Unfortunately, For Dummies is a little late to the table when it comes to the topic of being grateful and how to appropriately express gratitude. I do gather that this topic would not generate as much revenue as say, Crocheting or Building a Website, but I do feel that there is a target market that could greatly benefit from having a guide for navigating any obstacles associated with expressing gratitude.
Over the past several months the Occupy Wall Street movement has been shedding light on the ever widening divide that separates the fiscally well-to-do 1% from the rest of America, affectionately known as the 99%. The idea that the 1% should pay more in taxes than they already do is growing in popularity. As to be expected, many in the exclusive 1% fervently object this proposal but are smart to keep their opinions mum. When you're 1 against 99, it would be wise to, at the very least, remain private or perhaps even appear cohesive. This brings me to my lesson on being grateful.
There are two categories of gratitude. The first is being grateful for the sake of public relations and the second is genuinely being grateful.
I will use Bank of America as my case study in being grateful for the sake of public relations.
From a charitable standpoint, Bank of America has indeed given away hundreds of millions of dollars of its profits from year to year, but what BofA leadership seems to regularly forget is that their bank would not exist if it weren't for the billions of dollars earned by working class Americans that have flooded their coffers. In a move regarded by many as being motivated purely by greed, BofA announced that it would be charging a monthly $5 fee for the use of debit cards. Making a long story short, BofA is still entrenched in ill sentiment and is desperately trying to shovel its way out.
Giving to charity for tax purposes or to simply appear connected to those you profit from does not pay off in the long run. Being intelligent and aware are not characteristics exclusive to those in the boardroom. People see through fake gratitude thus, expressing gratitude for the sake of PR will not serve anything but a tax return. BofA's CEO, Brian Moynihan, famously said in defense of the fee that the bank, "has a right to make a profit," but what exorbitant sum must BofA amass before it looks at the state of the nation that made it the largest bank in America--our lacking educational system, poverty, hunger--before it decides to give simply out of being grateful for all that it has been afforded? Something tells me that their PR executive would abstain from commenting.
Conversely, I read this morning an article about professional football player Braylon Edwards. In 2005, Braylon pledged to give 100 eighth graders $10,000 for college if they graduated high school with a GPA of 2.5 or greater. Of the 100, 79 ultimately qualified for the $10,000 scholarship and Braylon kept his word. His current salary is reported as being 1 million dollars. Do the math. If you have any questions regarding whether or not Mr. Edwards is grateful for where he is today, please make an effort to find him and ask him directly, what he is grateful for.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with profiting and being wealthy. I believe strongly that, for their wealth alone, the 1% should never issue an apology, but I will quote one of my favorite writers to express the sentiment of the 99% in the hopes of enlightening:
"I hate ingratitude more
in a man than lying,
vainness, babbling,
drunkenness, or any
taint of vice whose
strong corruption
inhabits our frail
blood."
- William Shakespeare
Hopefully this will give the 1% something to think about.
I would like to thank:
Huffington Post and Jillian Berman for her post, "Bank of America to Lose Most from Overdraft Fee Rules: Report"
Yahoo Sports and Chris Chase for his post, "Braylon Edwards Gives 79 Students $10,000 for College"
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