luvsJack
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2007
Whatever happened to not wanting others to know when you didn't have money for something? When I was young (late seventies and early eighties) you never wanted to admit your parents couldn't afford for you to take a school trip or buy you the latest toy. Now it seems people are competing to be the most needy.
I find GFM accounts for college and trips to be tacky. No, I don't have to look at them but I can have an opinion of them. I have 2 DDs in college and I would be all over them if they set up this type of account. I feel the same when students stand at the town dump on weekends to collect money for sports or trips. I find it especially amusing because their parents stand next to their big SUVs drinking the coffee they just bought and wearing designer clothes. If a student is actually working for the money, collecting the Christmas trees or a car wash, I will use the service. But I won't drop a dollar or two just because someone decides to stand at the side of the road with their hand out.
There is a level of satisfaction and pride when you save towards a goal and meet the goal. This seems to be forgotten in our immediate gratification society.
For many its not about "me" being able to afford it. For many we raise funds as a group so that every kid in the group can go. And some of those funds are raised by asking for them.
Many of these GFM accounts are set up by people to help someone else. The kid going on the band trip didn't set up the account his host family did.
School groups have been raising money since the beginning of school groups. I clearly remember selling candy by the cases in the late 70's and early 80's so that we could go on a trip, have a prom or whatever. Rather than asking each parent to give $XX, we sold candy and set up donation booths. Asking for donations is hardly something new.
As for work ethic, it may be different in other areas, but here I see a work ethic that is just fine. 75% of the high school juniors and seniors have jobs, some more than one. They also help their families with gardening, on family farms, etc. And many of them also volunteer hours with different organizations along with working their tails off in the activities they take part in. I think that the idea of "worrying about this generation" is just about not understanding why they do things differently than we did them. Asking for donations for something isn't new, its just in a new format. Our hs has alumni that has paid for many a kids college education. Now there may be someone with that same mindset but they can find a kid in the mid-west or northeast that has the same needs as someone in their own backyard.