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Comment by the_cat_kittles | Hacker News Reader

It always seems like a bit of a cop out to get a high paying job so you can donate to charity- at the risk of sounding cynical, it seems like a way for people to try to have their cake and eat it too, i.e. I have a big income and can feel special about that, but then I can feel doubly special because I am so generous and giving it all away. I suppose it has some positive externalities, but I don't think it really even comes close to the spirit of charity.

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Really? Why not?

If the most effective way that you can donate to the needy is to earn big bucks and give them away, then this feels like the essence of charity to me.

> I suppose it has some positive externalities, but I don't think it really even comes close to the spirit of charity.

Why would you feel special if you didn't already view generosity as something desirable?

have you considered the possibility that people don't do it primarily to feel special? What do you think is the spirit of charity?

Don't bother. There's a significant segment of the population who can't escape the egocentric mindset others grow out of. They can't (not won't, can't) understand that others think and feel differently from them. They can't imagine others wanting to fix an injustice which doesn't directly affect them.

Wait- you inferred all this about me from a single comment? It's true that some people have no ability for empathy, but I think leveling such a harsh criticism at a random person based on a single comment is probably a little over the top.

True. I was using you as a proxy for Brooks and his ilk, I suppose. Sorry about that.

I'm sure many people don't do it primarily to feel special. My apologies to those people. However, in my personal experience, the people I know with this mindset are also the people who seem to believe in the concept of "being better than other people" and actively pursue means to this end. I think what I am trying to say is related to Brook's warning that "You might become one of those people who loves humanity in general but not the particular humans immediately around." I'm not saying these people are the scum of the earth, and it's probably a bad idea to try to paint with such a broad brush- I'm simply going off my own life experience and perception thereof.

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