Enriching our vacation through spreading Pixie Dust...ideas?

[CampbellzSoup]

Anyone feel a little bad reading the positive energy the OP had and how the DIS gives a reality check lol.

Again OP your heart and ideas are in the right place and I'm a generally happy and kind person but I MUST agree that second hand gifts is not such a great idea...

I would take the time and spread the Disney Magic while NOT in Disney so your children understand that Disney Magic doesn't die at Disney but it's everyday in our lives!

Again bless your heart

 

[Angel Ariel]

What's the difference in sharing snack credits or glowsticks or a second-hand glowing toy or shirt from home that still has the tags or balloons that have outlasted a family's stay

What's the difference between sharing snack credits and glowsticks as opposed to second hand toys or clothing? With snack credits and glowsticks being taken out of their packaging and shared at a parade or fireworks - as the accepting party, I know where those things have been. Toys and clothing, where I don't know where they came from? Could easily carry disease, unintentionally of course, but as the accepting parent if I don't know where it's come from and I don't see original packaging, no I'm not likely to accept it. It isn't a commentary on the person giving it, or me being a snob. It's just looking out for my child's safety - which is no one's job but my own (and my DH's).

In the instance the OP discussed where the little girl saw her daughter get hurt and was trying to make her feel better, I doubt I would have turned the little girl's generosity down. It's a very thoughtful spontaneous gesture. (I would, however, wipe it down before giving it to DD, as DD puts *everything* in her mouth almost immediately). But clothing and plushes? That's something entirely different. I know how my daughter handles plushes, and I know how difficult it is to thoroughly clean them. It would never cross my mind to bring her plushes to WDW to give them away.

There's a reason that charities like Toys for Tots and Angel Tree require that the donations be new and in their original packaging.

 

[Magpie]

I am in the "folks like us" category because I am a therapist who specializes in communication and analyzing communicative intent. If the "shirt from home that still has the tags" was used as a descriptor in the first post, this thread wouldn't have spawned a poll nor 10 pages of replies.

I have to disagree. This topic pops up on a semi-regular basis, and it never goes well. I remember the outrage when someone suggested offering to pay for something at a cart for the person behind you. I guess that kind of gesture wasn't "anonymous" enough! There were also people who were upset that a stranger might offer to treat their child, saying that either the child might not "deserve" it, or might be on a strict diet. And all the folks who thought that the Teddy Bear Lady at the Grand Floridian should be ejected from the lobby.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I have to disagree. This topic pops up on a semi-regular basis, and it never goes well. I remember the outrage when someone suggested offering to pay for something at a cart for the person behind you. I guess that kind of gesture wasn't "anonymous" enough! There were also people who were upset that a stranger might offer to treat their child, saying that either the child might not "deserve" it, or might be on a strict diet. And all the folks who thought that the Teddy Bear Lady at the Grand Floridian should be ejected from the lobby.

A new shirt with tags would not have spawned this poll:
Would you take a used item of clothing or toy if someone offered it to you at Disney?

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Why should people "shut up" about something nice they're trying to do for others? And why is it a crime to openly admit the fact that helping people is as rewarding for the giver as the recipient?

It makes me sad to think we live in a culture where people are afraid to be generous to a stranger because the recipient might get offended or baffled and the giver might be labeled as selfish or creepy.

Maybe Toy Story 3 should've ended with Molly and her mom recoiling in disgust at Andy's generosity and telling him to keep his cast-offs, they can afford to buy their own toys, thankyouverymuch!!

Fantastic observation. I for one, like the original ending.

 

[Magpie]

A new shirt with tags would not have spawned this poll:
Would you take a used item of clothing or toy if someone offered it to you at Disney?

Shouting? Really? You may be getting a wee tad too emotionally invested in this. I'm just saying that with or without the tee that may or may not have had tags, this would still be a controversial topic.

I can't drive due to my very bad eyes, so over the decades my kids and I have taken a lot of public transit. People have given us all sorts of odd things. My six year old got a copy of Cosmo - I confiscated it. A sweet, odd man blew up some surgical gloves and gave them to my kids. I confiscated those, too. A little old lady, half blind, pulls linty allsorts from her pocket... I teach my kids to thank her politely and hand them to me.

A toy? That's awesome! Something we could actually enjoy! A tee? It's never happened, but I know we'd be polite and grateful for the kindness, even if we just ended up putting it in the nearest donation bin.

Nice people make me happy. I'm glad this world is full of them!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Shouting? Really? You may be getting a wee tad too emotionally invested in this.

I can't drive due to my very bad eyes, so over the decades my kids and I have taken a lot of public transit. People have given us all sorts of odd things. My six year old got a copy of Cosmo - I confiscated it. A sweet, odd man blew up some surgical gloves and gave them to my kids. I confiscated those, too. A little old lady, half blind, pulls linty allsorts from her pocket... I teach my kids to thank her politely and hand them to me.

A toy? That's awesome! A tee? It's never happened, but I know we'd be polite and grateful for the kindness, even if we just ended up putting it in the nearest donation bin.

Nice people make me happy. I'm glad this world is full of them!

That was copied directly from the poll title.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Nice people make me happy. I'm glad this world is full of them!

Nice people make me happy too Giving things away is not the only thing (or even the main thing, IME) that makes a person nice or not.

 

[Magpie]

That was copied directly from the poll title.

Yeah, I figured that out. But the font size was hilarious.

 

[Magpie]

Nice people make me happy too Giving things away is not the only thing (or even the main thing, IME) that makes a person nice or not.

Never said it was.

 

[Hrhpd]

And comments like this also would not have spawned 11 pages:

We have even taken to "special" acts of kindness (like collecting out grown but "new" looking Disney hoodie's and T-shirts, a light up toy no longer used, a Disney plush no longer cherished, etc and searching for the "perfect" kid to give it to). We save these "special" gestures for when we are tired or cranky or have encountered a "not-so-magical" moment (like line cutters, screaming parents, not getting "picked" for a show, or the rare unfriendly cast-member).

That set the tone that this was not about being kind or nice but to be self-satisfying.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

This reminds me of the debate over whether "altruism" ever truly exists.

If being kind or generous makes you feel good, does that negate the value of your kind or generous act?

If you choose to be kind or generous *because* it makes you feel good, does that mean you're actually being a terrible, awful, selfish person?

Must you always be acting from pure self abnegation, benefiting yourself in no possible way (not even emotionally), for an act to be truly kind or generous? (This takes "give until it hurts" to a whole new level!)

If one person is freaked out by your kind or generous act, does that mean your act was actually unkind?

But conversely if another person's day is brightened by your kind or generous act, does that mean your act was actually kind?

In the past I have discombobulated people by trying to give away extra Fastpasses or reserved seating passes. The pleasure I get from the people who actually appreciate my gesture MORE than outweighs the negative reactions. I figure if someone's reaction to me offering them a FP is "Ew, no!" or "What's the catch?" then that's their problem, and more pity to them for being the kind of suspicious, unfriendly people who miss out on nice things. We once shared a ride on Soarin' with a lovely Israeli family, and it's one of our favourite memories of Disney (it was a pass for five, and there was only two of us, so we went looking for three more).

I have also, in the past, given away buttons I made up for our trip. I gave them away to cast members and the occasional guest (but more rarely - in one case, it was a little girl who was unhappy to be trapped with us under a shelter in a rainstorm, and we'd been chatting with her mum). The reactions to these were also mixed, and interesting, but generally positive. I may, or may not, do that again. I haven't made up my mind on that count yet.

I don't want to live in a world where everyone pointedly minds their own business, ignoring each other (and, actually, that's not the world I live in, so it's all good!).

That is really an interesting debate. Since research shows that our bodies release oxytocin, the feel-good hormone, when we perform acts of kindness, then can any kind act truly be selfless? If a true act of kindness requires that I do not benefit from it in any way, then I suppose I have never performed a single act of kindness in my life.

To me, recognizing that we feel good when we perform acts of kindness simply inspires more kindness; it doesn't make us more selfish.

I also love that you use the word discombobulated. That's an awesome word.

This thread has discombobulated me.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Yeah, I figured that out. But the font size was hilarious.

Yes, I didn't want to waste time adjusting it. I need to search through drawers to find clothes to hand out at DL next week!

 

[famy27]

All this reminds me of the Friends episode where Phoebe tries to find a selfless good deed.

Phoebe: I have found a selfless good deed. I went to the park and let a bee sting me.

Joey: How is that a selfless good deed?

Phoebe: It makes the bee look tough in front of his bee friends. The bee's happy and I am definitely not.

Joey: Uh, Pheebs, you know the bee probably died after it stung you?

Phoebe: [stares blankly] ...Darn it (edited)

That is really an interesting debate. Since research shows that our bodies release oxytocin, the feel-good hormone, when we perform acts of kindness, then can any kind act truly be selfless? If a true act of kindness requires that I do not benefit from it in any way, then I suppose I have never performed a single act of kindness in my life.

To me, recognizing that we feel good when we perform acts of kindness simply inspires more kindness; it doesn't make us more selfish.

I also love that you use the word discombobulated. That's an awesome word.

This thread has discombobulated me.

 

[GPC0321]

I am not. Why are you?

I am not refusing to accept anything. Seems to me the only people refusing to accept anything are the one refusing to believe that most people do not think that collecting used hoodies, t-shirts, used stuffed animals and toys to bring with you before you go to WDW solely to satisfy your own needs is a bit strange.

Why does it bother you so much that people find that weird? You have said that you refuse to believe what people have said in the poll. Why? And BTW, it was not my poll. But I am a scientist, so facts are important to me. And while not everybody has responded, it is a loose representation of the feelings of the majority.

I didn't say I don't BELIEVE what people have said in the poll, I said I don't AGREE with their opinion. Big difference.
I to ally accept and believe that the majority of people that have responded to the poll agree with you about this. And that poll may represent the fact that the majority of people everywhere would agree. But that fact does not change MY opinion of the OP's gesture. It's meaningless to me.

Wrong is still wrong even if everybody is doing it.
Right is still right even if nobody is doing it.

 

[cabanafrau]

I didn't say I don't BELIEVE what people have said in the poll, I said I don't AGREE with their opinion. Big difference.
I to ally accept and believe that the majority of people that have responded to the poll agree with you about this. And that poll may represent the fact that the majority of people everywhere would agree. But that fact does not change MY opinion of the OP's gesture. It's meaningless to me.

Wrong is still wrong even if everybody is doing it.
Right is still right even if nobody is doing it.

To be clear, you're saying that everybody that doesn't agree with OP (and you) is wrong?

Are you saying it's wrong to purchase admission to WDW, happily enjoy a visit there while being courteous to others, but without a plan to bestow random acts of kindness and pay it forward makes a person wrong?

 

[Hrhpd]

I didn't say I don't BELIEVE what people have said in the poll, I said I don't AGREE with their opinion. Big difference.
I to ally accept and believe that the majority of people that have responded to the poll agree with you about this. And that poll may represent the fact that the majority of people everywhere would agree. But that fact does not change MY opinion of the OP's gesture. It's meaningless to me.

Wrong is still wrong even if everybody is doing it.
Right is still right even if nobody is doing it.

So you are saying that people are not entitled to their own opinions if they do not agree with your opinion? And the majority is wrong if they do not agree with you?

WOW. I am speechless.

 

[GPC0321]

To be clear, you're saying that everybody that doesn't agree with OP (and you) is wrong?

Are you saying it's wrong to purchase admission to WDW, happily enjoy a visit there while being courteous to others, but without a plan to bestow random acts of kindness and pay it forward makes a person wrong?

No. I was paraphrasing this Tolstoy quote:
"Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it."
The point of which is to say that the 88% in that poll are not necessarily "right" and the 12% are not necessarily "wrong."

 

[GPC0321]

So you are saying that people are not entitled to their own opinions if they do not agree with your opinion? And the majority is wrong if they do not agree with you?

WOW. I am speechless.

Not at all. Just illustrating that the majority isn't always right and the minority isn't always wrong.

 

[kathy884]

OP -- You really got beat up on this one way more than you deserved when really you were just asking an innocent, well meaning question, and have your heart in the right place. Just saying. The responses I think have been way overboard and over the top especially in terms of number of posts and number of people who have jumped on this (the joys and perils of the internet). I responded in one sort of negative post to you too, that in hind site I would not have posted (fell into that crowd mentality with a thought a little different but similar to some other posts -- dumb / unnecessary / not kind). Please take all these posts with a grain of salt. // This reminds me of a comment I posted years ago about pool hopping. You should have seen my crucifixion on this board lol, but the volume was not even close to what you've gotten. If you wanted to collect posts (which I don't think was your intension), you would have to say you were wildly successful. // Side note: A man from my church is really into planned acts of kindness, not at theme parks but in the period between Thanksgiving and New Years to people who are part of his daily life but not personal / close friends that he just wants to recognize / surprise. He has great fun with it. The recipients seem to like it too, and it for him has turned around that holiday period from being hum drum to being filled with joy for him. It brought him from holiday depression after a divorce to holiday joy.// Thinking about others, getting outside of ourselves is an amazing wonderful thing. You know that and you reminded us of that.