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BoCo · 05-21-2003, 10:27 PM

Last December when I got my new PC up and running, I gave my old mobo, PSU, CPU, 512MB RAM, videocard, soundcard, and some IDE cables to a buddy at work who could make use of them. He's only 23 and has 2 kids and a wife who is too busy to work because she's going to school, plus he only makes as much as I do (which is decent for one person, but not four). His wife was studying some accounting classes at home for school so she could get her degree, but their old HP computer with its 700MHz CPU and 64MB RAM was crapping out on them. For no reason other than to be a nice guy (shut up, sixate), I gave him my old parts so she would be able to have a running computer to finish her school work. He added a CD-RW, DVD, floppy, HDD, ZIP and a cheap case to the mix, and I spent an afternoon putting it together and setting everything up for him. Anyway, a couple weeks back, they decided they needed something faster and more portable, so they used some money she made doing tax work for people to buy a new laptop. The 16GB hard drive in the old PC was having problems and Windows Me was beginning to act up, so instead of just replacing that, they went ahead and got something new.

Yesterday he was bragging about how he took out his old hard drive and sold everything else together to someone on eBay for $288. He then told me he was going to smash the old hard drive just in case it had any personal info on it, and then trash it. I asked him if I could have it instead so I could see if it was really fucked up, or maybe put it to use. He said to me, "Why should I give it to you?" I told him he didn't have to give it to me, but I didn't really have to give him those old parts, either. I said if he didn't need it, and was only going to destroy it, then he should return the favor by giving it to me. He basically told me that I wasn't going to get it no matter what because I "already have more drives than I need". By now I'm starting to get pissed with him because he doesn't even have the decency to do something for me that I did for him. True, he doesn't have to give it to me, but there's really no reason in destroying it as opposed to giving it away. Also, up until now, I hadn't even thought about the money he made off the stuff I gave him.

Finally I asked him if he thought it was right to sell that old stuff without even asking me if I wanted it back. "No, you gave it to me, so I can do whatever I want with it," was his answer. Technically he was right, but ethically he was way off track. So I jokingly said, "So, where's my $144? You're gonna at least give me half of the profits, right?" He told me no way, and repeated his last answer.

Anyway, I don't care about the money. I already make more than I need, and this dude does have a family to support, so no big deal--fuck the money! However, this dude claims to be a new-born Christian who "Does What Jesus Would Do", yet he cops an attitude when I ask him for something small, after doing for him something that ended up helping his wife finish her education. I talked to another guy there who's actually a good Christian, and before I had the chance to tell him what the guy did, he smiled and said, "Cool! So whatcha gonna do with your half?!". Being a moral and ethical guy, he automatically assumed that another Christian would act in the same way he would by sharing the profits. Once I finished the story, he was as disappointed in the other dude as I could imagine that guy's missionary father would be, should he ever hear the story of how his son acted. He confronted the guy later in private to talk some sense into him, but now he's pissed at both of us. Truth is, the only person he sould be angry with is himself.

So, were you in his place, how would you have handled the whole situation from the beginning? Personally, I would have asked the person who gave it to me if they wanted it back. When they said no (which I would have said to him), then I would have sold it and offered that person half of the money. If they turned it down (which I would have done had he offered it), then I would at least insist on buying them lunch as a way of saying thank you. It's not about the damn money, it's about the principle of the thing!

05-21-2003, 10:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
BoCo Fear the bunny Location: Hanging off the tip of the Right Wing	What Would You Do? Last December when I got my new PC up and running, I gave my old mobo, PSU, CPU, 512MB RAM, videocard, soundcard, and some IDE cables to a buddy at work who could make use of them. He's only 23 and has 2 kids and a wife who is too busy to work because she's going to school, plus he only makes as much as I do (which is decent for one person, but not four). His wife was studying some accounting classes at home for school so she could get her degree, but their old HP computer with its 700MHz CPU and 64MB RAM was crapping out on them. For no reason other than to be a nice guy (shut up, sixate), I gave him my old parts so she would be able to have a running computer to finish her school work. He added a CD-RW, DVD, floppy, HDD, ZIP and a cheap case to the mix, and I spent an afternoon putting it together and setting everything up for him. Anyway, a couple weeks back, they decided they needed something faster and more portable, so they used some money she made doing tax work for people to buy a new laptop. The 16GB hard drive in the old PC was having problems and Windows Me was beginning to act up, so instead of just replacing that, they went ahead and got something new. Yesterday he was bragging about how he took out his old hard drive and sold everything else together to someone on eBay for $288. He then told me he was going to smash the old hard drive just in case it had any personal info on it, and then trash it. I asked him if I could have it instead so I could see if it was really fucked up, or maybe put it to use. He said to me, "Why should I give it to you?" I told him he didn't have to give it to me, but I didn't really have to give him those old parts, either. I said if he didn't need it, and was only going to destroy it, then he should return the favor by giving it to me. He basically told me that I wasn't going to get it no matter what because I "already have more drives than I need". By now I'm starting to get pissed with him because he doesn't even have the decency to do something for me that I did for him. True, he doesn't have to give it to me, but there's really no reason in destroying it as opposed to giving it away. Also, up until now, I hadn't even thought about the money he made off the stuff I gave him. Finally I asked him if he thought it was right to sell that old stuff without even asking me if I wanted it back. "No, you gave it to me, so I can do whatever I want with it," was his answer. Technically he was right, but ethically he was way off track. So I jokingly said, "So, where's my $144? You're gonna at least give me half of the profits, right?" He told me no way, and repeated his last answer. Anyway, I don't care about the money. I already make more than I need, and this dude does have a family to support, so no big deal--fuck the money! However, this dude claims to be a new-born Christian who "Does What Jesus Would Do", yet he cops an attitude when I ask him for something small, after doing for him something that ended up helping his wife finish her education. I talked to another guy there who's actually a good Christian, and before I had the chance to tell him what the guy did, he smiled and said, "Cool! So whatcha gonna do with your half?!". Being a moral and ethical guy, he automatically assumed that another Christian would act in the same way he would by sharing the profits. Once I finished the story, he was as disappointed in the other dude as I could imagine that guy's missionary father would be, should he ever hear the story of how his son acted. He confronted the guy later in private to talk some sense into him, but now he's pissed at both of us. Truth is, the only person he sould be angry with is himself. So, were you in his place, how would you have handled the whole situation from the beginning? Personally, I would have asked the person who gave it to me if they wanted it back. When they said no (which I would have said to him), then I would have sold it and offered that person half of the money. If they turned it down (which I would have done had he offered it), then I would at least insist on buying them lunch as a way of saying thank you. It's not about the damn money, it's about the principle of the thing! __________________ Activism is a way for useless people to feel important.