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Originally Posted by analog
...and not to be the voice of negativity, but I just think the unpopular opinion needs some light shed on it from time to time in back-patting threads such as this.
The guy couldn't volunteer his time to do something REALLY important? A popsicle-stick ship, fucking great. People think it's cool because it's to teach kids and blah blah... how about teaching kids it's good to help out a fellow human being? Volunteer at a homeless shelter... donate time to a highway beautification project... habitat for humanity... SOMETHING...
...or use this publicity vehicle (pun intended) to get some REAL issues out there. How about "just say NO"? Something about STD's and planned parenthood? He's got this great press, and he just sits there with his thumb in his ass and talks about making dreams come true. Well you know what? Fuck that. There are literally MILLIONS of people on the planet for whom a "dream" would be "a roof over my head", or "enough to eat".
I'm not usually one to go on about charity, because I'm not big on shoveling issues on people, asking for this and that. I can also not say I put my money where my mouth is, because I don't do very much volunteering myself- but I have, and arguably a lot more than most people- but I recognize help where it is needed, and a wasted opportunity.
This was a GROSSLY wasted opportunity. I'm disappointed that his message was so shallow, so pointless. He could have done some good.  |
And I thought I was being cynical the past few days (divorce being final today and all).
It says he had kids help him find the sticks and volunteers to help build it with him (I'm sure many kids helped).
So in a way this did help those kids in major ways in the neighborhood:
It instilled pride of workmanship
It demonstrated teamwork
It accomplished something monumental by actually floating and working
It showed kids that they can achieve anything.....
I am in awe of this man, for his ingenuity and creativity to teach a lesson of achiving your dreams.
Could he have done something "more positive" such as build a habitat for humanity house, serve at a soup kitchen, etc.? Possibly, but the kids who worked on that boat will forever have that adventure and lesson instilled in them and they may pass on that experience by doing something with their neighborhood kids and so on and so on.....
Each of us affects the world in different ways, this was his.... allow him the dignity and acknowledgement of achieving and teaching some kids something very special.