Is generosity contrary to American values?
I've been wondering how many people come to this site and find themselves questioning whether I'm really doing what I do for free and what sinister marketing motivation I may be hiding? And then I wonder if people who do realize that it's truly free, still hesitate to request a blessing because they've been taught to distrust anything that comes for free? Or maybe they feel they don't deserve anything they don't have to exchange some sort of energy for? This project has really got me thinking about the presence of generosity in our culture of consumerism and materialism.
"A potlatch is a ceremony among certain Native American/First Nations peoples on the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia such as the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw). The potlatch takes the form of a ceremonial feast traditionally featuring seal meat or salmon. In it, hierarchical relations between groups were observed and reinforced through the of gifts and other ceremonies. The potlatch is an example of a gift economy; the host demonstrates their wealth and prominence through giving away their possessions and thus prompt participants to reciprocate when they hold their own potlatch.
Potlatching was made illegal in Canada (1885) and the United States in the late nineteenth century, largely at the urging of missionaries and government agents who considered it "a worse than useless custom" that was wasteful, unproductive, and contrary to the work ethic and values of Canadian/American society." Cole, Douglas and Ira Chaikin. An Iron Hand Upon The People: The Law Against The Potlatch on the Northwest Coast. Vancouver and Seattle: Douglas & McIntyre and University of Washington Press, 1990.
Is generosity contrary to American values? You may prickle against my even asking this question since there are examples of American generosity on a daily basis. But consider that all donations to non-profit organizations are tax deductible, which means the giver is making an exchange if they plan to use the deduction. They aren't really giving anything away that they already wouldn't be paying in taxes. Consider as well that most corporations and small businesses contribute to publicized campaigns or sponsor events that give them some sort of media exposure. Philanthropists get their names associated with the organizations they support, which is a form of community currency. How many people truly give with no expectation of receiving something in return?
Also consider the kinds of campaigns that receive the most funding. Cancer research. Disaster relief. Issues that allow us to see our donations make a visible impact on the community. We trade our donation for knowing we've improved someone's existence on a physical level with advances in medicine for the body or shelter, food, and water for the impoverished.
Consider that many public schools in our nation are in shambles (a topic I applaud Oprah for taking on this year). Why are we sending our money to tsunami victims in Asia when our own children are receiving one of the lowest rated educations in the modernized world? Because we can't see or feel the immediate effects of their improved education? Because it isn't physically tangible so we don't experience an exchange that we can measure in the short term? Why do we allow our politicians to give more corporate welfare than social service programs? Because we can't physically quantify the effects on the home lives of the poor but we can quantify the price of a stock?
I do see generosity in America. I see it in one-on-one and family-to-family relationships. I see it in the $10-20 donations from lower middle class families to the non-profit I work for that don't ever get the recognition that the thousand dollar donors do, even though that $20 has a much deeper impact on their day-to-day survival. I see it in the amazing acts of kindness that take place online. But I don't see the expression of it, or the recognition of it, in our dominant culture. Making potlatching illegal, which required the investment of large amounts of energy in our political system, is a glaring example of how our economic system has infiltrated the value system we've manifested at a national level for the last hundred plus years despite the generosity we express in our day to day lives.
I have received several letters from recipients of my blessing packages who say that I've brought a light to the darkness they see in the world. I've even been told I renewed someone's hope in humanity. It's significant that my little action of giving something away with no expectation has such a tremendous impact on someone's life. It tells us that generosity is not a quality of life that we're accustommed to experiencing. So I'm on a Generosity Mission. That's what this project has become: a mission to bring generosity into our cultural consciousness. Want to help? Email me and let's talk about how you, too, can aspire (or already are aspiring) to participate in the Conspiracy of Blessings.
"A potlatch is a ceremony among certain Native American/First Nations peoples on the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia such as the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw). The potlatch takes the form of a ceremonial feast traditionally featuring seal meat or salmon. In it, hierarchical relations between groups were observed and reinforced through the of gifts and other ceremonies. The potlatch is an example of a gift economy; the host demonstrates their wealth and prominence through giving away their possessions and thus prompt participants to reciprocate when they hold their own potlatch.
Potlatching was made illegal in Canada (1885) and the United States in the late nineteenth century, largely at the urging of missionaries and government agents who considered it "a worse than useless custom" that was wasteful, unproductive, and contrary to the work ethic and values of Canadian/American society." Cole, Douglas and Ira Chaikin. An Iron Hand Upon The People: The Law Against The Potlatch on the Northwest Coast. Vancouver and Seattle: Douglas & McIntyre and University of Washington Press, 1990.
Is generosity contrary to American values? You may prickle against my even asking this question since there are examples of American generosity on a daily basis. But consider that all donations to non-profit organizations are tax deductible, which means the giver is making an exchange if they plan to use the deduction. They aren't really giving anything away that they already wouldn't be paying in taxes. Consider as well that most corporations and small businesses contribute to publicized campaigns or sponsor events that give them some sort of media exposure. Philanthropists get their names associated with the organizations they support, which is a form of community currency. How many people truly give with no expectation of receiving something in return?
Also consider the kinds of campaigns that receive the most funding. Cancer research. Disaster relief. Issues that allow us to see our donations make a visible impact on the community. We trade our donation for knowing we've improved someone's existence on a physical level with advances in medicine for the body or shelter, food, and water for the impoverished.
Consider that many public schools in our nation are in shambles (a topic I applaud Oprah for taking on this year). Why are we sending our money to tsunami victims in Asia when our own children are receiving one of the lowest rated educations in the modernized world? Because we can't see or feel the immediate effects of their improved education? Because it isn't physically tangible so we don't experience an exchange that we can measure in the short term? Why do we allow our politicians to give more corporate welfare than social service programs? Because we can't physically quantify the effects on the home lives of the poor but we can quantify the price of a stock?
I do see generosity in America. I see it in one-on-one and family-to-family relationships. I see it in the $10-20 donations from lower middle class families to the non-profit I work for that don't ever get the recognition that the thousand dollar donors do, even though that $20 has a much deeper impact on their day-to-day survival. I see it in the amazing acts of kindness that take place online. But I don't see the expression of it, or the recognition of it, in our dominant culture. Making potlatching illegal, which required the investment of large amounts of energy in our political system, is a glaring example of how our economic system has infiltrated the value system we've manifested at a national level for the last hundred plus years despite the generosity we express in our day to day lives.
I have received several letters from recipients of my blessing packages who say that I've brought a light to the darkness they see in the world. I've even been told I renewed someone's hope in humanity. It's significant that my little action of giving something away with no expectation has such a tremendous impact on someone's life. It tells us that generosity is not a quality of life that we're accustommed to experiencing. So I'm on a Generosity Mission. That's what this project has become: a mission to bring generosity into our cultural consciousness. Want to help? Email me and let's talk about how you, too, can aspire (or already are aspiring) to participate in the Conspiracy of Blessings.
posted by April Cheri at 5:02 PM
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