Comments on: Guilt Farming: A counterpoint to Seth Godin’s post about the gift card scam http://freakrevolution.com/2007/12/18/guilt-farming-a-counterpoint-to-seth-godins-post-about-the-gift-card-scam/ Normal people won't change the world. We will. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:42:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Connection Paradigm » Guilt Farming: A counterpoint to Seth Godin’s post about the gift card scam http://freakrevolution.com/2007/12/18/guilt-farming-a-counterpoint-to-seth-godins-post-about-the-gift-card-scam/comment-page-1/#comment-117 Connection Paradigm » Guilt Farming: A counterpoint to Seth Godin’s post about the gift card scam Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:08:30 +0000 http://connectionparadigm.net/?p=13#comment-117 [...] just wrote a post over on Connection Paradigm about how gift cards are a scam that takes advantage of our shame and [...] [...] just wrote a post over on Connection Paradigm about how gift cards are a scam that takes advantage of our shame and [...]

]]> By: Sohaib Athar http://freakrevolution.com/2007/12/18/guilt-farming-a-counterpoint-to-seth-godins-post-about-the-gift-card-scam/comment-page-1/#comment-115 Sohaib Athar Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:22:07 +0000 http://connectionparadigm.net/?p=13#comment-115 Seth's 'discovery' is funny to me as this is exactly what we (Muslims living in Pakistan and India) have been doing for centuries at Eid - kids and the lower income class people (like maids and sweepers) usually receive money as a gift (Eidi) from relatives and employers, and donations to the homeless/orphans on Eid day (called Zakat) is a religious obligation. In third-world countries, this makes a lot of sense as the parents pressed for cash can use the cash on their kids' welfare with dignity, while the well-off families can blow it away on whatever they want. Seth’s ‘discovery’ is funny to me as this is exactly what we (Muslims living in Pakistan and India) have been doing for centuries at Eid – kids and the lower income class people (like maids and sweepers) usually receive money as a gift (Eidi) from relatives and employers, and donations to the homeless/orphans on Eid day (called Zakat) is a religious obligation.
In third-world countries, this makes a lot of sense as the parents pressed for cash can use the cash on their kids’ welfare with dignity, while the well-off families can blow it away on whatever they want.

]]> By: The Usual Error Blog » Blog Archive » Guilt Farming: A counterpoint to Seth Godin’s post about the gift card scam http://freakrevolution.com/2007/12/18/guilt-farming-a-counterpoint-to-seth-godins-post-about-the-gift-card-scam/comment-page-1/#comment-116 The Usual Error Blog » Blog Archive » Guilt Farming: A counterpoint to Seth Godin’s post about the gift card scam Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:06:32 +0000 http://connectionparadigm.net/?p=13#comment-116 [...] just wrote a post over on Connection Paradigm about how gift cards are a scam that takes advantage of our shame and [...] [...] just wrote a post over on Connection Paradigm about how gift cards are a scam that takes advantage of our shame and [...]

]]> By: Megan M. http://freakrevolution.com/2007/12/18/guilt-farming-a-counterpoint-to-seth-godins-post-about-the-gift-card-scam/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Megan M. Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:10:08 +0000 http://connectionparadigm.net/?p=13#comment-114 Oh!! How interesting! Conversely, I have sometimes felt guilt if I do NOT spend gift money on my bills... and in some cases would actually feel really blessed or relieved if someone handed me $100 and said, do whatever you want with this, even if it pays bills -- leaving the responsibility of making sure I get enough relaxation and frivolity entirely to me, whenever I choose to do so. Is a free, bill-paying $100 any less a gift than a free, frivolity-ensuring $100? At the same time, this is only a sometimes feeling, and it happens rather less often these days than it used to. It's awesome to see it from both sides, though. This is a great post! PS - I am all on board the guilt-free train, man -- sign me up! Oh!! How interesting! Conversely, I have sometimes felt guilt if I do NOT spend gift money on my bills… and in some cases would actually feel really blessed or relieved if someone handed me $100 and said, do whatever you want with this, even if it pays bills — leaving the responsibility of making sure I get enough relaxation and frivolity entirely to me, whenever I choose to do so. Is a free, bill-paying $100 any less a gift than a free, frivolity-ensuring $100?

At the same time, this is only a sometimes feeling, and it happens rather less often these days than it used to. It’s awesome to see it from both sides, though. This is a great post!

PS – I am all on board the guilt-free train, man — sign me up!

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