Friday, September 24, 2010

On self-censorship

I generally don't write blog posts and leave them in draft form, but for the first time in the five years I've been writing in this space, I just did so, both out of my own inclination and on Fang's advice.*

So instead, I solicit your 100-word essays on the censored post's title: "Giving at the Office." Leave 'em in the comments.

* Maybe I'll publish the post if/when the issue arises again in a year or so, but now is not the time, even though the argument I was making, at least in the opinion of the very talented and exacting Fang, is exceptionally timely and well crafted--so rare for me these days!

6 comments:

L said...

Hmmm, wow. I guess that has to do with the fact that you are not an anonymous blogger. Before, that couldn't hurt you much, but now... so much more is at stake, right? Sigh.

I have no brains to tackle the subject right now, sorry about that!

Bardiac said...

I find myself frustrated occasionally by the [overarching charity collection organization] campaign. At various times, there's been a little pressure, though less of late.

I'd rather donate specifically to the group(s) I really want to support. (Which doesn't include a paramilitary organization that requires a religious conviction and hates gays/lesbians.)

Leslie M-B said...

Lilian: Yep!

Bardiac: Amen; I don't give money to that organization either. All I feel I can say on the topic at this moment is that we each were asked, at a department meeting, to consider giving a couple hundred dollars to student scholarship endowment funds. While we were told there's "no pressure" to donate, folks were already making a tally of how much we could generate if we all donated.

Of course I support students, but. . . [fill in the blank].

Laura said...

We are expected to give money to the school itself. I actually don't have a huge problem with this, since it has the potential to benefit me and my daughter. That said, I won't be able to give much.

If it were an organization I didn't support, then I'd feel differently.

Leslie M-B said...

Laura, I don't have a problem with giving to the university foundation--after all, I work for the university, so I obviously don't have a problem with its mission. I was more put out by the fact that a specific amount was mentioned as being appropriate for faculty to give.

Bardiac said...

Wow, and the amounts probably come from someone who's pretty far into his/her career, maybe over in administration getting that bigger check. How discomfiting!