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Making the World a Nicer Place


Hypocrite

  

9 members have voted

  1. 1. Will you be donating toys to needy children?



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....and what I've got is a lot of Transformers. Hundreds of them.

 

I don't know if this is the right zone for this post, and it can obviously move if it needs to - but here goes.

 

I'm packing up my belongings to move to a new, bigger place in a week. Not everything is going, though; I've looked at everything before it goes into a box, deciding if I need it, want it, or if anyone else could use it before either packing, donating, or discarding it. My Transformers collection is definitely coming with me - my couch......not so much - but not all of it.

 

As I looked at my closet, where many minty-fresh boxes reside in a state of suspended animation waiting for that far-off day when I either sell them or display them, a thought occurred to me; do I need all of this? Why do I have all of these things, just sitting in the climate-controlled darkness lest sunlight or moisture reduce their fragile perfection, when their intended purpose is so very different from that?

 

I am a collector. Most everyone here is, so that's not an unusual statement for these parts, but as a collector I have been selfish. I have taken toys intended to bring delight to children and I have spirited them away to my home to fulfill a desire within myself. I marvel at their engineering. I express amazement when something manages to look both like an animated character and a realistic object - but I do not use them. I display them, or modify them or shut them away, preserving their value and bringing me a measure of pleasure when I look at them..... but I do not appreciate them as a child would.

 

I cannot hold a toy in my hand and be whisked away to a fantasy world where, despite the reality around me, a plastic hero can save me from my circumstances or make me feel safe. These toys have less power in my hands than those of a child, and for this reason I am about to take approximately 150 Mint, Sealed Transformers to my local Toys for Tots drop-off point.

 

I'm not trying to get out of collecting, and I'm most certainly not saying that having a collection of MISB toys is somehow "wrong" - I'll still have PLENTY when I get back home. What I'm saying is that we can sometimes find that the smallest of gestures from us can make the world a more beautiful place; in this case, a place where we can put a toy which we love, which has obviously brought all of us joy in the past and present, in the hands of a child who otherwise wouldn't get one.

 

I don't need praise for this - no one outside of this board is going to hear about this at all - I just wanted to share something I'm doing which is making me feel worlds better, and which might do the same for you.

 

Thank you for your time.

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Every year I load up for toys for tots and collect all old coats for the clothing bin. I also donate to locks 4 love.

 

wonder how many people are gonna be straight forward enough to vote NO. It's not a crime if you don't chip in.

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Def. donating this year again. My sister works with low-income families with developmentally-disadvantaged kids, and it'd break your heart to hear how some of these kids have *nothing*. My daughter already gave some of her Dora the Explorer toys. I'll pick up a few little things for the TfT bin.

 

I find it amusing that someone who goes by Hypocrite is doing something like this for the holidays. Thumbs up my man.

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I'm not donating any of my toys, but I will be donating some money to charity. My work colleagues and I have decided to pool our money together to donate to a poor school in a developing country; I think we're tossing over whether or not to buy a bicycle for a teacher or help fund training for a new teacher. Either way we've decided to contribute to education. :)

 

"Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime."

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  • 2 weeks later...

....and what I've got is a lot of Transformers. Hundreds of them.

 

I don't know if this is the right zone for this post, and it can obviously move if it needs to - but here goes.

 

I'm packing up my belongings to move to a new, bigger place in a week. Not everything is going, though; I've looked at everything before it goes into a box, deciding if I need it, want it, or if anyone else could use it before either packing, donating, or discarding it. My Transformers collection is definitely coming with me - my couch......not so much - but not all of it.

 

As I looked at my closet, where many minty-fresh boxes reside in a state of suspended animation waiting for that far-off day when I either sell them or display them, a thought occurred to me; do I need all of this? Why do I have all of these things, just sitting in the climate-controlled darkness lest sunlight or moisture reduce their fragile perfection, when their intended purpose is so very different from that?

 

I am a collector. Most everyone here is, so that's not an unusual statement for these parts, but as a collector I have been selfish. I have taken toys intended to bring delight to children and I have spirited them away to my home to fulfill a desire within myself. I marvel at their engineering. I express amazement when something manages to look both like an animated character and a realistic object - but I do not use them. I display them, or modify them or shut them away, preserving their value and bringing me a measure of pleasure when I look at them..... but I do not appreciate them as a child would.

 

I cannot hold a toy in my hand and be whisked away to a fantasy world where, despite the reality around me, a plastic hero can save me from my circumstances or make me feel safe. These toys have less power in my hands than those of a child, and for this reason I am about to take approximately 150 Mint, Sealed Transformers to my local Toys for Tots drop-off point.

 

I'm not trying to get out of collecting, and I'm most certainly not saying that having a collection of MISB toys is somehow "wrong" - I'll still have PLENTY when I get back home. What I'm saying is that we can sometimes find that the smallest of gestures from us can make the world a more beautiful place; in this case, a place where we can put a toy which we love, which has obviously brought all of us joy in the past and present, in the hands of a child who otherwise wouldn't get one.

 

I don't need praise for this - no one outside of this board is going to hear about this at all - I just wanted to share something I'm doing which is making me feel worlds better, and which might do the same for you.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

I'm a collector/displayer as well - and definately know the agony of having them sitting in a closet waiting for that far off day to be able to display them the way you want. I waited almost 2 years to have my curios built and have only recently begun displaying them, after collecting them for years since the start of the alt/bt line. The collection itself grew inside a closet - left in MISB animation until I could free them all from their cages as well. I also understand the pleasure of a few moments of admiring the engineering and both modes - that is why I display them in both modes, for that pure enjoyment.

 

However, I do not feel ANY remorse for not using them "as intended" or not having a different perspective "as a child would." They were created for the pleasure of their owner - and that is what they do - whether a displaying adult or a fantasy rider child. Besides, why would you give a $100 toy to a child that would not take care of it - when they could have gotten the same fantasy and pleasure out of one that cost only $15? That's just not smart or responsible economics.

 

And there is really not a problem - that is why these are mass produced - for ALL to enjoy, however they wanted. I think your heart is in the right place - but it's a bit misaligned. If you want to give some of your stuff away - feel free. You could also just keep all of yours, and go buy some new ones and make them gifts. When I see big sales - I often buy multiple TFers and keep them up in the closet for future BDay gifts; donations; etc. I do not find an inherent conflict between enjoying what you have, and wanting to extend kindness to others.

 

Happy Holidays

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I like to donate educational toys to needy children, that way they can learn and get a better education so once they are old enough they can get a good job and not be needy any more.

 

My wife has had us start buying stuff once a month throughout the year on sales and clearances so by the time christmas comes around we have a lot of items that can be donated and no a big hurting on the bank.

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