Neutral Thread, or ~ML

[Eliste]

Ugh! Keep bundled up!! Want me to knit you a scarf to keep warm?

Aww you're such a sweetie. I think its just that I've been trying to live in denial and walking around in my sundresses as long as I could. Got caught in the raid coming home from a con on sunday in one of the aforementioned sundresses which probably wasn't the best. Guess its time to get the tights and jumpers back out. I just really don't want summer to be over =(

[MeiTow]

I feel the same way about things Eliste. I absolutely refuse to "share this if..." "Repost this if..." "If you have a heart..." etc. This challenge is no different, in my mind. It's great that it is bringing about awareness for the disease but, as I told a friend who posted a graphic about it's purpose was to raise awareness...I wrote in the comment box that heart disease is the number 1 killer of humanity and kills nearly 600,000 people a year. There I've raised awareness for heart disease (which according to the article I posted earlier gets appalling donations vs. deaths) without doing some stupd, frat boy stunt. And it's something I've fought against when my stupid local news challenge continously posts famous people's ice bucket videos...we should be applauding the people that don't do the challenge and donate more. Even without raising awareness that $100 is going to go much farther in research dollars than the $10 of the person that challenged them. Or, you know...why not celebrate the people that just donate in general. Or do an awareness campaign that isn't potentially dangerous. LOL!

Also, RMDC - Thought this might interest you - https://www.coursera.org/course/humantrafficking

[blackmageheart]

Firstly, Yurtle - I hope I didn't offend with my remarks about the cause. I am very sorry to hear that your dad had ALS and I meant in no way to belittle it. Thank you for the mini-lesson, I have also done a bit of reading on it and feel at least a bit more educated than many of the idiots on my Facebook list!

[QueenBex]

I'm glad its getting attention. I'm glad its raising money.

I don't like being pressured or feeling guilty or end up doing it then being accused of jumping on the band wagon.

I would give money to every single charity if I could, but even the richest person in the world wouldn't be able to afford to give 50p each to every charity there is in the world.

We don't begrudge the attention or think less of the charity at all, or indeed the people affected. Not one bit.

Todays newspaper was filled with articles asking for donations, talking about funding being cut and charity stores asking for help after being broken into. I just end up hating myself that I know i'm not going to donate or help at all, it's not that I don't care, on the contrary, I perhaps care too much as it always gets to me, I just can't help.

Ok i'm a * worthless person, so i'll just shut up now...

[Yurtle]

No offense taken whatsoever, BMH! And you certainly didn't belittle anything.

I get the problem people have with this. I really do. I ignored it completely for the first two or three weeks because I hated the whole idea of it. I wouldn't watch any of the videos. I ignored my cousin's nomination. All of it. Then I watched this one video that was sent to me. Just one video about a guy who had been diagnosed and his mother and grandmother had been diagnosed. It brought back so many memories and meant so much. That was the only video I've seen that was worth watching. He wasn't a celebrity (that I know of). He wasn't doing it to promote himself. That was the video that meant something to me.

QB, you're in no way worthless. No one can donate to every worthy charity. No one. Caring about them all makes it that much harder. That's why I said that donating is a completely personal choice and no one's business!!! You should not be guilted into anything. You should not be pressured into anything. You support in whatever way you can. And that doesn't have to be monetary. Just listening to me gripe about ALS is supporting me with it. I have picked two charities to donate to because I can. If my means were to get tighter, I wouldn't be. It's the way life is. Please don't feel like you're less because you can't donate to everything you want to.

[yessamaca]

My husband had a really good point about the celebrities who are dumping ice water on their heads. What they are saying when they post those videos is that they would rather dump ice cold water on themselves than give more money to that cause. The celebrities, the ones with substantially more money than I have, are publicly showing they'd rather donate the lesser amount.

[Eliste]

Todays newspaper was filled with articles asking for donations, talking about funding being cut and charity stores asking for help after being broken into. I just end up hating myself that I know i'm not going to donate or help at all, it's not that I don't care, on the contrary, I perhaps care too much as it always gets to me, I just can't help.

Ok i'm a * worthless person, so i'll just shut up now...

You're wrong. The fact you feel bad about what you can't do shows that you are very much not worthless. In fact, you're the kind of person the world needs more of.

I, too, struggle with this. Its worse since I moved to the city over here where I get bombarded by charity people at least once a week, usually more, on my way home from work. "Can I just have a moment of your time?" No, you can't, because I know damn well that I can't afford to give you anything and giving you my time will only make me feel worse when I have to inevitably say no. Plus I suck at saying no, so getting a conversation with you will just drain me financially as well.

I actually have come to the conclusion its not me, its the charities that should be ashamed. Playing on guilt is a shameful tactic, and one that most charities do. Its why I tend to support causes that don't do that, like the WWF. I'd love to think that if others did so too, that most charities would learn the lesson, but sadly, I don't think it will happen. Guilt is powerful, don't let it rule you or make you feel less of a person.

[Remy]

Bex- You're not worthless. You're a kind soul and the world needs more people like you. Period.

Ok the following rant is just to get it off my chest because it is what it is not a FML but more of a ML and not meant to get pity only understanding and a little venting for my well being as I tend to internalize things as a coping mechanism. Feel free to skip over the following....

(Begin rant)
A close friend tagged me for the ice bucket challenge knowing full well I don't have a video camera or the funds to donate right now due to my financial circumstances. It honestly peeved me off. It's not that I don't care. It's more that I've never peer pressured her into the things I do or have done ie: make teddy bears for children's burn wards, hats and scarfs for women's shelters, etc. Or I've never pushed her into sharing links on FB for autism which my daughter has. I very rarely share anything on FB due to getting attacked online a few years ago after sharing that my car had been stolen and it'll be very difficult to get my husband to his doctor visits for his spine disease. I've gotten a few private messages on FB accusing me of being selfish/a terrible person for not doing the challenge or donating. That hurt... a lot. I have always been the person my friends could count on when crud hit the fan. I've hidden a few in my home when their drunk abusive partners have been looking for them. I've bandaged them up after getting beat up for being gay. I've fed them and their kids when they haven't had any food. I could go on but I wont. The point is I'm not selfish... very far from it. And now I feel betrayed because of it. *sigh*
(End rant.)


I hope everyone is having a good weekend and would bake you all cookies if you were here.

[Kareesh]

*hugs Remy*

I would love cookies. But I would probably sneak some of the batter away as well.

If we all weren't so far apart, I would say we all needed to meet up so we can all craft and just chat. If any of you wanna, feel free to look me up on Facebook. I'm always on there, so if you need an ear or something, just holler. (If you need my name or anything, PM me )

[blackmageheart]

Remy, you're a very caring person and you give so much to others. You're not selfish at all!

And you QB, you are worth your weight in gold!