Whilst taking a peepee in a large university bathroom stall this evening, I looked in front of myself and saw that a sorority girl had done some advertising. She had (I can only imagine) carefully tacked up a yellow flyer, with just the right amount of Scotch tape, on the inside of my stall door during a break from like...her Speech/Com classes or something. I guess I was a little bit pissed off when I read the flyer, firstly because I couldn't avoid it, and secondly, because of this: "Community service isn't just what the judge gives you on weekends." -- And then there was something about how this Greek organization, like, totally does community service all the time, because, it like looks good on a resume and stuff and they wanted me to like, join and stuff (forgive the gratuitous valley-speak; I'm being very stereotypical and that's totally mean).
I've never been so angry in a public restroom before. Oh wait...
But I need to vent: since when did community service become synonymous with punishment? When did community service become a selfish act of resume-boosting? Community means neither of those things alone; nor does service. I'm not stupid (but I might not be librarian material); I know people think those things about community service - but it just breaks my heart that doing good for the sake of doing good to help others and our lovely planet is still so unpopular.
Unrelated: D. Sergei jumped into my lap nary ten minutes ago and now he is a) fast asleep and b) keeping me warm. Can I get a witness?
7 comments:
I thought that was too cute about your links list. No worries...we're all allowed a few of those.
So are you upset about the flyer being in your stall or about the whole negative connotation CS has gotten in recent years?
I for one am on your side. I've been helping with Habitat for Humanity just because I like swinging a hammer and helping others. It has been a blast this year. I guess those of us who DO help others in the community don't really call it "Community Service," so much as just doing what we enjoy. While others are FORCED to do it.
I have just started up my own non profit...prisoners rights.
I think we might have a future
Re: D. Sergei - that's what cats are for, baby. My little guy is an evil, furry little turd, but he's an excellent lap-warmer.
i love habitat for humanity! i used to volunteer in high school and did hands on atlanta in college. i love swinging hammers and painting and building.
i agree with the stupid stupid sorority girls have their ideas completely backwards - and they'll never realize it, either, which is even sadder.
Ah, yes, universities...the last frontier of 'volunteer' work. We force prison inmates to do it. It's used as punishment by colleges. It's use to keep 'those' welfare recipients 'busy' while they look for work. And now potential employers want to see it on fresh graduates' resumes.
All of those may or may not be good things. But are they 'service'? Are they 'volunteering'?
What's most sad is that if you look historically, the federal government has always pushed for 'service' just prior to social welfare spending cutbacks. From Reagan to Clinton to Bush, they've all come out heavy on serving your community, and then six months later -- major spending cuts.
New York City's parks and rec department is practically run by using welfare recipients who are not job ready to pick up garbage in the parks. They don't get a salary, don't pay into social security, don't get benefits, don't have the same rights as paid workers (a court there even said these workers couldn't sue for sexual harassment, because they aren't 'real' employees, they're 'volunteers'). Volunteers? Isn't volunteering like, ummm...voluntary???
And through it all, the true meaning of 'service' is lost.
Ooh, sorry...that was longer than I thought. Feel free to delete. :)
Yeah, I think when "community service" is done in retribution for crime or in selfish resume-building, it is no longer "community service" but "self service."
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