By: Kellen Stevens
So here it is. Not much by any stretch of anything, but sitting here nonetheless. Well, rather less sitting, more progressing, traveling perhaps, or one could even say proclaiming its birthright as a thought. The thing is, the older I get, the more prevalent this phenomenon becomes, at least in my perception, and probably because I cannot help but notice it. Cambodia had to be the place where it first struck. Or if not the place of first impression, then definitely where it began to stick, to nag me, and altogether put a damper on what seemed like what could have been a rather pleasant summer working abroad. Maybe it would be easier if described what exactly I did in this monsoon inclined environment, before I state what I observed.
I worked with a consulting group. Not just any consulting group, but one that catered to non-profits. We ran them like a business, they paid us a nominal fee, (because, really, no one except tycoons works in Cambodia for the money) and soon enough new schools sprouted, clean water was delivered, I think we even managed to get some computers from the Gates Foundation. So up to this point, fantastic and charitable, thankful people mixed with hard work is spiritually rewarding, there is no other way to slice it. But then a strange thing happened. The day ended, the employees of our company, and those of others similarly engaged, went home, and they reverted to being normal, dysfunctional, rather mean people. But it was more than normal, it was tenacity for some really disconcerting evil, and I think its excess grew from entitlement. Yes, entitlement. These people, who during most of the day treat sick kids and champion the impoverished, would return to people who were healthy, who were not starving, and act with complete dishonor, be toxically rude, as if they had earned the right through their charity to act inhumane.
This got me thinking about how prevalent this has become. I thought of people who think they are buying their way into heaven for donating 20 large (the big large, like thousand large), then walk around the streets of Manhattan not holding doors for the elderly, scoffing at those less privileged, judging relentlessly for the sheer pleasure of convincing themselves and their friends they are better, and well, it just really exceedingly bothered me. People think giving money that is used to save lives in third world countries entitles them to act rudely here, or at least they think it validates their lifestyle. They have no room for improvement, no urge to change. And I can’t stand it. It is just ridiculous. This has got to be one of the worst and unexpected side effects of charity. So think about it. Ask yourself if you recognize this trend, or if you do it yourself. And if you do, try to be a good person, not just a good donator.
