So apparently, there is a new book out by Joel Waldfogel that talks about how we are wasting a lot of money by buying gifts during the holiday season. Wasting a lot... or $85 billion per winter. So instead of giving gifts that the recipient doesn't want (and waste $85 billion), we should just give cash or gift card.
Except that logic seems just a bit cold. Isn't it that the thought should count? And even if the gift reflects the giver, more than the recipient, I tend to think that has endearing value as well. For example, to go back to my favorite short story -- The Gift of the Magi -- the gifts turn out to be of no use to the recipients. Because both donors thought so well of the other, that the gifts become useless. And the gifts are wasted on the recipients. But the selfless thoughts of both donors are what make this story so endearing... and make them the wisest of all givers.
So in defense of giving gifts, not cash or gift card, I have once again gone against my parents' wish and bought my entire family something. Who knows? This year, my family could be surprised and love my gifts. If not, I don't mind being part of $85 billion waste in giving gifts.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
News Sources
News, as objective as reporters want to be, still has a slant because reporters are human. There was a horrific rape and murder of a Korean American woman in Venice (in L.A.). She was 3 months pregnant with twins. The mainstream American news media such as ABC and LA Times reported about the crime, that the landlord called the police when he saw what was happening to the victim, and that the police caught the 22 year old suspect.
Korean news media from Koreatimes.com reports the same crime -- that the Korean American woman in Venice was murdered and raped, she was 3 months pregnant with twins, the landlord called the police, and that the police caught the 22 year old suspect. But the Korean news media also reports something else -- that the police arrived at the scene within 2 minutes of the call and did not enter the victim's residence to stop the rape and murder. It reports that for 7 minutes the police waited. During that time, the victim was eventually murdered. And yes, the police caught the suspect after the murder. (Yes, it's in Korean, and I suppose you can try to translate on your own if you don't believe my summary).
If the Korean news version is true (and Korean news source allegedly quotes the landlord who told the police to go in and stop the crime), that's a pretty crucial bit of information that seems to be missing from the mainstream American news source. I wondered why that is.
I like to give people some benefit instead of assuming things that may not be true. So I asked the reporters of LA Times of the news article if they were aware of the information missing in their article (but is carried in Koreatimes.com article), if they verified it wasn't true, and forwarded Koreatimes.com article for their reference.
It seems sad that someone could have gone in to at least try to stop the murder but did not. And also sad about what our expectation and reality of help we can receive from others when we are most in trouble. But if true, ultimately saddest if the mainstream media ignored this bit of information for whatever reason.
Different news source with different tales of the same event reminds me that it is still worthwhile to read news from many different outlet because of pieces of information that may be missing intentionally or accidentally.
Korean news media from Koreatimes.com reports the same crime -- that the Korean American woman in Venice was murdered and raped, she was 3 months pregnant with twins, the landlord called the police, and that the police caught the 22 year old suspect. But the Korean news media also reports something else -- that the police arrived at the scene within 2 minutes of the call and did not enter the victim's residence to stop the rape and murder. It reports that for 7 minutes the police waited. During that time, the victim was eventually murdered. And yes, the police caught the suspect after the murder. (Yes, it's in Korean, and I suppose you can try to translate on your own if you don't believe my summary).
If the Korean news version is true (and Korean news source allegedly quotes the landlord who told the police to go in and stop the crime), that's a pretty crucial bit of information that seems to be missing from the mainstream American news source. I wondered why that is.
I like to give people some benefit instead of assuming things that may not be true. So I asked the reporters of LA Times of the news article if they were aware of the information missing in their article (but is carried in Koreatimes.com article), if they verified it wasn't true, and forwarded Koreatimes.com article for their reference.
It seems sad that someone could have gone in to at least try to stop the murder but did not. And also sad about what our expectation and reality of help we can receive from others when we are most in trouble. But if true, ultimately saddest if the mainstream media ignored this bit of information for whatever reason.
Different news source with different tales of the same event reminds me that it is still worthwhile to read news from many different outlet because of pieces of information that may be missing intentionally or accidentally.
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