United Way

Today at our faculty meeting one of our teachers, trying to drum up contributions to United Way, broke into tears while describing the plight of some poor kid who was shaken by his biological mother. This teacher said, "I just can't believe a parent would do something like this to their own child." Then we were forced to watch a video about the wonderful things United Way does to help prevent such obvious child abuse.

I object to this on two levels. First, I was an abused child and I don't cry about how parents can treat their children. I envy this woman her disillusionment. At least she once believed that no parent could do something so horrible. I grew up with the reality that as far as I knew, every parent did.

Second, I don't think that professionals should be pressured by their employer to contribute to a specific charity. My professional time would be better spent doing, oh I don't know, something professional; about a hundred different activities come to mind. My charity donations are my own blasted business and no one else's. As long as United way keeps soliciting us at work, they will get nothing from me.