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BGonline.org Forums
right on the $
Posted By: Chuck Bower In Response To: right on the $ (mtuhtan)
Date: Friday, 29 April 2011, at 4:34 p.m.
Hi, Miran. I guess I've noticed your name on your title box before but forgot.
Why do Americans emphasize so much somebody's volunteer work?
Well, is that a uniquely American trait?
To me the distinction is what you are expected to do and what you could or maybe even should do.
If the street in front of my house has a pothole, the city department paid to take care of the streets is expected to repair it. I could do it. And there can be arguments made that I should do it. But I don't think it's fair that someone contends that I'm expected to do it.
From my experience, a backgammon club is run by one (or sometimes two) volunteers. They do so for the love of the game. Most everyone else at the club just shows up to play. The typical attendee doesn't arrange for the place to play. They don't send out announcements, create or update the website, and some don't even think that it's responsible to go out of their way to welcome new players and make them feel at home, let alone actively seek out new players themselves.
What I think you've seen here is possibly an overreaction, but still a response founded in this concept that the person(s) running the club (and taking care of the website) is already making a (albeit small) sacrifice in his/her daily life for the good of the club. Being expected to sacrifice even more while others who will gain equally from that effort themselves do nothing... That leads to the reflex reaction you saw. Of course you're not the freeloader here, but you touched a nerve.
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