An Annoying Trend

Have you seen this? Have you heard about this? It is now becoming common practice for people to ask you donate part of your change to some fund when you buy something. It is the ultimate way to raise money for charity, because there is no way that you can keep that money when someone is guilting you into contributing it to a good cause.

For example, when buying sandals at Modell's, this happened:

Clerk: That will be $19.10. Oh, and if you could find it in your heart, can you buy a $1 Jimmy Fund contribution ticket? You can even win cool prizes from Burger King.
Me (clearly wavering): Um...
Clerk: You must know someone who died of cancer...right?
Me: Alright, you got me...here you go. (After handing him a crumpled up $20 bill and a dime, I won free fries.)

And at the movies, they really nailed me. Of course the donation was only 25 cents.

Clerk: $10.75...and your extra quarter goes to Ronald McDonald House.
Me (perturbed): Hey, wait a second.
Clerk: You're telling me that your rich, white, Jewish smarmy ass is not going to donate a measly quarter to help the disadvantaged?
Me: Well, when you put it that way...gimme my quarter back!
Clerk: Too late, it's already in the little house of change.

As you can see, it's not that I don't think people should give to charity, it's just that I don't think that I should be guilted into doing so.