Walk for Autism
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of panhandlers, solicitors, Jehovah’s witnesses and the like. I have no problem telling them to take a hike. My theory is that if I already pay taxes, then why are they approaching my car on the ramp to tenth street, begging for a dollar? I know. I am a big old meanie. And people knocking on my door, trying to covert me or save my soul? It drives me absolutely nuts – If I wanted to join your church, I’d show up at the door and come on in. I don’t. Leave me alone. How would you like it if I knocked on your door and gave you some nice pamphlets on Satan worship and the best way to sacrifice cats and babies?
I’m just saying.
So, I was in a store recently, not far from The Marcus Institute. A woman approached me with flyers and a very serious look on her face, and I’ll admit, i just wanted to hide in another aisle, but she made a beeline for me, and I had nowhere to run. I was cornered.
Turns out that her daughter had recently been diagnosed with Autism. The woman had tears in her eyes, and I could tell her heart was just breaking, and that she was out there pounding the pavement trying to do something, anything to help her daughter. There was a sense of fear and panic in her, but not of despair. I could tell that she was going to do anything and everything to help her child. This woman really moved me. I am a hard-ass, cold bitch, and I was moved to tears by her. At the end of our conversation, we hugged, I made a donation, and I promised her that I would tell everyone I knew about the Autism Walk she is promoting.
Being a parent is hard enough, but dealing with a sick kid must be the most excruciating experience. i don’t want to be one of those annoying solicitation types, but if you aren’t doing anything on Saturday? You might as well get out and get some exercise for a good cause. Oh, and it’s at Atlantic Station, so it’s not like you have to go OTP or anything. You can even go shopping afterwards or catch a movie when it’s over.
2007 Georgia Walk for Autism
Atlanta, GA – Atlantic Station
Saturday, May 19, 2007
You can register here.
God, I feel so touchy-feely. Like there are sunbeams coming out my butt. Must go shower.
Annie, although I do care about the cause of Autism, I must admit it was drowned out by your first paragraph of rantings. You seem quite intolerant towards a certain religion. Preaching is part of their worship. I’m sure more would speak up if you said something similar about Jews or Mormons, but I guess I’m the first. All you have to do is ask them not come to your door and they won’t. As for Pan Handlers and Solicitors you can perhaps contact the Mayors office or your Council Person and request some type of bill be passed or something. Maybe a no Pan Handling zone in the areas you visit. Now back to Autism…
Autism cases have jumped significantly since the 90s and now affect and estimated 1 in 150 children born in the United States. It may not be our child, but could be our nephews, nieces, or grand children. Researchers are still looking for the cause and believe it could be anything from genetic to vaccinations.
Any support at this event would be helpful. It will provide visibility and awareness of the problem. Not only to the 1,000s of folks visiting Atlantic Station, but also the media. Hope to see you all there :-)
Dave – In complete agreement concerning the Autism walk and the good it will do.
Concerning my rant, this is a place where I am allowed to blog about what I like and dislike about Atlanta, and I chose to do it. I must not have drowned out the Autism Walk too much, or you wouldn’t have gotten to the end of it, right?
To address your comments about my religious intolerance: I am intolerant of people foisting their religious beliefs on me, and that goes for all religions, not just a particular one.
I respect that preaching is part of their religion, but I would prefer if they kept it off my doorstep. I have asked people to stop coming by, and you are wrong, it does not stop the visits.
Concerning Jews and Mormons, they don’t show up on my doorstep, so that’s a moot point.
“Concerning my rant, this is a place where I am allowed to blog about what I like and dislike about Atlanta, and I chose to do it.”
Just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you should.
Very true, but it was my choice to do it, and I did it, and I will just have to live with the shame, I guess.
Note sarcasm. I am not apologizing for what I said, because I don’t think I am the offensive one. The people who think that their religion is the only and true one, and who condescendingly think they should come to my doorstep and convert me, they are the ones that should be ashamed of themselves.
You practice your religion, i will practice mine. Or exercise my right to not practice religion. Don’t insult me by forcing your beliefs on me. What is so hard to understand about this?
What the fuck does paying taxes have to do with poor folks asking you for money? Do taxes feed them? House them? Help them find jobs? Wake the fuck up- your taxes pay for war and bloated kickbacks. Give the poor a goddamn break.
Agreed that taxes pay for wars. Not so sure about the kickbacks. Examples?
The thing is, people pay taxes on their income. Part of that is redistributed to people as things like “earned income tax credits” etc. The govt does subsidize housing for the poor. There are govt agencies that help people find jobs.
[Pinching myself.] Yep. I am still awake over here.
Thing is, you seem to think that me giving someone a buck is going to “give them a break.” Like a fucking dollar is going to do much. I think that people giving a guy a dollar is not helping that guy. It is just keeping him down because he doesn’t have to pull himself up by the bootstraps. It is a vicious cycle.
There are a lot of people out there who have had crappy stuff happen to them, and who don’t deserve to be on the streets. Then there are others who are there because they brought it on themselves.
Anyway, I don’t like strange men (and it is always men – why is that?) approaching my car. period. It freaks me out. Oh, except that one time i was at the Kroger on Moreland (the one south of 20) and this woman asked me to give her money to buy a box of tampons. I said I didn’t have cash on me, but I’d give her a tampon. I gave it to her and she threw it down and called me a bitch. My son was with me. That was awesome.
wtf, That is no way to talk to a lady. We can be civil here. Besides this thread is about relegious intolerance not poor people. (Why do I feel like this country is getting more and more like the USSR russia everyday.) Just kidding.
Anyway, I don’t think it would be fair to the reason for this post to go unnoticed. The intent of this post was genuine, and was meant to gather support for a good cause. Autism. Now go buy some New Balance and get tha walking!!!
wtf, That is no way to talk to a lady. We can be civil here. Besides this thread is about relegious intolerance not poor people. (Why do I feel like this country is getting more and more like the USSR everyday.) Just kidding.
Anyway, I don’t think it would be fair to the reason for this post to go unnoticed. The intent of this post was genuine, and was meant to gather support for a good cause. Autism. Now go buy some New Balance and get tha walking!!!
wtf, That is no way to talk to a lady. We can be civil here. Besides this thread is about religious intolerance not poor people. (Why do I feel like this country is getting more and more like the USSR everyday.) Just kidding.
Anyway, I don’t think it would be fair to the reason for this post to go unnoticed. The intent of this post was genuine, and was meant to gather support for a good cause. Autism. Now go buy some New Balance and get tha walking!!!
I guess that is what happens when you hit “Post” more than once :-)
Dave, I will let you know when they start paying us by the number of comments we get; I want you on my team. p.s. Thanks for the gallant gentleman stuff. The Lady appreciates it.
oh, annie, you probably knew i wasn’t5 going to let this one go by w/o comment.
so a couple of thoughts –
first, proselytizing through door-to-door missionary work is A KEY component to being a devout mormon or jehovah’s witness. for both of those religions doing this is not optional, it is requured by their fatih, just as communion is of catholicism.
also, in their mind, whether you agree with it or not, they have found the one true path to salvation. their attempt to share it with you is not, in their mind, pushiness or rudeness, its an act of charity (again in their mind.)
i’ll answer your question; i think most devout mormon or jw missionaries approached as you suggested with pamphlets about satan worship and sacrificing cats would probably engage you on the tenets of their faith. for committed devout jw’s and mormons every opportunity like that is to be taken.
i used to get annoyed at this too, but then i really sat back and understood that these people wished me no harm, they were in their own way, trying to provide a service to me. now i just thank them politely, take their literature and tell them i have no desire to talk about my faith.
although i once got cornered by mormon missionaries on the star ferry from kowloon to hong kong harbor and had a fascinating discussion about the nature of faith and spirituality with them. i am certainly not a mormon because of it, but it was interesting and passed the time.
now, on to panhandlers. despite stories that you read from time to time of the professional beggar driving his bmw and making 60K a year, most of these guys are either mentally ill or addicted to drugs and pretty much incapable of ‘pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.’
i always give them some cash if i have it on me. i can afford it, and while i know in most cases that it will go to cigarettes or beer or something, doing it is an act of charity that reminds me that these people are still human, and i HOPE lets them know someone still recognizes their humanity.
James, I am only surprised that you respect their religion, but not my desire to be left alone by them. Maybe I should have said that i have no problem with Mormons or JWs or the little old ladies from the baptist churches in my neighborhood, but that I have a problem with “A KEY component of their religion.”
Concerning how I deal with them, it was not really accurate for me to say that I tell them to take a hike. I am way more polite than that, especially to the old ones. I usually do the same thing – take their literature and tell them that my spirituality is between me and my God. I don’t slam doors in people’s faces or anything. Unless they ring the doorbell during nap time and wake the kids. Just kidding. I just cuss more at them after closing the door at those times.
You seem really concerned with what is “in their mind.” Because they believe in an organized religion, I am supposed to be more tolerant of their wishes and thoughts than they are of mine? It would be different if they were standing on a street corner and I walked by them, but they are approaching my home.
I am really happy for you that you are so elevated and enlightened by your faith, but don’t you see how condescending it is for you to talk down to me as if I am just not seeing the light? Maybe you don’t mean it that way, but that is how it comes across.
About panhandlers – I agree that many of them are disabled or mentally ill. In fact, I have given money to some of them. Hell, I gave one-eyed Charlie (no idea if this is his name, but he is a guy missing an eye who hangs around EAV) money last week. It is different when someone has an obvious disability, and it is also different when they approach me when I am with my husband, rather than alone or just with the kids. It is also different when they approach me in an open place where I can leave. It is frightening to be approached at my car window, when I am stuck in traffic and unable to get away. It makes me feel cornered.
I am sure I will get reamed for saying i find the homeless, poor, and disabled frightening when they approach me, but put yourself in the shoes of a female and it might seem a little different to you. You see it as me not seeing them as human beings. That is not it all. It really isn’t.
Um, okay, well, this post was SUPPOSED to be about how even hard-hearted Annie could soften up enough to support a great cause, but I think it has turned into a discussion about my religious intolerance and hatred of the poor. Which was SO what i was going for.
“I am really happy for you that you are so elevated and enlightened by your faith, but don’t you see how condescending it is for you to talk down to me as if I am just not seeing the light?”
woah – at what point did i do that? i honestly don’t think i ever mentioned my personal faith one time in that response. yup i just went back and checked and i never did further, i don;t think i ever once spoke directly to you. i offered my own opinion and perspective on the issues that you raised both in your opening and you response to dave. my response contains not one, ‘annie you should,’ or ‘annie you must.’
“You seem really concerned with what is “in their mind.” Because they believe in an organized religion, I am supposed to be more tolerant of their wishes and thoughts than they are of mine? It would be different if they were standing on a street corner and I walked by them, but they are approaching my home.”
i didn’t tell you to do anything or tolerate anyonve. part of that perspective was my reasoning for why these visits no longer annoy me like they used to.
“am sure I will get reamed for saying i find the homeless, poor, and disabled frightening when they approach me, but put yourself in the shoes of a female and it might seem a little different to you. You see it as me not seeing them as human beings. That is not it all. It really isn’t.”
probably not. this is understandable.
you did however say this, and that is particularly what i was responding to –
“Thing is, you seem to think that me giving someone a buck is going to “give them a break.” Like a fucking dollar is going to do much. I think that people giving a guy a dollar is not helping that guy. It is just keeping him down because he doesn’t have to pull himself up by the bootstraps. It is a vicious cycle.”
mainly, i give these guys a dollar and i wanted to explain why i do. i really don’t care whether people choose to ignore them or not. i don’t and those are my reasons.
Hey, james. I think that I took your post the wrong way. I was a little defensive (pretty sure I didn’t take WTF’s comments the wrong way!) and after re-reading, you are right; you were just commenting on your views on the subject and i took it as a shot at me. I apologize for personalizing the whole thing. Truce?
Seriously, anybody else reading this, I really was trying to do something good here. I apologize for all the ruffled feathers.
no truce needed, since there was never a fight :-) all good, my friend.
Austism is a cult. Make no mistake. Think of it as a religion for the cancer cult born-agains. Autism is widely considered the new thing. Very hip. Don’t give in.
Kevin, thanks for your brilliant and illuminating comments. :-)