The Giving Spirit

The company I work for has this holiday program where departments adopt a child. The child tells us what types of things s/he wants. There are 12 people on my team right now. Our boss asked that we give what we can and we did. Our child asked for a winter coat and boots. I tend to think it wasn’t the child but the parent who stated the need. Anyhow, we got his a coat, boots, hat and gloves. You’d think we’d stop there right? I mean that was what was on the list beside his name.

Remember there are but 12 people on our team. After the coat, hat, gloves, and boots were purchased, we still had a butt load of cash left. We could have just returned the differnce, but oh no. Let me tell y’all why my team is the bomb. After talking to the child’s social worker, we found out he was one of nine children living in a single parent home. Further, they were immigrants–the legal kind. Do y’all know how expensive it is to raise kids?? Do y’all?? Do y’all know there’s likely any money left over for other fancy things when it’s one income for nine kids.

We bought the family a holiday dinner for Christmas. It should be enough for left-overs and everything. Now, we could have stopped there. We could have just kept the money and had ourselves our own party. Nope!! This is the givingest season right? We, the 12 of us, bought the family a computer. I’m talking monitor, ISB port, printer, even a power cord!!! Everything.

I wasn’t there when the child got it, but I can only imagine the look on his face. His social worker called back our contact person and she was crying y’all. Full of joy. You think people are generous but this was more than she’d ever hoped.

But. I wish we could be this giving all year. March will come and families will still be in need. March will come and Katrina victims will still be in need. March will come and our soldiers will still be away from their families. So while I was elated that we were able to do this for this one family, I was saddened because we couldn’t do it for more. Saddened because more people are not doing things like this when they see a need.

Now.

Let’s talk quickly about nepotism. I’m a fan of it. So long as the beneficiaries have the skills. The summer after undergrad, I worked for a publishing company. I had to go through resumes for the first time. I remember being super aware of the colleges people attended and their names. Why? Because I have a pretty good handle on HBCU’s. And often, I can tell a person’s race by their name. Now year, I know this is illegal. And I would never do that now.

But, I hate, Hate, HATE when people, especially Black people, talk that fair-and-equal crap when the truth of the matter is that most other groups don’t. Joos?? They hire Joos. Wacus? They hire Wacus? Messicans? Well you get my drift. They pepper in a few faces that don’t look like their own for good measure. You know, to make them not look like racists. Cus you know racist is a bad word.

Hold up!! Racist is a bad word, but artist isn’t? Therapist isn’t? What’s so wrong about considering race?? What’s so wrong with looking out for your own? So long as you don’t harm anyone else in the process??

Back to nepotism. Can someone tell me why it’s so bad for me to hook up another well-qualified person who looks like me? Who shares something in common with me?? And why are my people so against this?? Is it because they’re getting tired of getting screwed when other groups protect their own? Well guess what people, those groups aren’t going to stop looking out for their own. Not in the near future. So y’all might as well get over yourselves and pull up the next man, woman, child who looks like you. And you know what?? this goes beyod race even. What’s so wrong with looking out for someone from your school? Your town??