Monday, November 05, 2007

 

What do you mean you won't pay for everything?

"The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation announced today that their dreams for funding the new Inner City High may be delayed because sales of Cash is King Lottery tickets are lagging behind targets, and are appealing to the community to support this cause."

Question from citizen of Edmonton: Why am I supposed to care that their dream isn't becoming a reality?

Answer from Edmonton Oilers: Because we are the Edmonton Oilers, and our dreams are dreams that you should automatically and without question pay for.


"The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation and the City of Edmonton have made a big commitment to help these troubled children, and we remain strongly committed to finishing the job,” said Doug Goss, Chairman of the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. “Even though we have had terrific support from Oilers players, the local media and many community leaders, it still appears that there may be some confusion about the need for these funds, and the fact that they will be 100% dedicated to charity."

Question from citizen of Edmonton: Is it really confusion, or just something people aren't interested in supporting right now, for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to a) the upcoming Christmas season and b) um, they don't want to?

Answer from Edmonton Oilers: No. You plebes must be confused. There can be no other reason besides you being dumb. The players get it. The local media and community leaders obviously get it (wink wink, nudge nudge). SO. LET. ME. REPEAT. REEEALLL...SLOWWW... we are the Edmonton Oilers, and our dreams are dreams that you should automatically and without question pay for. See further examples here and here.

***********


Press release here. Bolds all mine.

Comments:

Oh, this is so like you, Andy, to spit on the dreams of those poor foundation members. Won't somebody pleeeasse think of the Foundation?
 


I suppose I could also sarcastically wonder aloud where the Oil learned this appalling behaviour and rhetoric. "Bunch of jerks in Edmonton treat other peoples' money like it's their own" -- does that even make the newspaper anymore?
 


I have an idea. Let the city pay for the schools and the Oilers pay for the rink.
 


Anybody else get an autodialler call from the Oilers Community Foundation begging for support today?

The call said something about how my chances of winning have now doubled! Does this mean they're only half sold?
 


Andy, how dare you speak out against the EIG. Don't you understand, the people of Alberta cannot make educated choices. They need a charitable fund ran by a organization owned by several millionaires who could easily throw a few dollars in telling them how and where to spend their money.

I wonder sometimes if the EIG wishes we were Bolsheviks, and that people like Andy could be, you know, turned into a very efficient and slave-like work force.
 


The call said something about how my chances of winning have now doubled!

That's in the press release too. I don't know how they figure these two statements are congruous:

1) Chances of winning are very high because we've sold so few tickets.
2) Everyone buy a ton of tickets!
 


I recognize the EIG are a PITA, the arena plan is a steaming hot potato, and I was as frustrated as anyone when they shut-out D.Katz. That alone was as stupid as it gets, but Nichols was totally classless to boot. Still, why the venom toward a charity? Are we supposed to be thrilled a charity fundraiser will effectively lose money? What am I missing here? Besides sleep.
 


Not that I in any way want to come to the defence of any part of Oilers management/public relations/community relations/veteran players not named "Hemsky" or "Horcoff," but ragging on them for wanting to sell more raffle tickets for a charity does seem like a bit much, Andy.
 


Still, why the venom toward a charity? Are we supposed to be thrilled a charity fundraiser will effectively lose money?

but ragging on them for wanting to sell more raffle tickets for a charity does seem like a bit much, Andy.


I didn't rag on them for wanting to help a charity, and I don't have any venom against the charity itself. I never once said that trying to do good deeds was a bad idea, or that the charity itself wasn't worth supporting. What I didn't like was the guilt trip because they didn't achieve "their" target, or the suggestion that people aren't giving money over because they are confused. They aren't entitled to people's cash just because they make an announcement asking for it. People give or don't give for a bunch of reasons, and I think the tone and suggestion of the press release was judgemental and inappropriate. It's not like it was some external story that they had no control over. There was no scrum where Doug Goss got rattled or misquoted. It was all planned and structured to sound just like it did. And I think the way it sounded was terrible. To me it said, "we are doing everything to help these troubled children, and those who aren't giving are failing these troubled children out of confusion." It's pretty easy to avoid screwing this one up:

1) Edmontonians have opened up their hearts and their wallets, but we still have a ways to go
2) The cause is fantastic, as are the prizes
3) We'd love for people to give
4) We understand that many people are giving in other ways this holiday season, so no worries if they can't give to us
5) All we ask is that they take a look again at what we are doing. We believe it is something worth supporting
6) We thank you, we love you, the end
 


The article on the Oiler's site guilted me enough that I was about to buy a ticket. But then I saw that the minimum amount was like $100, which is way too much for my broke ass. Sorry kids.
 


Andy: Hmmm...where was that explanation in the main blog post then? Call me crazy, but it would have made things at least understandable. That was my point. It didn't seem like you in the least to be spewing at a charity...but that's what you did in the blog post...so I was missing something. Sorry for not reading between the lines well enough Andy.

That said, we're in disagreement over the press release. I think it was entirely possible that some people were confused about this lottery. How long ago was a different lottery held for the benefit of the Oilers and Flames? We know the Oilers are in the top 7 of league revenue (give or take), so a lottery for them is completely out of the question now. Does everyone know that? Seems more than reasonable to make perfectly clear that the Oil don't get anything from "Cash is King".
 


Only in Edmonton could an organisation be murdered for organising charity. I'm convinced that if Pat Laforge rescued a lost puppy and rang its owner to ask them to drive over and pick it up, there's be a 75-comment thread on Battle of Alberta condemning Pat for asking Edmontonians to waste their gasoline.
 


In the interests of accuracy and nothing more*, a single ticket is $50. Nothing to sneeze at, but they're not $100 either.

*No guilt trip intended, inferred, alluded or otherwise projected, aimed, targeted or otherwise directed toward reader (or proxy) in any form. By the wilful act of reading this comment, reader accepts this disclaimer, and full responsibility for any reaction to the comment and disclaimer, whether emotional or otherwise, in whole or in part.
 


Completely agree with you Andy. The Oilers are getting pretty good at deflecting any responsibility for their actions, and of course converting that responsibility into public guilt. Besides, its not like we don't have enough high buck lotteries in this town already. What tool figured that this one would be any better than the rest. Oh yeah, the same tool that thinks the Oilers can say and do whatever they want and we'll all fall over ourselves to comply.

I heard over the weekend that they're at about 40% of their goal. Some guys I know were thinking that they basically just doubled their odds of wining something. One actually went out and bought some more for that reason.

Greedy bastards!
 


This is what bugs me about these charity efforts:
I buy the ticket. The Oilers get the credit.
I feel the same way about United Way drives at work. I cough up the coin. The corporation gets the credit. As in "XYZ Inc. is happy to present this over-sized novelty cheque to the United Way for $52,000 on behalf of its employees." Insert photo of your fat, bald @zzhold of a boss here.
 


Too bad, it's a great charity.
 


On the subject as a whole I'm pretty indifferent, personally. The Oilers are clearly hoping to use your cash to boost their public image, just like with the tickets for military families thing, Andy's already driven the point home with a big hammer. To the point that only Lord Bob is arguing. All sports teams do that though, everywhere it seems. I'll roll my eyes like everyone else, but I can live with that.

What pisses me off so much, more than I can express, is hearing Lowe call the Stollery children's hospital a "glamour charity" last night on TV. Unbelievable.

So what, I guess Ryan Smyth was stealing glory with dying kids with Lowe sat in restaurants with Simpson, LaForge et al, that served food above his palate, and bitched about the price of wine while quoting equivalent Liquor Barn prices to the waiter, right to the fucking cent ... well gosh darnit, all that time Ryan was off just stealing glory! That bastard!

It's not even funny any more.

I know that Lowe is being paid well to do what he does. And we've all done things for money.
But it's just gone too far now. It has.
 


Only in Edmonton could an organisation be murdered for organising charity. I'm convinced that if Pat Laforge rescued a lost puppy and rang its owner to ask them to drive over and pick it up, there's be a 75-comment thread on Battle of Alberta condemning Pat for asking Edmontonians to waste their gasoline.

LB disagrees with me, which tells me I'm on the right track. :)
 


What pisses me off so much, more than I can express, is hearing Lowe call the Stollery children's hospital a "glamour charity" last night on TV. Unbelievable.

I missed that entirely. Was it during the game, Vic?
 


I missed that entirely. Was it during the game, Vic?

I didn't watch all of the game, and what I did watch was sans sound. But I heard this, and it hit me like a bullet, when I walked through my den. Must've been between periods, it is possible that it was on the radio, but unlikely. I usually leave the TV on there to entertain my dog Bobo (Mironov).
 


To the point that only Lord Bob is arguing.

I'm not so much a lone voice in the wilderness as a lone heckler in the audience. That "glamour charity" thing does sound a little fishy, though; I'd like to hear a context but it sounds pretty stupid any way you slice it.
 


Lotteries are the absolute worst form of charity fundraising, imho, and emphasize all the wrong elements of culture. "Give us money for a chance to win win win! Money! Cars! McMansions! (oh yeah, we'll be giving the money we don't give back to a few of you to charity) Cars! Money! A chance to spring up the class ladder!!!"
 

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