Exploitation

I am glad to be a woman because they say it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind; which brings me to this article. I was going to write about updating our legal paper work and making sure our living wills, etc. are up to date. I became involved, however, in a case this past week involving exploitation which stirred some strong emotional feelings in me and yes, I changed my mind.


With the economy as bad as it is, today, a lot of people are struggling. Exploitation in many cases stems from people we know; people in our family, people in our church and people in the circles we travel. They are people who have been in our lives. They can and do take advantage of the kindness and generosity of someone that might be lonely, frail of health and very vulnerable. Exploitation targets the vulnerable, especially the elderly.

Around the holidays, we are bombarded with requests for donations from a multitude of organizations. All the hard luck stories of the people who have nothing and all the organizations that need financial aid can stir the heart. Yes, we should always try to share at this time of year but we must be very careful and selective when writing the checks. Be careful of exploitation when people tap in to those who are generous of heart. Research the story or organization you are considering donating to. Is the story real? Is the organization legitimate? How much of your hard earned dollar gets to the root cause?

Instead of dipping into your own financial reserve, why not take advantage of the local grocery stores’ buy one get one free offers & give the free loaf of bread, can of soup, etc. to a family in need or a soup kitchen. Giving is not about depleting our own resources. It is about that feeling we get when we help others in whatever way we can. Give what you can afford, give what you feel you can, not because somebody is pressuring you or trying to make you feel obligated in some way.

Endearment is another form of exploitation. People don’t often recognize it. (Sometimes people don’t want to.) It is hard to distinguish between someone offering true friendship and concern and someone who is pathologically endearing themselves in an effort to gain trust and become the confidant of everything, including the money. BE ALERT! Do you have easy access to your bank statements or is someone preventing that? Has someone put themselves on your bank accounts? Check credit cards; are the charges accurate? Can you locate all of your jewelry and other valuables? Is someone isolating you from family or friends? Has someone “moved in” and started making decisions that you are perfectly capable of making for yourself?

So, before you open your door or write that check, take a look at things. If something doesn’t look or feel right, let’s talk.