I was finishing off the last few episodes of Breaking Bad on Netflix the other day when a line really struck me. *Slight Spoiler Alert* *Also, I'm sorry I couldn't find a suitable clip of the scenes I'm talking about, it's the very beginning and the interrogation at the end of episode 10 season 5, and then hank's interrogation of Jesse in the beginning of the next episode (where the soon following quote is from)*
Anyways, so I'm watching an interrogation scene right after Jesse is caught "tossing millions of dollars all over [town]." Hank questions Jesse and he says, "Happy people usually don't go around throwing millions of dollars away, thank God." Now Breaking Bad doesn't translate to the real world all that well, but this line hasn't left my mind since I finished the show (like a month ago at this point, wow). The line seemed so very wrong after our Philanthropy and Civil Society class lessons - to me, it's probably the happiest people that would be giving away all that money! (Or perhaps someone soon to be deceased.) I thought about the man we read about who worked in Wall Street after college but still lived with roommates to donate all his money. I thought about The Power of Half, and how giving away money can transform someone's life. We all saw Mr. Salwen on Skype, he looked pretty happy and successful to me! That being said, my roommate is debating with me as I write this, saying that people may donate because they feel bad about themselves and want to feel better. While I do believe there is always some degree of personal satisfaction from philanthropic acts, I would say that giving is something done benevolently and not out of pain or sadness.
Before this class if I was to talk with someone about wanting to give away money they would have looked at me like I was insane. It's like there's this expectation, you don't give money away unless you're dying or want your name on something. I feel that there's a social stigma against donating money freely, openly, without recognition, without excess. Perhaps that's due to some facet on the American Dream, a pressure to always expand capital. However, in class we've referred to donations as investments, something that may not increase personal wealth but can certainly increase a non-profit's capital. To me the American Dream is about promoting social mobility, which could be helped through philanthropic donations. Perhaps if philanthropy was addressed as a social investment, something that can increase GDP and economic prosperity in the long run as well as reducing hunger or helping single mothers, then more people would feel proud to talk about philanthropic acts. Perhaps then, the lens with which many view a philanthropic acts would change and the stigma would be lifted.
First off a bit of a rant on your Breaking Bad reference: I will agree that the show isn't all that applicable to real life, but the context of that quote was slightly different than just giving money away. It wasn't about the money, it was about the stress of knowing that all the money Jesse earned was illegal and that the dirty money was all he had to show for his life. I do like the reference however and relating philanthropy to Breaking Bad is impressive!
ReplyDeleteAs for your actual point, I completely agree that the American dream is based on giving back when you have your needs fulfilled. It is always painful to look upon the less fortunate and see the struggles that they face every day. That is why it is everyone's duty to pitch in. With a little help from everyone, a bunch of small donations can go a long way. I also agree that people may gain some personal satisfaction from helping out those in need, but it is not out of a feeling that they owe it to society. It is because they want to see their money and/or time improve somebody else's life.
That being said, I think one of the better ways to get more people to be willing to donate is through education. As you said, you wouldn't have even thought about giving away money until you took this class. That is a perfect example of what the power of education can do. If we can educate a large group of people, then there is a good chance that at least a few of those people will decide to start donating when they wouldn't have prior. One solution could be implementing a class on the importance of philanthropy into a public high school curriculum. If younger people learn about the importance of philanthropy, then they will be more likely to make it a habit. As we saw with the Salwen family, Joe was initially reluctant to helping out with the project, and after a few months he was an integral part of the family's project.
We already know all the benefits of philanthropy, and if we can expand the knowledge that we have by giving it to others, then we can have an impact on lifting this stigma that you mention. There is certainly a stigma for some people surrounding giving, and we can break that barrier through education. That would create a stable method of producing new donors for generations to come.
I agree with Ryan in his statement that the circumstance behind Jesse's "generosity" creates a gap between his version of giving money away and our definition of philanthropy. His method of giving was catalyzed by guilt alone, and he was simply trying to rid himself of the responsibility and attachment to his previous actions.
ReplyDeleteDespite this difference, I do believe the statement "Happy people usually don't go around throwing millions of dollars away," does give some insight on the perspective on giving that exists in our society. Your idea that the American dream is what creates the barrier to giving definitely has some truth to it.
I can offer a personal example of how this idea proves to be true. My father, a first generation Israeli immigrant, came to the US when he was 21. He came here with one goal: to make money. After over 25 years, he still maintains the idea that making money is his life's motivator. You can probably imagine that telling him that I plan to work for a non-profit didn't go over very well.
This idea that the American dream is to be fiscally successful is not exclusive to my father. This notion is one that is bread into all Americans, and it is rare to take a path of life that doesn't ensure you are making the most amount of money you can make, let alone giving it away.
What I'm trying to say is that the stigma that you highlight in this blog post is real. Not only do I believe it exists, but I also believe it is permanent. The US will never (or at least not for many years) lose its reputation of being the land of opportunity. Without losing that reputation there will be no end to the stigma that exists regarding philanthropy.
Although I'm not too familiar with Breaking Bad, you raise an important point Dylan. I too have been thinking a lot lately about why we give. What our class has taught me is that there is no answer to this because everyone is different. Everyone gives for a different reason, whether they are happy or sad. Some people give because they are sad and need to make themselves feel good. Others give because they are happy and want others to be happy too. While still others give all that they have, even if it's not much, because they can't stand when others have worse lives than themselves. So I think it is almost impossible to classify philanthropic acts.
ReplyDeleteBut, as for the stigma associated with philanthropy, I completely agree. People, specifically Americans because I can't speak for other cultures, have a very hard time opposing the "American Dream". We have a monetary culture and almost everything we do, whether it is going to school or getting a job, is due to the motivation of money: being able to live the life we want with the money we have/need to earn. Juliette, you bring up a great personal example to show just how "crazy" it is to want to help others. To think that people question motives and even look down upon the people that go into the non-profit sector to try to improve the lives of others rather than myself is absolutely ridiculous.
To fix this problem, I entirely agree with Ryan, education is very important. If I had not taken this class, I would not think of philanthropy the same way and I might even be one of those people that ridicules the "crazy" ones. This class, and more generally, education, has opened my eyes and given me a different perspective on giving: what it means to give and why. Another way this stigma could be reduced would be if more people were philanthropic. While that is a tall order, I think the stigma stems from the majority of people not giving and trying to obtain as much money as possible and so any thought of giving it away goes against the norm. Encouragement and bombardment of the issues might inspire more philanthropy which could lower to stigma, hopefully resulting in more giving and more lives being dedicated to philanthropy and helping others.
I have to disagree with your statement Juliette, I do not believe that the idea that America is the land of opportunity is the reason that there is a stigma. I actually believe that the fact that it is the land of opportunity makes us want to give more. I think that the fact that this is the land of opportunity makes it easier to give. we see giving as improving others opportunities. I believe this is why in the industrial revolution the heads of industry would give away a large amount of their profits to help mankind as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI believe the actual stigma relates more to what Dylan said. We think that we as people in the lower-middle-upper classes have do not have to give. We do not consider ourselves wealthy and thus in need of donating, and we generally have the view that those that give do so because they see the world as something that they can fix or that they made mistakes that they choose to make up for. The stigma comes from the idea that giving is for other people not for ourselves. when spoken it seems outrageous, but that is why we do not give. we see giving as something that is only for the wealthy or the somewhat wealthy and not for those who only have a normal amount of wealth. we need to destroy these ideas. we can no longer afford to think that giving is for those that are wealthy enough to do so. We need to see giving as something that only a select group cannot do. Only those in poverty and in great need cannot give, everyone else has both the ability and the responsibility to give. this is the only way the challenges facing society today will be solved to their full extent. This idea that we do not have to give is the reason that problems do not get solved as easily as they could.
I feel like there is definitely a stigma associated with philanthropy. I see where the argument that giving away money to make you feel better comes from, since one of the best feelings is when you're helping someone else. But, I feel like the stigma does stem from the American Dream. I believe that in the 50s, with the emergence of suburbs and greater social mobility and opportunities, the American Dream turned into a selfish and competitive one. That notion of 'keeping up with the Jones's' is one that swept all American mindset where we had to do better than our neighbors or at least have as much material things as they do as a sign of social standing. I feel as though this lead to the competitive nature that we have now. We compete to get into better schools and have higher paying jobs, or making sure we afford our children with the same or opportunities that we've had in our lifetime. So it's pretty easy to lose sight of the needs of our neighbors since we're trying so hard to get ahead of them. This ambition for the American Dream is what's killing the humanity in our society.
ReplyDeleteSo, when someone chooses to give away his or her money it's seen as crazy, because why wouldn't want to be wealthier than your peers? Like with the Salwens in the Power of Half, they had an easier time saying that they were having financial difficulties rather than saying they are trying to help people in need. As though helping someone is some snobbish act (because quite often when people talk about the charities they work with people see them as acting holier than thou) when in all actuality it is a really humbling experience.
It's our society that is distorting the way charity and giving money away is seen. Happy people give away money too! Look at our class. Look at Mr. Salwen; he continued working with people in need even after his book came out. It is us that need to reconsider our values and happiness before we judge other people who choose to help their community.
-Chelsea Desruisseaux