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On top of the values taught to me by my parents, my philosophy on altruism was heavily influenced by a TV show called “Sports Night.” “Sports Night” was a critically acclaimed but not necessarily highly viewed TV show in the late ’90s that lasted for two years. It focused on the drama and comedy encountered by the staff of a second-tier sports cable network’s late-night highlight show.
In one episode, one of the co-anchors, Dan, is hit with “liberal guilt” that he is “inactive.” He begins receiving numerous fundraising solicitations by mail and has difficulty deciding whom to support or what to do. The episode contains multiple interactions between this anchor and his colleagues. My favorite is when he indelicately asks an assistant producer, “What do you do with your money?” to which she responds, “Well, my portfolio is pretty much tied up with food and shelter.” Not realizing how out of touch he is, he continues, “I meant, your disposable income. I’ve got some extra money, and I don’t know what to do with it,” to which she sarcastically responds, “Wow. That must really suck.”
The exchange is hilarious but also instructive. It ends a minute later with the producer letting the now slightly humbled anchor know that the “trick” is to “get in the game.”
I could elaborate at length on my opinion of what it means to “get in the game.”
I don’t want to give the illusion that I’m as out of touch as Dan. But I struggle with letting people down. We all get solicited for resources every week, whether we realize it or not, starting with a panhandler on the street or at the interstate off-ramp. I don’t know these people, and I rarely engage them, but I feel like I let them down by not giving them what they want.
I can be cynical about these things, fairly or unfairly, because 23 years ago, I fell for the, “I’m in town for a job interview and ran out of gas up the street” scam when I was walking by a gas station on my first trip (as an adult) to D.C. and gave the person $20, only to run into them two days later pulling the same scam. I have been jaded ever since, which is unfair to those who truly could use some spare change and have the humility to ask for help.
Someone once told me never to complain about getting solicited for resources (time, money, advice) because no one would ask if they didn’t believe you had resources to begin with. OK, good point, but man, sometimes I wish people would stop asking if only so that I wouldn’t feel bad about having to say no (or even worse, not respond). But a lot of great causes do need support.
Dan continues to wring his hands about what he should do and whom he should support for the remainder of the episode until the other anchor asks Dan if he has solved his problem (of being a “guilt-free altruist”). He then tells Dan that he’s not going to solve everyone’s problems or anybody’s problems, regardless of his choice, so he should simply do this: “Anything. As
much of it, and as often, as
you can.”
Altruism. Philanthropy. Whatever you choose to call it. It takes all forms. And while some of us might still feel guilty about not being able to help everyone, we should not let that prevent us from helping someone.•
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Rateike is founder and owner of BAR Communications and served as director of cabinet communications for President Donald Trump. Send comments to [email protected].
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