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Rantishness or "Can't a girl have a little fun?"
So I posted over on another website about the Run For Your Lives 5k that I'll be participating in come October. It's a 5k obstacle course that includes zombie hoardes trying to "kill" the racers. I'll be a zombie (natch) and am so damn excited about it I almost can't stand it. (My affection for zombie stuff these days is only barely suprassed by my new-found love for dystopian novels.) Anyway! I posted the link and stuff, just wanting to share with those who didn't know about it. The first response I got?
The only thing missing is a charity to benefit! Maybe you should see if you can scare up some sponsors to donate to your favourite charity for every kilometer/obstacle/brain eaten!
My first response to was to roll my eyes and mutter "Oh, for fuck's sake, what's wrong with people just doing something for fun?". I immediately felt a little bad about that and brought it up to Jesse. I think he summed up my feelings on the matter well. He said that he, too, was tired of the "monetizing" of *everything*. Regardless of where the money goes (into someone's pocket, to charity, whatever) or what it is someone is doing, it seems so often these days that the money is all it's about. Plan on reading 100 books in a year? Get someone to sponsor you! Running a marathon? Get sponsors! I've had countless people ask if I was going to have people sponsor me when I hike the A.T. (whenever that comes to pass). NO! I'm doing it *for me*. Just like I've set my reading goal *for me*. And how I want to go be a stumbling zombie in a race *for fun*. Maybe it's selfish but, gods, come ON people.
Also, really, with the economy and unemployment rates being what the are and with the number of charitable events increasing exponentially every day (or so it seems), who, exactly, does this woman think would sponsor me? I know I, for one, am getting pretty sick and freakin' tired of people hitting me up to donate/contribute/sponsor, etc.
And furthermore, I do my part in the charitable world. More than my part, actually. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 9/09-9/10, about 62.8 million people volunteered at least once through or for a charitable organizion. (That's about 26.3%, they say.) Those people gave a median of 52 hours of their time. (My current age bracket gave an average of 48 hours.) I spent 5 years volunteering at the pound, at least 6-10 hours a week. In the past 30 days, I've spent almost 30 hours at the food bank. I'm planning on volunteering my services as a nurse for the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk in D.C. this year. I think I deserve a chance to do something fun just for ME.
So there.
Nyaaaah.
The only thing missing is a charity to benefit! Maybe you should see if you can scare up some sponsors to donate to your favourite charity for every kilometer/obstacle/brain eaten!
My first response to was to roll my eyes and mutter "Oh, for fuck's sake, what's wrong with people just doing something for fun?". I immediately felt a little bad about that and brought it up to Jesse. I think he summed up my feelings on the matter well. He said that he, too, was tired of the "monetizing" of *everything*. Regardless of where the money goes (into someone's pocket, to charity, whatever) or what it is someone is doing, it seems so often these days that the money is all it's about. Plan on reading 100 books in a year? Get someone to sponsor you! Running a marathon? Get sponsors! I've had countless people ask if I was going to have people sponsor me when I hike the A.T. (whenever that comes to pass). NO! I'm doing it *for me*. Just like I've set my reading goal *for me*. And how I want to go be a stumbling zombie in a race *for fun*. Maybe it's selfish but, gods, come ON people.
Also, really, with the economy and unemployment rates being what the are and with the number of charitable events increasing exponentially every day (or so it seems), who, exactly, does this woman think would sponsor me? I know I, for one, am getting pretty sick and freakin' tired of people hitting me up to donate/contribute/sponsor, etc.
And furthermore, I do my part in the charitable world. More than my part, actually. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 9/09-9/10, about 62.8 million people volunteered at least once through or for a charitable organizion. (That's about 26.3%, they say.) Those people gave a median of 52 hours of their time. (My current age bracket gave an average of 48 hours.) I spent 5 years volunteering at the pound, at least 6-10 hours a week. In the past 30 days, I've spent almost 30 hours at the food bank. I'm planning on volunteering my services as a nurse for the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk in D.C. this year. I think I deserve a chance to do something fun just for ME.
So there.
Nyaaaah.
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And benefits are nice, when they're strictly for the sake of helping someone in need, but the reversal - having an event and then feeling like it must serve something or someone after the fact, is tiring.