Bah. Humbug. Christmas season is just a big marketing and advertising ploy.
An officemate had good intentions when she planned to celebrate her birthday, along with other workmates, in a home for the aged. Upon asking permission to use their lunch break (which was, in the first place, rightfully theirs anyway) for the said activity, they were instructed to wear company shirts, and to take pictures of whatever transpires in the event.
During Christmas season some years prior, amidst discussions of fulfilling part of the company's corporate social responsibility, one supervisor was about to suggest giving something more substantial other than lugaw. She was then cut off in mid sentence by a department manager who exclaimed in enthusiasm at the brilliance of the idea that, yes, indeed, they should donate something more useful, like shirts with the company logos printed on them.
The dismayed supervisor, who was initially thinking of school supplies for poor kids, was dumbfounded at the display of stupidity and opportunism.
Same dismayed supervisor related to me one day about a personal experience with a local organization geared towards "creating better communities and societies" -- almost every outreach event was rife with cam-whoring. Too, the media was almost always present to tell the tale, and this was obviously not solely to encourage outsiders to do their part by joining the projects.
It is true that on a larger scale, this system allows for help to be given to the needy lot; but what most positive thinkers miss to consider is that these big corporations have more to gain than to give, which completely annihilates the "spirit of Christmas" that these organizations preach about in their newsletters.
These companies reeking of insincerity also breed a similar attitude amongst its employees making it, dangerously, second nature for these individuals. Exhibit A: Department manager mentioned earlier. Many of these organizations operate with the kindergarten-ish reward-and-punishment system disguised in corporate terms: employee motivation, sanctions, whatever. Now, because the company approves of being pro-active in grabbing opportunities, one creates a good image of oneself when one can display a practice of which corporate executives approve. Pogi points for the employee that, of course, translates to rewards. And like our Exhibit A, many times principles, ethics, good intentions are compromised.
Corporate hypocrisy is not something that occurs in small instances like these. They occur in alarmingly larger proportions. Classic Exempli Gratia: McDonald's. We are aware of the tiny donation boxes on their counters for their charities, but that should not make us forgive other larger faults that this corporation has refused to answer countless times in the commentaries or information campaigns made against them with regards to corporate ethics, or in documentaries like "Supersize Me." And they have to gall to file libel cases against these little people. But with power and money easily available to them, they can also easily discredit their detractors, obscure the truth and continue to shape the consumption attitude of its market, and there you go off to buy yet another McDonald's meal made of fat, genetically modified and synthetic food sources, feeding the pockets of the big wigs and contributing to global warming (that's another story). And you gripe about your belly fat? Come on.
Grumbling about these incidences during a fifteen minute break, another officemate nonchalantly replied that there's little or nothing that one can do about this system; he then gave me a condescending I-know-so-because-I'd-been-there-done-that-and-I'm-older-than-you-are look.
True to some extent that there is little that can be done to change this culture of greed, but it is also this kind of jaded apathy that allows it to flourish and to take advantage of the less fortunate. Or of employees celebrating their birthdays and who simply have good hearts.
Then again, really, what can be done about it?
I won't pretend to have answers; I'm neither moneyed, nor powerful, and none of my connections are. But isn't this something we can start thinking about at least? At least before you participate in your "corporate social responsibility" activities, think about saying "no" to this kind of abuse. Think about it.