Out and about, AIDS
Today and yesterday, I was out for the AIDS foundation collecting money; I was standing in something called Bruun’s Bazaar”, asking everyone who passed (well… mostly), if they wanted to donate to the struggle against AIDS, and to as many as I could, I gave out condoms.
When you’re standing around for that long, you try to amuse yourself. The bin used to collect money, is in Danish called “bøsse”, which happens to be the same as the word for a homosexual… Hilarity ensues… Well not really, it would be poor taste. But “support the fight against AIDS(give me money), and I will support yours (hand out a condom)”, I don’t think that’s bad taste, in worst case, it’s just stupid.
Time doesn’t go slow, I did 3 hours both days, it doesn’t go fast anyway, and by the time I was done, I was damn tired, walking around bugging people for money, it’s a very unforgiving job. Yes some people stop, chitchat etc., but only one in 10 or one in 15 stop and donate, some even shout abuse (I’ve heard “gay bastard” more than once, despite being heterosexual). But there are groups for all people, and these people can be grouped into the following:
- Complete ignore, as if I don’t exist
- Look and ignore
- Look and laugh
- Look and and then look in a completely different direction, this isn’t your teachers attention you’re avoiding
- Pick up your cellphone until you’re past me and put it down
- Lie to make yourself feel better by saying “not RIGHT now” or “not today”
- Shout abuse
- Claim you’ve already given someone else
- Excuse that you haven’t got any small change (we accept all types and size of money)
- Excuse that you’ve only got your credit card (just leave it with me)
So why do I it? I don’t get paid, I get shouted at (very rarely though), I get ignored and I haven’t got AIDS. I also don’t feel greatly with Western people who have it, yes I apologise for people who were raped, nurses who had an accident with a used needle, doctors performing operations etc.
It’s a disease you get, when you do what you’re supposed to do, when you have unprotected sex, when you think a morning after pill, is a good type of prevention. I understand that’s it’s important to develop medicine for it. If that’s achieved, the high mortality rate in Africa might be stopped, and we can work on stabilising that part of the world, and in the end… Economic prosperity, I mean that continent is so far down and out, what can one do but look on in despair?
I did it purely for my own gain, it makes me feel better, I like having done something for other people, and that’s not the way it’s meant to be, it’s supposed to be a selfless act, but I’m afraid it isn’t.
Instead, listen to this song:
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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 at 23:09. It is filed under Declarations, Denmark.
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