I love the the holiday season, but not everything about it. I love the falling temperatures and the first snow (obviously, I'm not referring to California). I love seasonal flavors, like pumpkin and eggnog and gingerbread. I love Christmas decorations and Christmas music. I love baking candy cane cookies and gingerbread people. Despite my love for the holiday season, let me tell you what I hate: I hate the fact that this is the only time of year when we care about poor people.
That's right, the holiday season is the only time of year when we pretend to care about poor people. And I hate that. For some reason, we think it's tragic when poor people don't have a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. Just the other day, I got something in the mail asking me to donate money so that poor people could eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Last I checked, people are hungry year round, and multiple times a day. Yet, we don't care when it's not the last Thursday in November or December 25th. On all the other days of the year, we think that the poor are lazy and deserve the hand they are dealt. But for some reason, we feel really bad if they miss out on holiday meals.
Other evidence that we only care about poor people during the holiday season: Salvation Army bell ringers. Apparently, donations during the holiday season are acceptable. It's okay to help out the poor during the month of December. Otherwise, they should be left to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, right?
And finally, here's more evidence that we only care about poor people during the holiday season: toy drives. We're okay with children who lack food, clothing, and other basic essentials at other times of the year, but damn it, they better have a toy on Christmas Day.
I don't hate poor people, really I don't. I just despise that our individualistic, meritocratic society extends its generosity only during the month of December. I would prefer that we care about poor people during the other eleven months, but that's not in the spirit of American laissez faire society. So for now, I guess that a superficial generosity for one month out of the year is better than nothing. But I still don't like it.
That's right, the holiday season is the only time of year when we pretend to care about poor people. And I hate that. For some reason, we think it's tragic when poor people don't have a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. Just the other day, I got something in the mail asking me to donate money so that poor people could eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Last I checked, people are hungry year round, and multiple times a day. Yet, we don't care when it's not the last Thursday in November or December 25th. On all the other days of the year, we think that the poor are lazy and deserve the hand they are dealt. But for some reason, we feel really bad if they miss out on holiday meals.
Other evidence that we only care about poor people during the holiday season: Salvation Army bell ringers. Apparently, donations during the holiday season are acceptable. It's okay to help out the poor during the month of December. Otherwise, they should be left to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, right?
And finally, here's more evidence that we only care about poor people during the holiday season: toy drives. We're okay with children who lack food, clothing, and other basic essentials at other times of the year, but damn it, they better have a toy on Christmas Day.
I don't hate poor people, really I don't. I just despise that our individualistic, meritocratic society extends its generosity only during the month of December. I would prefer that we care about poor people during the other eleven months, but that's not in the spirit of American laissez faire society. So for now, I guess that a superficial generosity for one month out of the year is better than nothing. But I still don't like it.
No comments:
Post a Comment