Kids don't want money...

[Glelas]

As many of you know, the east coast got hammered with a snowstorm this weekend. Living on Long Island's south shore I could swear we got like somewhere between 2 to 3 feet.

I grew up in Queens. A day like today would bring me a smile from ear to ear, not because I get to build snow forts or play tackle football in the middle of the street but because it meant major coin. Small driveways, sidewalks, porches, stoops, you name it we would go ape and shovel everything in sight.

Well, it seems things have changed. I offered 2 kids 100 smackers to shovel my driveway this morning. No dice.

I offered a father and son with a snowblower who were just walking around the neighborhood 100 smackers to shovel my driveway. They looked at me like I had 6 heads.

Just for good measure I asked 2 more kids who were walking the streets with shovels on their shoulders. Nope.

Now, lets assume I am a non-threatening normal looking male human. My two kids were building a snowman on the front lawn.

I also understand that maybe they had someplace to go or help someone else.

Could all 3 groups be gold bugs and want nothing to do with fiat money?

I was dumbfounded on how nobody wanted to do it. I would have been all over that crap.

This puzzled me the rest of the day. Is it me?

 

[Mini-Me]

How long is your driveway?

 

[Kludge]

Distrust of others + waning interest in materialism. Rapid increase in cynicism and apathy in general would be my guess. Positive stories don't make headlines and when positive stories do appear, they're dismissed as fluff. Obama seemed to have inspired hope, but he, unsurprisingly, failed to deliver, so the rate of cynicism/apathy intensifies.

Maybe they were uncomfortable with the amount of money you were offering.

 

[kathy88]

Maybe they are all just lazy and had to go home to catch a re-run of something.

 

[kathy88]

My 15 year old son would have been all over that, and he would have done it cheaper

 

[Scofield]

I'd have done it for $15 to $20.

 

[Mini-Me]

I'd have done it for $15 to $20.

What if he has a 200+ foot-long driveway?

 

[tmosley]

They are still used to easy money. As such, they have an inflation expectation built into their actions, even without conscious knowledge.

 

[sparebulb]

I use my old tractor to plow the driveways for a couple of old widows in my neighborhood. They never offer to pay which is fine because I wouldn't take it anyway, but it would be nice for them to offer. People around here are so cheap, they think that they are doing me a favor by letting me work for them for free. Oh well, maybe this will earn me heaven points because I need them.

Needless to say, $100 would definitely land my services.

 

[lavis88]

I think people have just been conditioned with their 9-5's to think it somehow weird to do something else to earn money.

 

[tmosley]

I use my old tractor to plow the driveways for a couple of old widows in my neighborhood. They never offer to pay which is fine because I wouldn't take it anyway, but it would be nice for them to offer. People around here are so cheap, they think that they are doing me a favor by letting me work for them for free. Oh well, maybe this will earn me heaven points because I need them.

Needless to say, $100 would definitely land my services.

Stop doing it for free. Come back a week later and see if they won't offer you money for it.

Don't do things because you think they will get you into heaven. Do things that are in your self interest, or because they please you. If you are not pleased, then stop doing it for free. Simple as that.

 

[Kludge]

Stop doing it for free. Come back a week later and see if they won't offer you money for it.

Don't do things because you think they will get you into heaven. Do things that are in your self interest, or because they please you. If you are not pleased, then stop doing it for free. Simple as that.

Perhaps he is pleased by pleasing others (not that I'd ever admit to love for fellow man!)?

 

[tmosley]

Perhaps he is pleased by pleasing others (not that I'd ever admit to love for fellow man!)?

He just said that he was annoyed that people acted like they were doing him a favor by letting him work for them for free. That would piss me off rather than pleasing me, but to each his own.

I'm saying he shouldn't feel obligated to give away such a valuable service. Those people should know the value of his labor.

 

[sparebulb]

Stop doing it for free. Come back a week later and see if they won't offer you money for it.

Don't do things because you think they will get you into heaven. Do things that are in your self interest, or because they please you. If you are not pleased, then stop doing it for free. Simple as that.

I don't disagree with anything you've said. I'm just grumbling about being nice. Anyway, I'm saving the safety net the cost of a couple of broken hips.

I'm guessing that people were far more inclined to help others back in the days before the 'gubmint got into the charity business. It is just easier to do nothing, especially when we rationalize that we aren't obligated to help because the 'gubmint has already gouged us for the cost of "helping" others.

 

[Brett]

I shoveled my driveway and 2 elderly neighbors' for free. Should have charged money

 

[JeNNiF00F00]

I would have done it in a heartbeat. People today are lazy!