I'm not being cranky right, in fact I'm in pretty good form this fine November morning, but I do find myself more than a little irritated. The irritation has been growing since Monday evening and reached a climax this morning in my own mind. It was a slow burner, as they say.
My problem this morning concerns Chuggers The link is to Sigla Mag where Sinead wrote about this phenomenon about a year ago. I laughed and nodded when I read it and I find myself laughing and nodding again now. However I encountered a new breed of chugger this week and hence the slow burning anger.
I was sitting merrily (what other way is there to sit, one asks?) in the sanctity of my own home. The blinds were drawn the heating was on and my dinner was being consumed in front of Corrie, what bliss. Then comes the knock on my door. I answer it hesitatingly as it might be Johnny next door requesting milk for his cup of tea or it might be someone less pleasant you never know what the rain will bring out. What was I confronted with? Flippin Chuggers.
Needless to say I was not/am not impressed. Running the gauntlet on Grafton St is something you can prepare yourself for, finding yourself face to face with the begging bowl at your own door on a wet and windy night is quite another. And then when they went through their choreographed spiel and I told them that I already gave to charities, that I had a budget and that it had reached its limit, they got thick with me! The cheek! I do give, more than I can actually afford to as it happens and these upstarts have the front to tell me that I won't miss an additional 2 euro a week! Whether I will or won't miss it is not for them to decide excuse me. But of course I did get that pang of guilt anyway after they had left. And then the anger began to sink in.
And now I'm really cross and I wanted to see has anyone else encountered this new form of terror and annoyance?
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5 comments:
That hasn't happened me. I wouldn't really mind the knock on the door but if they got annoyed or pushy with me that would definitely get me going. What charity was it?
I did something similar for ISPCC ages ago on cold winter nights and got abused pretty frequently, I was always polite though... I swear! & I was asking for a small donation rather than a direct debit...
It was Gorta and I don't mind the box shaking I always give to them it was the look of disgust that I got that really put my back up! And I wasn't rude to them either because I'm not that kind of girl!
Hey Fi,
In NY they're even worse. Near Union Square, a massive intersection near NYU, there are literallly scores of them for every sort of charity thing you could think of. At first I was nice, then I was brusque, and now I'm like everyone else: umbrella in hand, head down, voice dropped one octave:
"One Side!"
"You mean you don't have two minutes to save a child's life? Don't feel so bad about it..."
"As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to murder one now."
OR
"Sorry, I don't speak English"
Fuck 'em, they make all our lives needlessly harder.
Be Well,
Steve
Happened to me on Friday... I give by direct debit but this Gorta guy who, when I told him, said 'even a few euro to save a few starving children?' Er, NO.
Crap! they are infecting other areas of life now? Hate chuggers. Hate them.
But for them to come calling, will have to buy a big growly dog. Have no problem giving my change but I am not going to be guilt-tripped into donating to a charity when the money I give will more than likely go to pay the guilt-trippers wages.
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