Column:
Drunken donating?
Published Feb. 19, 2008
People do a lot of things when they’re drunk. They fork over $500 for a lower back tattoo of the Chevrolet logo, sometimes they sing “Come On Eileen” in front of large crowds, grope their best friends or find themselves passed out at a pool party they weren’t invited to, etc. But earlier this week, my pal Zach told me about an inebriated activity that won’t leave you filled with shame or remorse. Check this: drunk donating. One of his good friends woke up Sunday to find out that she had donated $20 to Barack Obama’s campaign at 2 a.m. that morning while she was fairly sloshed. Not that she had drunk dialed her ex-boyfriend or Soulja Boy’d on a ping pong table; she found out that she helped fundraise for a presidential candidate, all while under the influence. I tell this story, one, because it’s one of the coolest things I’ve heard, and two, because donating money to people or causes is a pretty freaky concept for college students. We pounce on free food faster than homeless people or packs of wild dogs. We steal toilet paper from campus buildings to avoid buying it at the store. We even make ridiculous bets on who can grow the biggest beard for seven bucks. Those damn baby seals, whales, whatever they are, will just have to make do. You’re out of ramen and have a loan to pay back. It’s true, as college students, we don’t have much of a “disposable” income. But I would argue, especially in this election, in this era, donating to your candidate or cause of choice isn’t disposing of anything. In fact, it may be one of the most important investments you can make as a 20-something-year-old. The problem with charity, donations and taxes is that the results aren’t tangible. And in this gimme, gimme world, if you’re dishing out some of your hard-earned money and there’s nothing to show for it, it feels like you might as well have thrown that money down the garbage disposal. It’s why people are more inclined to buy something from (product) RED at Gap than just simply write a check to UNICEF. It’s why people can’t fathom paying taxes for public schools when they don’t even have kids. Screw a better-educated society, it’s my money. Like it or not, we’re going to be hanging around for hopefully a good 50 or so more years, and if we help in whatever means we can, not just our money, but our careers and our time, then maybe the impending future won’t be filled with so many problems to tackle. I’m not asking you to give up your next rent check. Barack Obama always references the old lady who sent him an envelope with $1.38 because it was all she could spare when people feel like they don’t have the capacity to help financially in something they believe in. So the next time you plan on droppin’ that Hamilton on a case of Bud Light think about investing beyond your weekend or get so drunk that giving up another 20 doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.
