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Yeah, and that's the NICE version of the title. I read a really well-done article on Violent Acres about the bullshit inherent in gift-giving and "real" gifts, and in it, Vi references another article from MSN called "Gift Cards are not Gifts". When I read the excerpts from the article, I thought that Vi had perhaps taken things out of context. Couldn't be that bad, right?
Wrong
Weston, (how appropriate that she's named after a suburb full of overfed yuppie larvae) spends two pages whining about how impersonal and evil gift cards are. That's right. In a world where you're lucky to get a "Thank You", she's whining about gift cards:
A gift, ideally, says, "I thought about you. I considered your likes and dislikes, your needs and wants, your dreams and desires, and found you this token of my esteem that I hope will delight you."Hey fuck you, maybe that's all I had time for. Maybe there was some shit going on, and instead of ignoring everyone, I did what I was able to. Jesus, sometimes life sucks, and you don't have time to make doilies for everyone.A gift card says, "There! Checked you off my list."
It's not just me that says so. Judith Martin, the doyenne of etiquette known to millions as Miss Manners, dismisses gift certificates -- and, by extension, gift cards -- as "a pathetic compromise convenient to people who do not trust their judgment about selecting the right present for those whose tastes they ought to know."In that case, Miss Manners can hob my knob too. What happened to the ettiquette of "don't be a greedy bitch", aka, "judge not lest ye be judged"? What, that only counts for everything but gifts?
Think about it. Would a lover, in the flush of romance, lean close to the object of his affection and present . . . a gift card?Reading that, I am SO in love with my wife right now, because a) she's not an ungrateful greedy fucknut like Lizzie, and b) if I handed her a gift card to Target or the Apple Store on her birthday or valentines, she'd be happy as can be. It's not that I can't get her a nice gift, but I also know there's a dozen little things she wants, but will NEVER get around to actually buying. So, I get her a gift card, and watch her have fun. It's like getting your kid a train set. So what if it's a lamer Lionel starter kit. Half the fun is watching people use the gift.
Would proud grandparents present the latest addition to the family with . . . a gift card?You show me a parent who can't use a gift card. Kids are expensive, and people never get that shit right. Fuck clothes that are going to be too small in a fortnight. Right after my son was born, if you'd have given me a gift card that let me buy diapers for a month, I'd have fellated you on the spot. A gift card for new parents is a gift that makes their life easier. Who wouldn't want that?
Would your best and closest friend, the one you've known for years, who's stuck with you through the roller-coaster ride of life, walk into your hospital room and give you . . . a gift card?No. They wouldn't give me a damned thing except a few minutes or hours to sit with me, tell me bad jokes, tell embarassing stories about me to the nurses, and in general, alleviate the boredom and terror of a hospital stay. How fucking thoughtless do you have to be to think "Hmpf. Drove out of their way to see me and only brought a gift card. Fucker"? Liz Pulliam Weston-level thoughtless.
However thoughtless that is, Liz Pulliam Weston is even worse.
The harm is that the art of gift-giving is quickly devolving into an entirely commercial exchange. How much longer until we simply start thrusting wads of dollar bills at each other?Spin, Magic Wheel of Entitlement Douchery, Spin! There have been times in my life when I was blowing off bills so that I could buy groceries. Someone handing me a wad of dollar bills would have made me almost cry for joy.
Some people, apparently, would be delighted with that prospect. While researching party themes for my daughter's upcoming celebration, I stumbled across a posting by a woman who proudly included the horrifying words "monetary gifts would be much appreciated" on her 3-year-old child's invitations. She went on to explain that "I wanted money as gifts for my daughter's savings and for us to buy bigger toys, like a big kitchen and a Barbie Jeep that she wanted, instead of guests giving her small toys."Pot, Kettle, BitchIt's official. Shame is dead.
But it's on the second page that she shows just how unbearably entitled she is:
How would I have felt, for example, about the new friend I rushed to the hospital one night had she thanked me with a gift card rather than a basket of chocolate-dipped strawberries, each more luscious than the last? Of course, no gift was expected or required, but her thoughtfulness created a bond.Yeah, a bond of "LIZZIE BETTER GET HER FUCKING REWARD, OR YOU JUST WALK TO THE HOSPITAL, BEE-YATCH!". Some bond. I got news for you Lizzie, maybe you expect a fucking reward for being a decent human being, but the rest of us grew up. You know what I want for rushing a friend to the hospital? The "reward" of having not having their funeral be the next time we hang out together. What kind of jackoff entitlement bitch douchewad gets pissed because they didn't get fucking gourmet candy as a reward for not letting a friend die? CANDY. How old is this bitch, three?
Or would I have felt nearly as welcomed by my new mother-in-law if, on my first Christmas as a wife, she'd presented me with a gift card rather than the antique soup tureen that had been in her family for years? Her present told me I was part of the family.Or that she knew you'd be an insufferable bitch to her son if you didn't get some Martha Stewart Fantasy. How dare you expect anything as a gift? Or a gift at all?
But I bet you anything, Lizzie says "Oh, it's the thought that counts" six times a month. Hypocritical asshole, that's all she is: a hypocritical asshole.
And should I give up trying to please my husband who is -- Kenneth Cole as my witness -- one of the hardest human beings in the world to shop for? I think not. With each gift, and each return, I learn a little bit more about his tastes and style. It's a challenge to delight and surprise him, but occasionally I do -- and it's worth the effort.
Yeah, I bet he's thrilled, because you know that Lizzie ain't putting out unless she gets some fucking thing involving candied platypus eyeballs served on a hand-carved mahogany dildo. This guy has to be wanting to eat fucking glass every time he gets a gift from his wife. With her sense of GIMMEGIMMEGIMME he's got to be thinking, "No one told me I was really marrying AUDREY II!!! HERE! I KILLED SOMEONE FOR YOU? IS THAT SPECIAL ENOUGH YOU PASTY-FACED HARRIDAN?"
I want to add something here. Note her phrase, "...with each gift and each return..." Now, is it just me, or does that sound like someone who is way too fucking busy to actually, oh, pay attention to her husband, to listen to him, and actually know what he likes? Yeah, you bet. I'll bet you a box of hot Krispy Kremes that what he likes has verrrry little to do with what she thinks are "proper" gifts for him. Stupid bitch, try listening to what he says instead of what you want to hear. I've had better luck with bartenders I barely know than you do with your own *husband*.
It also drove home the point, as few things do nowadays, that special occasions are about people -- not about getting more stuff or increasing our net worth.Wait, Wish-I-Was-Martha spends two pages bitching about the quality of stuff people give out, and then says it's about the people, not the stuff or the cash? I have one question for Lizzie:
Aren't you even a little afraid there's a hell?
Here's how you handle a "situation" where someone gives you a gift card instead of a hand-waxed donkey scrotum:
"A gift card? Wow <name>, thank you so very much! There's a dozen things I can use this for. What a thoughtful present."
If you can't bring yourself to say that for a gift card, and mean it, then fuck off, you don't deserve to get so much as a flaming dog turd on your porch for a present.
You want to know what's wrong with gift - giving in general? That self-important entitlement queens like Lizzie are treated with anything other than derision and mockery.
Technorati Tags:
Manners, Gift-Giving, Liz Pulliam Weston is a greedy bitch in D-minor
Posted by John C. Welch at 23:55 | Permalink
Comments
keep in mind.... she's a girl... they care for that (instantly, bree from housewives springs to mind ;)
as a kid, I ALWAYS requested hard cash. drove my grand-parents to tears, they were trying to give me actual presents.... which I always refused...
Posted by: CyMan | December 12, 2007 1:15 AM
I always asked for money, until people complained about it. (Apparently the rumor went out that I was spending present money on bills, the horror!!) So now I ask for donations to certain funds. Last birthday it was the Get Paul an iPhone Fund.
And I did, so fuck you Weston. (Also the name of an evil company I used to work for, scary!)
Posted by: Paul | December 12, 2007 3:21 AM
I do ALL of my shopping at the bank. No one yet has turned their nose up at cold hard cash. Besides, I do not live with the people I am buying presents for ... how would I know what they want? In conclusion, cash is the ultimate gift certificate.
Posted by: Improbus | December 12, 2007 8:42 AM
"Young people, especially, are so enamored of gift cards, with being "empowered to make their own choices," as one retailer laughably put it, that they don't even realize what they're missing."
As a young person, I'd happily use gift cards and cash to pay my electric and grocery bills... cause all "young people" must have perfect parents who can afford to support and raise them leaving us "young people" to feel empowered when we get to choose what (useless for survival) shiny shit to buy. I'd be so fucking grateful for the financial help... more so than chocolate covered strawberries. Who NEEDS that?
Posted by: Rebecca | December 12, 2007 10:29 AM
What a great post.
Cheers.
Posted by: Sarah | December 12, 2007 10:33 AM
Another thing that pisses me off is how every "appropriate" gift she mentions is both expensive and useless. A "soup tureen"? Holy shit, is she dining with the Vanderbilts on Tuesday after croquet?
bah.
Two of the best gifts I've gotten were a detachable keychain, and a poster commemorating 50 years of Playboy cartoons. Total cost was maybe ten bucks.
At my wedding, I was so happy that my friends and family were able to be there that I didn't give a rat's fuck about what they got me in addition. Too bad Lizzie's all about the bling, she seems to have forgotten some things.
Posted by: John C. Welch | December 12, 2007 10:37 AM
Excellently written. A great Stumble. For our wedding, my husband and I asked for donations towards buying our home--we 'gave' pieces of our home in return. For example, in the Thank Yous (that we DID write immediately after honeymoon) we enclosed a photo of a door, kitchen table, curtains, etc to show the giver just how put their generous gift to use.
Nothing like seeing the other side of generosity to make me feel even more generous to my loved ones. Well done.
Posted by: TDF | December 12, 2007 11:16 AM
What a whiny bitch. Here's someone who basically wants to make gift-giving all about her. When she gives, she wants you to be wowed by how creative and thoughtful she is, and when she gets, she wants to know that the giver labored over the decision. Must be nice to have that kind of time on your hands.
People like this hate gift cards because they already have magic plastic cards that get them anything they want: they're called credit cards.
Thanks for this post. Makes me grateful to have a wife who appreciates whatever I give her.
Posted by: mcgrimus | December 12, 2007 11:33 AM
I would rather not bash on Ms. Weston and her blatent pretention. Her words say enough about herself and her perspective that mine only can dilute and confuse what is obviously there (or, for that matter lacking).
However, what disturbs me most about her post is that someone may believe they are offending me or many other people I know by having the apparantly poor taste to give gift cards or even (gasp) cash.
Certainly, many of my friends and relatives know me and my tastes well. However, they don't necesarily know what may particularly satisfy those tastes. Sometimes, also, I would like a gift that costs more than I would ever want anyone to spend, such as that iPhone mentioned above. I think nothing less of of anyone who may give me a gift card or cash as a gift.
For that matter, I think nothing less of anyone who might give me nothing more than a brief note and well wishes. After all, it is the thought that counts!
Posted by: DF | December 12, 2007 12:18 PM
I love you.
Posted by: skip | December 12, 2007 12:26 PM
People like Lizzy Weston are a prime example of what's wrong with the world. I've encountered too many of them to be surprised, but being faced with them never fails to depress me.
Luckily my friends and family know that nothing gives me more joy than spending hours browsing the shelves of a favourite book store, gift card in hand... Even better, they know I don't want anything other than continued friendship for doing the things that friends do for each other.
Posted by: Fred | December 12, 2007 12:41 PM
Ain't no rant like a John Welch rant!
(with apologies, I'm really as whitebread as they come)
Posted by: Phil Burk | December 12, 2007 12:59 PM
Right on. My neighbor helped me install a garden door this summer. He does woodworking and carpentry, but I don't know for certain what he has, wants or needs in his shop or toolbox.
But a gift card for Lee Valley Tools sure put a smile on his face.
Posted by: djb | December 12, 2007 2:03 PM
omg, you are hilarious.
Anyone who wants to get me a gift card, feel free.
Posted by: Busy Mom | December 12, 2007 2:28 PM
Vi at Violent Acres sent me here and I'm glad - your takedown is hilarious. Thanks for a good laugh!
Posted by: Brenda Helverson | December 12, 2007 2:49 PM
I love you. Please accept my proposal of marriage. I won't even ask for an antique soup tureen.
Posted by: Detached | December 12, 2007 3:40 PM
Self-centeredness aside, Liz's problem is based on ego. She doesn't like gift cards. She is (supposedly) a smart person whose financial opinions are listened to and even paid for. Therefore, all her opinions are worth listening to and paying for.
She's unable to separate the rest of the world from her own head, because in her world, everyone agrees with her.
Posted by: John C. Welch | December 12, 2007 3:49 PM
The last wedding I went to, several friends and I got together enough money for a professional wedding photographer. This was cash, handed to the bride's father to pay for the photographer. I wonder what lovely Lizzie would think of that?
Posted by: James Bailey | December 12, 2007 4:12 PM
You and Vi should start a glossy. It'd be SOOO refreshing!
Posted by: Michiel T | December 12, 2007 4:13 PM
Good christ. I roll my eyes at Liz Pulliam Weston AND this Bynkii person. Both apparently have too little of real consequence to consider in their lives.
Posted by: MC | December 12, 2007 4:27 PM
Money always makes a better gift. ALWAYS. Gift cards are great, actual cash is better... or a massage. But then they could just give me a gift certificate for a massage... o.0
People bitch too much about everything. Someone will always be there to be the jerk and complain when no complaint is warranted. What can you do.
Posted by: KM | December 12, 2007 5:12 PM
Reminds me of a post I made a while ago as a guide for Christmas gift-giving...
http://knibbe.fmly.ca/hungary/2006/11/christmas-season-handy-guide.html
Posted by: Eric3 | December 12, 2007 5:26 PM
Great post. Nothing more I hate than snooty bitches trying to play the next Martha Stewart. Personally, I'm on a tight budget, so to me a gift card means Opportunity; last year an AMC gift card meant I could go to the theater a few times, a Melting Pot gift card meant I could have a date at something a little nicer than an Applebee's, and a Target gift card meant I could spend a little extra money on something I had been wanting, but couldn't budget for. Those were great gifts, and I was completely grateful for every bit!
I personally don't give gifts. Instead, I take people out to do something and spend time with them, to let them actually know I care about them more than monetary goods. I hate the commercialization of the holidays, and by taking people to dinner, or a movie, or ice skating, or whatever, it strengthens our friendships and is more fun than opening a gift; it makes memories too. I finally got my family to stop giving gifts, and we instead take a nice vacation every year using the money we would have spent on things nobody wanted. Again, memories and fun are better than a better blender.
Posted by: Dave | December 12, 2007 5:53 PM
Obviously she doesn't remember what it's like to be on a tight budget. Gift cards for favorite stores can be bundled together to buy yourself something nicer than you could afford on your own and beyond what any one individual could ever be expected to buy for you. Or it means you can eat in a tight week. Or it means you can buy something to please yourself, without having to feel guilty about not spending it on bills.
Gift cards are GREAT gifts, when it's the right card for the right person. And buying the right card, or buying a card for the kind of person who would really appreciate it, shows that you care enough about them to know that they would rather receive a $20 card for Starbucks than some crappy glass candleabra set.
Posted by: Morrigoon | December 12, 2007 6:53 PM
Oh, god that was funny, and true. I may not need money to pay bills but there's things that I want that would be a copper plated pain in the ass for some one else to buy for me, and then give to me, just because of the complexity of transferring it.
That, and I remember last year my parents gave me a $100, I used it to take my cousin and his wife to the movies. I had a good time, and they had a good time, and they appreciated it.
Posted by: Joseph | December 12, 2007 8:20 PM
Good christ. I roll my eyes at Liz Pulliam Weston AND this Bynkii person. Both apparently have too little of real consequence to consider in their lives.
And yet MC, you read both articles, and left a comment...doesn't say a lot for the deep meaning in your life, does it.
Posted by: John C. Welch | December 12, 2007 10:42 PM
Thank you for this.
No, seriously. Thank you. You and V both. If I had a blog, I'd thank her too.
Bitch, I'm a college girl trying to live on my own, pay for books and tuition, and still keep my head above water. I'm sorry if my parents don't pay for everything like yours obviously did, but I don't need an antique tureen. I need money. Do you think I can box up the tureen and send it to my bank after they give me a bill? No. What will happen to the tureen is I will eventually sell it to my neighbor so he can use it as a bong and I can pay the rent.
Posted by: Maddi | December 13, 2007 12:12 AM
I don't want to be accused of defending this Liz person, because I haven't actually read what she wrote, but I'm thinking there are two sides to this one.
Firstly, like most other people here, I'd be thrilled to *receive* a gift card as a present, would spend it gladly, and would definitely not think any less of the person who gave it to me.
But secondly, and I think this was perhaps the point Liz was trying to make, I'm not so inclined to *give* one. Unless I'm really short on time or ideas, I'd rather put in a bit of extra effort to choose something I think reflects both my friendship with the recipient and the occasion at hand. Who knows, maybe my ideas and my gifts suck and the person would really prefer a gift card, but I'd like to think my careful selection counts for something.
Judging by the throngs of people crowding out the malls at this time of year, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Posted by: Jillian | December 13, 2007 2:32 AM
The message I keep getting is that we should all be expecting gifts this season. Hey, I'm an entitlement whore with the best of them, but I'd rather see my family and friends, and spend time with them, or spend an hour on the phone with them catching up, especially now I've moved to a different country, than sit there, measuring my popularity buy the quantity and quality of the gifts or cards I receive.
It's the thought that counts, and if sending a giftcard says I'm thinking of you, then so be it. Seems like Liz needs to remember what it's all about.
Posted by: enjoli | December 13, 2007 4:35 AM
You couldn't possibly be referring to the stylish suburb of Weston, Florida with its gated communities full of white collar criminals and jackasses could you? Please tell me there isn't another Weston that's even worse, because that would just be too depressing for me to handle.
Posted by: Wide Lawns | December 13, 2007 8:31 AM
awesome post. came here from VA. I think you should send this to this Lizzie character. I think it'd be funny.
Posted by: Sarah | December 13, 2007 8:32 AM
Great post - Screw hallmark holidays.
I truly enjoy peering through the filthy window into another bitter persons life.
Gift cards are awesome - Cash is even better.
& Gift cards can be thoughtful -
BestBuy = GOOD , Walmart = BAD
Anyone receiving unwanted gift cards may forward them to me.
Posted by: scartx | December 13, 2007 9:01 AM
Wow. Liz is talking about the "art of gift-giving" as an etiquette-based tradtion, and you lambast her as being selfish and judgmental? When all this post is full of is your whiny, selfish and judgmental ramblings about how she's such a bitch because oh no, she has this well-thought out post about why she doesn't like something?
I mean really, your first argument sets the tone of idiocy for the rest of your bitchfest: "Hey fuck you, maybe that's all I had time for. Maybe there was some shit going on, and instead of ignoring everyone, I did what I was able to. Jesus, sometimes life sucks, and you don't have time to make doilies for everyone."
So you get defensive right off the bat when she says gift cards say "checked you off the list!" You say "FUCK YOU IT'S ALL I HAD TIEM FOR!!!" You're admitting you didn't/couldn't give something that takes more time/effort and figure a gift card "is better than nothing! AT LEAST I GOT SOMETHING DAMN LIEF SUCKS SOMETIMES MAN!!! OH AND YOU'RE A STUPID FUCKING COW SUBURB BITCH TOO!!" Why all the character assassination? Don't actually have hardly any reasoned, valid points to refute her article, do you? Probably because you missed the point of half of them.
Posted by: first and last time reader | December 13, 2007 9:41 AM
Wow. Liz is talking about the "art of gift-giving" as an etiquette-based tradtion, and you lambast her as being selfish and judgmental? When all this post is full of is your whiny, selfish and judgmental ramblings about how she's such a bitch because oh no, she has this well-thought out post about why she doesn't like something?Did you even bother to read anything, or decided that O NOES! TEH BADDZ0R LANGUAGE! and decided you knew what the post was about. If she wants to give overpriced, hand-made stuff, that's her decision. But, getting pissy because a gift from someone else isn't up to "her" standards? Then turn them down. Have the balls to say "I don't accept gift cards, nor do I associate with the people who give them." She's just pissed because the rest of the world isn't making candied yak cock, and can't understand that a gift should be appreciated and accepted no matter what.
Of course, she can't be bothered to actually get her own husband something he'd actually want, so the idea that she's listening to anyone but her delusions of Martha is ridiculous.
Why all the character assassination? Don't actually have hardly any reasoned, valid points to refute her article, do you? Probably because you missed the point of half of them.Pot, kettle, black much?
Here's a perfect example that I got her point, and that you're a stupid fuckstick:
Would proud grandparents present the latest addition to the family with . . . a gift card?Actually, i was thrilled that someone understood that new parents need a metric ton of mundane crap, none of it cheap. Gift cards paid for diapers, forumula, a second car seat, and so forth. They were in fact, wonderful thoughtful gifts, especially the ones from grandparents and relatives, because it showed they thought enough to resist the temptation to buy crap that would have been pretty, but rather unneeded, and instead got us a gift that we really needed.
That's the part of "thoughtfulness" that Lizzie keeps missing. She's so deep into her OMG SOUP TUREEN delusions that she forgot that the best gifts are the ones that show you really listened. Maybe if she did more listening, her husband wouldn't have to return any, much less so many, gifts.
Posted by: John C. Welch | December 13, 2007 11:48 AM
When I was still in school a friend gave me a card with a $50 in it for my birthday. He said he wanted to get me a book but with the size of my collection it is impossible to know which one. His plan was that we would spend a day in bookstore - which we did. It was brilliant - we talked about books all afternoon, had a coffee and I had a gift that was doubly cool: books and a day with a friend.
For years I've been telling people that I don't want gifts, I want to spend the afternoon doing something with them. I particularly like this with friends who have kids that I don't get to see often. And for them, as gifts I do give gift certificates - home made ones that say "good for one night of baby sitting" which seems more appreciated than some knick-knack.
I'd love to see you and Violent Acres ranting together after a few drinks.
Posted by: devon | December 13, 2007 11:57 AM
Last week my employer asked me what I'd like for X.Mas because she was wracking her brains thinking of a gift that I would like/appreciate/enjoy. She mentioned some thoughts, like a good rolling back pack since I'm starting college next year, or another camera lens for my photography addiction, etc...
And I smiled knowing that she was actually wracking her brains to find a gift for me that I would love. But rather than a back pack or new camera lens I suggested that, although it might seem lame because I didn't know her take on it, I would seriously appreciate a gift card to Target more than anything right now.
Because what she doesn't know is that I actually NEED socks that don't have holes in them, sweat pants so I don't freeze at the gym in shorts for the winter, and underwear whose elastic isn't stretched out. And if the gift card holds a significant amount I could also stock up on dog food, and toiletries.
The first year I started working for her I received $1000 bonus for X.Mas and literally burst into tears at such generosity. I was able to make three car payments out of that.
The second year I worked for her I received $500 bonus for X.Mas with a few extra very adorable gifts. The cash went to pay bills.
This is the third year I'm working for her and I have a sense that financially things are a bit more tight for her, but the fact that she mentioned she was hunting around for gift ideas for me was a gift in and of itself.
And seriously, to all those who have known what it's like to struggle financially during those years you're getting yourself ready for the rest of your life, there's an understanding and acknowledgment that a gift card makes all the difference.
Oh, and just to add: Chocolate covered strawberries, for me, would have been gladly received, and appreciatively thanked for, but would have gone straight to someone else in the house whose metabolism is faster than mine.
The best gift that Lizzie could get in life, in my opinion, is the gift of financial struggle; it takes the snob out of the snobbiest of all of them.
Posted by: Anon Ymous | December 13, 2007 12:25 PM
The only gift I like is being able to keep as much of my money as I can. As a young person with lots of bills, I like receiving practical gifts of shit I would have to buy anyway like groceries, gas, or ink cartridges. If I'm living with holes in my shoes what am I going to do with a fancy digital camera? pawn it. I'm sure Weston would prefer that someone deign to buy me a gift card than to see their preciously chosen gift end up that way.
Posted by: lynne | December 13, 2007 1:30 PM
Personally, unless it is a well thought out gift, I prefer cash rather than gift cards. Reason is simple: cash is a universal gift card.
With gift cards inevitably I end up with $10 at one store and $10 at another, and so in order to actually use them I have to start spending my own money. As much as I appreciate the gift, having to work out how best to use them kind of sucks the joy out of it.
Cash or pseudo-cash (card that says "go out for dinner to the value of $x), is something I really appreciate. However, in order to get around some people's issues with cash (which is definitely not universal), it helps to have a 'cause' to put it towards.
This year I have the "new bed" and "trip to Europe" causes. If friends or family gift cash then they can explicitly put it towards one of those two things. Even if it is just a couple of bucks, I would be very happy with contributions!
Cheers, Chris W.
Posted by: Chris White | December 13, 2007 1:53 PM
You know I really agree with you and V. I hate that bitch too, she is greedy and slefish.
But I really, really hate that part of her taking a friend to the hospital and talking about not getting her fucking precious basket of chocolate covered strawberries yet instead gets a gift card. Oh and also even though a gift is not needed it can still create a bond
JUST BE DAMN HAPPY YOU SAVE YOUR FRIEND'S LIFE ASSHOLE! WHEN THE PERSON YOU SAVED REALIZED YOU'RE THE ONE WHO MADED SURE THEY ARE ALIVE THAT WILL CREATED A DEEPER BOND THAN SOME CHOCOLATE FUCKING COVERED STRAWBERRIES!
God it's people like her that remind me why there are still fucking idiots out there...
Posted by: Matthew | December 13, 2007 6:37 PM
I forgot to put this in there.
To cover my own ass I know that what she stated what not real but a fake situation. Still that does not give her the right to say that she deserves a reward for saving someone, just be happy the person is alive damn it!
Posted by: Matthew Rogers | December 13, 2007 6:40 PM
This post makes me giggle. I also was directed her from violent acres. Has Liz forgotten about the tradition to give babies savings bonds so that when the child needs money in x number of years they can have it? I got savings bonds as a baby, and hell, they're gonna help me by a car when I'm in my 20's. Wow, something I can use for YEARS! What about me wanting to give a gift to a friend that I just don't know their clothing size? Why not give them a gift card so that they can pick their size, or clothes they need for something so they don't have to stand in the stupidly long and obnoxious return line? I would think not having to deal with returns is a gift in itself.
Posted by: Kelsey | December 13, 2007 11:16 PM
Liz is all about showing off to the neighbors in her McMansion subdivision. It's a very ancient form of tribal behavior, where you publicly demonstrate how much wealth you can afford to blow on useless, expensive trinkets.
And I'll bet she expects this sort of thing in return, because a) that's all her life is likely about, and b) she writes for a venue which drives (and is driven by) sales of consumer items. I'll bet it's perfectly natural for her to assume this shallow level of thought is a legitimate component of "etiquette."
I also doubt she writes "personal finance" articles for the sort of middle-class folks who truly need advice to manage their monthly budgets. Her prose pulls me away from the supermarket, and towards the boutique.
Posted by: Maurice Kessler | December 14, 2007 9:42 AM
In a family of print and digital junkies with bookshelves overflowing and hard drives bursting at their ...seams? There is nothing more reasonable or thoughtful than a gift card. As much as the various members of our family may love each other there is just no way even the most intimate of partners can be sure their carefully selected book, software, gadget, movie, music hasn't been downloaded, borrowed, or bought minutes before Christmas morning.
A gift card for the local indie bookstore? I'm in a heaven, a 2nd copy of that book that may be #2 on the bestseller list but sucks anyway... not so hot, enough credits at one of my fave stock photo places to have my creative juices oozing? Awesome... so what if it doesn't come wrapped in pretty little package, a red and green email background is just fine :) Perhaps the real problem for miss thing is exactly what she claims is the problem for the gift card crowd... she wants to give everyone else what SHE thinks they SHOULD want, instead of making the recipient happy...
Posted by: Wendy | December 14, 2007 12:26 PM
Thanks John - I have not laughed this hard in days! First time reader/poster who will be laughing about OMG SOUP TUREEN for many days to come!
Posted by: Byron Van Arsdale | December 14, 2007 3:09 PM
I think the point that she was trying to make is that people who give gift cards are poor or socialy inferior to those that do not. For example;
(If the answer to any of those questions is yes, by the way, you need to start hanging with a better class of people.)
And to top taht off, there is the repeated refrences to "Judith Martin, the doyenne of etiquette known to millions as Miss Manners" and others like her."
Who the fuck are these people? I do not know her, but would venture to say that She is obviosly an elitist arrogant bitch.
Happy Holidays!
P.S I hope i get some giftcards, it would be better then an art set I got last eyar but never used!
Posted by: Alex Bown | December 15, 2007 3:56 PM
Wow. Bitches like this make me ashamed to be a woman. I'd much rather receive a gift card to a bookstore than the self-help books my aunt gets me about how vitamins will Change! Your! Life!
A gift card to a specific store you enjoy says more than a Hell-Mart gift card. The former says, "I don't know enough about which books you're into, so I'm afraid if I bought you one, you might either hate it or already have it, so this way you can buy the book you want most." The latter says, "I have no fucking clue what you want, but there are Wal-Marts everywhere, they have everything, there, I got you something." And for someone like me, gourmet candy is just insulting--everyone in my inner circle knows that candy, in my house, disappears before I even touch it half the time. XD
Posted by: L | December 17, 2007 8:38 PM
My 83 year mother can't get out to shop and is not good on the Internet never forgets special occasions with a gift card and it's always appreciated.
Posted by: mccraw | December 18, 2007 6:54 AM
I have enjoyed this thread, and the referent from Vi, so much... So very fscking much. I, too, was the kid who had to explain to his parents at a very early age that cash was an entirely appropriate gift, and didn't mean that it was a failure of them to invest time in thinking about a present for me, but moreso a recognition of the fact that for this individual (me), cash is the best gift that you could give me. To have money in pocket is a feeling that I don't need to explain to anyone here... ;) Mind you, I do love a good present (plaid skirt, stockings, etc... - but that shows that she knows, accepts and indulges my idiosyncracies, which is the true gift ;), but now that I've grown up, and have a glut of disposable income, I've pretty much bought whatever tech-o-the-day caught my eye... So, any gift given that I really might like, I really might already have... Except an iTouch. But I'm waiting for next gen, so that doesn't count... ;) So, a phone call, a card, hell, an email or SMS just to let me know that you're thinking of me, that's good to go, and I'm grateful for it (even if I don't send thank you cards in an appropriate timeframe ;)
And while I'm on the rant, I have issue with just because it's traditional, that's when you buy gifts... I buy things for people when I see them, and I think that they might like them... Thus, you are much more likely to get an impromptu 'saw this crap and thought you might like it' gift, vice an actual X-mas/Valentine's/ present. I like that better... I usually have multiple boxes to mail to people in various stages of stocking... When I get enough stuff, I send it...
Last comment: Cash is ALWAYS an appropriate present for a college student. Especially grad students.
Posted by: Mack | December 19, 2007 3:41 AM
Now usually reading these articles i find something plausible to them - and that most responses are self righteous shit stacks that teem with the level of angst usually accredited to the teens of the world.
But this.
This, was good.
I mean.
What the FUCK is wrong with gift cards?
This Weston chick seems so self indulgent with the pleasures of her little designer lifestyle that she gets all pissy and goes on a hypocritical verbal rampage that oozes stupidity - when someone gives her a gift she can't automatically cash in at the nearest sentimental shit-facility. I mean, she only seems to be complaining about how she has to put in ANY effort to actually go out and shop for herself.
Sorry lady, Copernicus called, turns out you're NOT the center of the universe after all.
She is a degenerate sour mouth who needs to get her vaginal cavity nailed to a blackboard from the inside.
Then I don't know.
Maybe someone can give her some chocolate dipped strawberries to make her feel better...
Posted by: Stranger | January 1, 2008 10:35 AM
