjust my sleeping hours. If you're still doing it, I'd donate to support you!!"
"Congrats!! I'm actually not going either because I'm sick, but did you still want to donate to my friend? She organized it and is still doing it."
"Oh, if you're not doing it, then probably not."
"It's for the cancer society."
"Yeah, but I don't have a job."
This girl has made so much money prior to getting this new job and can't even donate a measly $10. If you can buy a Miu Miu bag for $2000, what's $10? It's like half a mascara or a lip gloss. I know we can't force people to donate and support a good cause. I just can't believe how selfish people are, especially people who have so much money! I make a fraction of what she makes, and I still donated. It's for a good cause and $10 would make a difference.
Why the hell are people so damn cheap? What do you think about this situation?
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Comments (53)
i think your friend's a bitch.
:/
sorry.
but thats just not right.
Sounds like your friend has money in your opinion, but on her end maybe that $2000 bag put her in the hole or close to it. It sucks, but if she does have money to spare she either doesn't want to out of frugalness or she doesn't like spending money that doesn't directly reward or benefit her. ::shrug::
what is $10 compared to a $2000 bag, but wow :\
Damn, that's raw. $2000 is not worth it for 1 bag, especially when you're jobless. Why is this on lovelyish, though?
I dunno. I guess I'm cheap too. :T I know it's a good cause to donate to charity, but for a college student with little money, I sympathize with the stingy friend. And I probably would squeeze my budget to support a friend, even though yeah, logically, it's all going to the same end.
Because they don't care.
It doesn't affect them, so they don't "waste" their time or their money on it.
It's pretty simple.
And shouldn't this be on Dollarish or something?
i don't understand it, but...
the research says that the poor donate more of their money (proportionally) than the rich do. perhaps the poor just understand better what it feels like to be lacking something essential as good health from their lives? or maybe the rich only got that way by being miserly and selfish in the first place? shrug.
I was going to talk about how some people simply don't like spending a lot of money, but in this case, I think it's a matter of being a bitch rather than trying to save money...
i think you need to remember that of all of us,
some of us give time,
some of us give money,
some of us give love.
maybe she simply is not a money-giver.
your friend was probably going out of her way to offer you a donation... not out of support for the cancer society but out of support for you and your endeavors! so my advice: let it be and don't judge her on the purchase of the bag. you are in no place to frown upon what makes her happy.
in my opinion, i always feel that no matter what situtation you are in, you always have SOMETHING to give. even if that means the little change that you have stuck in between your seats. i understand that times are hard in almost everyone's situation but if she has the money for the handbag, she has obviously has enough for donating. if she was truly worried about her financial situations, she would have learned to budget herself as well and realized that that 2000 could be spreaded in other areas of her life instead of just the handbag. i'm a struggling college student but i always make sure to give to charities at times....even if its only a dollar. i don't know your friend and maybe i might be missing something in this situation but from what you've told, your friend is definitely selfish.
@black_lie@xanga - that's proportionately... a poor person who donates 5% of their income might be donating a few thousand dollars while a rich person who donates half a percent of their income may be donating MILLIONS! ...yet you are calling the person who donated millions miserly.
@haltija@xanga - that may be true, but it's not as if there's only two types, those who make a couple thousand a year and those who make billions. it's still true for middle class people... and then you might see poorer people donating more money than richer people
Yes I totally agree with sasha on the part that no matter what the case, there is always something that you can give. It doesn't have to be money, it can be a lot of things. As mentioned above, maybe she wasn't exactly a money-giver kind of a person. But in my opinion, since she can afford a bag worth $2,000, that just might not be the case. She's probably just unaware of the cancer patients and what hell they are going through. She needs to watch a good documentry to bring her out of the miu miu world
Trust me on this hun I've asked this question MANY times. The answer? The richest people are the CHEAPEST people and the reason? They got rich by being so damn cheap. The most generous people are often just middle class and not that rich. Sure Bill Gates donates millions each year but what % is that of his total net worth? They're rich coz they were being stingy ALL life long.
i tend to realize that the richer you are, the cheaper you are.
well that is what i noticed from working at a restaurant..
I hope a rat will chew up her stupid $2000 bag.
woaah!! cant spare a lil $10?! surely that means nothing if your friend is able to spend $2000..
and the $10 goes to the cancer society..
disappointed in your friend..
@Iluvgillian@xanga - Why should it matter what percent it is of his total net worth? Do we owe society a tithe of half our income? In addition to the charities he donates to, Bill Gates has created ridiculous amounts of jobs, something these "generous poor people" that donate $5 have never done. Why is a $5 donation from a poor person valued more than millions of dollars donated by a rich person? Because when we make that distinction, we're not valuing money, we're valuing suffering. We're valuing a person's actions only if they are harmful to themselves. And that's a little sick, if you ask me.
"They got rich by being so damn cheap. [...] They're rich coz they were being stingy ALL life long."
Or maybe they're rich because they're brilliant and, using their brains and talent, went out into the world to make something of themselves and succeeded instead of being content to just get by. Being frugal might get you/keep you in the middle class, but it won't make you Bill Gates-rich.
If you want to whine about rich people, go ahead and slander the Paris Hiltons of the world, but don't try to tell me Bill Gates- the richest person in the world, as of 2009- amassed his fortune by refusing to donate to charity instead of by skill and ambition.
As for not donating to charity- as others have said, maybe she prefers to help in other ways. For many, volunteering is for some a much more satisfying way to help since you can see the immediate effect, as opposed to throwing money out into the void and never knowing where it goes. Maybe she's disillusioned, having seen how much money has been thrown at this problem and how little progress has been made. You can't know, and therefore shouldn't judge her. A donation is not a tax, it's not mandatory, it's meant to be a voluntary contribution, given because she wants to. If she doesn't feel like donating-- for any reason-- you should just leave it alone.
@MiladyMasked@xanga - The quote 'they got rich by being cheap' was something that was often said to me all life long. I of course, do not believe this since it takes a lot more than being cheap to become rich. I did hear the aforementioned comments 'become rich by being cheap' from people in North America as well as Asia so perhaps there is a common misconception that perhaps that is why those rich become have become rich.
I'm not 'whining' about rich people because although I'm not rich, I do have more money than most people my age so there is nothing to 'whine' about. As to your comment about why a $5 donation from a poor person is valued more than millions from some rich person? I am assuming you are not a religious person? I'm not a religious person myself either but there is a parable (rather famous) by Jesus saying the rich man who donates such and such may seem like he's doing a lot but because it is only a fraction of his wealth, it is therefore insignificant. A poor person who has nothing but let's say $10 donates all $10 and in essence they are contributing more because they've given all they've got. As to your quote 'Because when we make that distinction, we're not valuing money, we're valuing suffering. We're valuing a person's actions only if they are harmful to themselves. And that's a little sick, if you ask me.' Well I cannot speak on behalf of Jesus but who knows maybe he DOES value suffering because his suffering lead to our salvation. It is a pretty sick idea right? But hey I didn't write the bible. For the record I DO NOT value suffering and I too, do not believe in donations because there are too many scams out there these days. Donations should not be forced and should be given wllingly.I'm extremely giving when I have money, but I don't usually have a lot of money. I spend it on necessities and then tend to use whatever little is left on other people.
@Iluvgillian@xanga - That story from the Bible has stuck with me throughout my life. :)
that's how she saved up for the miu miu bag
I saw the title and was ready to get all defensive. I am cheap.
But I am not like this. If I had committed to donating, I would. No matter for whom it was. Your friend isn't cheap, she's just stingy. Considering her bag is two months of my salary...I'd say she probably has enough to spare $10.
@methodElevated@xanga - same here ^.^ It's not HOW much u give but what % of your total assets you give that is meaningful (according to the bible)
@MiladyMasked: Very well written....I completely agree with you.
And people, there's a difference between being frugal and being cheap. Being frugal is a good thing...maybe we wouldn't be in this economic mess if more people do it.