This morning, two very well-dressed-in-uniform young men from what I suspect is our local cadet regiment, came to our front door.
I opened the door, and immediately notice that the guy closest to me looked like a deer in the headlights. Perhaps I was his first stop? At any rate, he appeared to be pretty nervous. Nervous enought to make me suspect, despite the well-claddedness of the two.
"Hi?" I ask.
"Hi, um, we're collecting. For (I now forget the charity he said, let's say:) Children's Wish Foundation."
Why do I not see a receipt book?
"Collecting what?" I say. I'm surprised by how terse I sound.
This totally catches him off guard for a moment. His being caught off-guard increases my suspicions. Yet, I also begin to feel sorry for him, for how nervous he is.
"Um, money. Cheques. Um, whatever, like that."
"Yeah" says the second guy. His only contribution to the scene. Even with that one 'yeah', I can tell that he'd be the leader of the two. The Alpha. I wonder why he's not the guy to speak when the door opens.
"Sorry. No." I say. The first guy nods, as if he knew the outcome all along. He was defeated even before his knuckles rapped on the door. I close my door.
I look out another window, and see a whole platoon of kids, all dressed in their cadet uniforms, swarming the neighbourhood.
I feel bad for not giving. But I couldn't, in good conscience, give money to such an unproffesional ragtag duo.
4 comments:
Poor little jeezers. Too much taking orders and not enough speaking their minds.
I was surprised by the tactlessness of their approach. After they left, I recalled all the times I do give to charities who come to my door like this, and how I feel good about giving. Writing a cheque to the two who came to my door would have felt more like paying a bill than giving a great charity (which the Salvation Army is -- I have become a real fan of theirs in the last few years)
Rob, you insensitive cheap bastard...
Air/Army/Navy Cadets are one of, if not the best, youth organizations around. My child was an Air Cadet. She did the door to door ticket selling bottle collecting thing. It helped finance field trips to other provinces to fly on military planes/helicopters, learn all kinds of life skills, self discipline, GAIN SELF CONFIDENCE etc. etc. Yes, other kids and ignorant adults bugged her about it but how many of them get to sit in the cockpit of a C-130 at 13yrs of age over the mid Atlantic or be in parades (no matter how lame) or attend two week summer training camps and get paid for it at $60 a week to learn aviation and survival skills? Its a hell of good organization for 12 to 17 year olds. If the stumbling stutterring kid at your door put you off, well, at least he/she had the guts to join an organization that MAKES them push the envelope,,, (unlike the little pricks who skate board all over the local mall parking lot flipping you the finger whilst vandalising your car...)
Calico, I have no problem with the organization, and I expect they produce excellent young men and women.
Yet, these kids were absolutely the worst at what they were assigned to do. Their lack of confidence (they must've missed the GAIN SELF CONFIDENCE class) was at such a degree that it took me off guard.
If they had even a semblance of self assurance, if they even once gave me the impression they knew what the hell they were doing, I'd have been much more inclined to give.
I gave them pretty much what they gave me.
Thank you.
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