By Robert Thibodeaux, Community Voices 

For the past month, I have read numerous articles talking about how selfish we Americans are. To be fair, most were written as a response to one political defeat or another, such as “the referendum was defeated by stupid selfish voters” or “that politician is voting against that spending bill to protect those selfish taxpayers.”

But others seem to be out of true feeling that both America and Americans are selfish. I read about complaints regarding greedy banks, greedy corporations and greedy, overindulgent people.

I even read someone complaining that it was greedy and wrong for people to read fluff like “People” magazine when there are starving people. While I can think of lots of reasons not to read most of the magazines you see at the grocery store checkout, greed is not on the top of the list.

So are we a greedy, selfish people? I decided to look around Savage and see what I found, and it did not take long for me to come to a slightly different conclusion.

As I was pulling out of my driveway, I noticed a neighbor and his son walking down the street carrying a box. I stopped to see what new item they had purchased but instead found they were carrying a box of canned goods. It seems that the local Boy Scouts were collecting food for the holidays, and from the apparent struggle with the weight, my neighbors appear to be very generous.

I then noticed other small examples of giving around the area, such as the bags of food donations at grocery stores, the donation boxes in front of an area store and the Salvation Army bell ringers in front of our local Walgreens. And with what seems like a Walgreens on every corner, that’s a lot of bell ringers.

Maybe the problem is not that we are not generous enough, but rather that we Americans like to give in a different way. While it would be more self-promoting and easier to see if each of us carried around a giant check to hand to a charity, I think we like to give in a different, American way.

In our consumerism and “greed,” we are often great instruments of giving. Think of all the popcorn, cookies, pizzas, greenery and other products we have purchased from some bright-eyed youth at our door. Did we really need five different kinds of popcorn? Why did we buy the pizza that costs twice as much as the one you can get from the store? Because we like to give.

Many give generously monetarily, but I think it is part of what makes America special that we also like to earn and work for charity. Would it be easier to just give a check to the local Scout troop? Sure, and I recommend that, but there is also a great feeling in seeing the next generation working to earn some of what they need themselves.

The same thing seems to be true with shopping. I know many people that get tired of buying and receiving gifts for family but get that childlike gleam when picking out “Toys for Tots” or shopping for operation Christmas Child.

So what can we local folks in Savage do to fight this impression of greed? First, keep up the good work that many are already doing. But if you are not sure what to do, there are a lot of options.

How about hosting a Jammies and Jewels party? The idea is that everyone brings in a set of baby pajamas to donate to Alpha Pregnancy Resource Center, and then they go shopping for jewelry.

Or if you are having a Christmas party, instead of everyone bringing a hostess gift, why not encourage them to bring a pack of diapers for Alpha or a new toy for Toys for Tots?

As you shop for your Christmas meal, pick up an extra of everything you buy and donate it to our local food shelf. As you leave the house, fill your pockets with change and dollar bills so you can fill the Salvation Army kettles as you pass them during the day.

And if you are still feeling guilty about reading fluff like “People” magazine, think of all the generosity you can see in the people around Savage and then fill out a gift subscription to a local senior center. That way, you are using your “greed” for good, and maybe that is what makes us special.

 (Robert Thibodeaux is one of 10 people in the Savage community who write for Community Voices. This column features a different writer each week and is one of several opinion and commentary pieces appearing regularly in this newspaper.)