Kelsey Timmerman's Blog, page 58

Who can defend payday lenders?

Some jackwad with the not so subtle username of paydaylendingrep defended payday lenders in the comment thread of the editorial I mentioned yesterday. Here's what he said:

To be clear, not all customers who use payday loans are in poverty. Research shows payday advance customers to be low to middle income, educated, working families, with most earning between $25,000 and $50,000 annually. The fact is that payday lenders provide short-term credit to a broad cross section of Americans because there is widespread demand for their financial services.

My response: Yes and a lot of people smoke crack so that must make it okay to be a crack dealer. Regardless of income, folks using payday lenders are in a financial crap storm that is only going to get crappier with further chance of lighting bolts of crap by using a payday lender. They might not officially be living in poverty, but they are on their way.

Who can defending payday lenders?

Some jackwad with the not so subtle username of paydaylendingrep defended payday lenders in the comment thread of the editorial I mentioned yesterday. Here's what he said:

To be clear, not all customers who use payday loans are in poverty. Research shows payday advance customers to be low to middle income, educated, working families, with most earning between $25,000 and $50,000 annually. The fact is that payday lenders provide short-term credit to a broad cross section of Americans because there is widespread demand for their financial services.

My response: Yes and a lot of people smoke crack so that must make it okay to be a crack dealer. Regardless of income, folks using payday lenders are in a financial crap storm that is only going to get crappier with further chance of lighting bolts of crap by using a payday lender. They might not officially be living in poverty, but they are on their way.

The most important poverty statistic: One

Last week I wrote an editorial about local poverty that appeared in the Muncie Star Press. The piece was in response to multiple editorials in the paper about poverty in Muncie, specifically the poverty stats that just came in from the 2010 census.

Muncie is home to Ball State University. Students account for about 1/4th of Muncie's population, and since they don't earn much they are essentially living at or below the national poverty level. Anyhow, everyone was arguing about what the numbers mean, how to factor in/out the students, and how somewhere between 34%(!) and 15% of Muncians live in poverty. As if 15% is okay?!?!

So I interjected my two-cents…

An editorial last month in this paper focused on poverty in Muncie. It stated "that Change is going to be slow, painful and unsteady — and it will come from within." I agree with every word of that and would like to thank the editorial staff at The Star Press for focusing on such an important topic. However, the staff defined "within" as local politicians, social service agencies and churches. They left some folks out: You and me.

I have a poverty statistic for you: one.

Do you know one person living in poverty?

Do you know the daily crisis that is life in poverty? Do you know the fear that comes with the monthly utility bill?

The response was varied (from I agree to poor people stink) and I thought I would share some of the more interesting ones.

I commended one commentor who talked about all of the local organizations he and his wife supported and his response to my comment was…

Thanks, Kelsey. I have to be 100% honest, though. My wife and I don't give because we believe we have an obligation to end poverty – we don't believe we do and would disagree with your letter on that point. And our motivation isn't to help people.

We give because it makes us feel good to do so. Our motivation is selfish.

And the most negative response:

In this country most people are poor because they are poor managers.

The fellas that left the comments above never said they did know someone living in poverty. I bet if they did, the first would give for reasons not so "selfish" and the second would realize that there is hardly a greater crisis to manage than opening up the cupboards and not having enough to feed your kids.

I'm not saying that every single person living in poverty makes great choices and that some of these choices haven't got them where they are. But I am saying that before we pass judgment on 15%-35% of our neighbors, maybe we should get to know them a bit. There are hard working folks who are trying to get out of poverty, trying to improve the lives of their children, who could use a friend.

You could be that friend.

How about you?

Do you know one person in your community living in poverty?

Mental Illness & the Tucson Shooting

I watched Jon Stewart deliver his scriptless take on the Tucson shooting (see below), nodding my head in agreement. But my friend Pat  stood up and walked out of her living room.

Why? Pat's mom suffered from a mental illness and she can't stand how loosely terms like "crazy," "nutjob," and "loon" are being thrown around to describe the shooter. Yes the Tucson shooting is a monumental tragedy, but what if the first tragedy was that Jared Loughner didn't receive the help he should have? Few people are talking about that.

Pat wrote a wonderful editorial title "Get educated about mental Illness" for the Muncie Star Press that has made me look at this tragedy in a whole new way. Here's an excerpt:

I know we are all appalled and frightened by the Tucson tragedy, but the majority of those who are mentally ill do not commit violence. The mentally ill and their families fight a daily struggle against stigma and system failure that makes it difficult to get the help needed and to rejoin society.

Name calling serves no purpose. It is not true, as we learned as children, that sticks and stones can hurt my bones, but words will never hurt me. They hurt.

Mental illness is difficult to understand and before passing judgment, learn about it. Get to know someone who suffers from it. Be a support for their family. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill has a superb website, www.nami.org, that offers information on all the major mental illnesses, including autism spectrum disorders.

Pat is on the local board of NAMI, an organization of which, Pat points out, Rep. Giffords was a big supporter.

Stewart's take…

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c


Arizona Shootings Reaction


www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes
Political Humor & Satire Blog
The Daily Show on Facebook

This is My Normal

I can't wait for the release of the blooper reel of the "This is My Normal" documentary shot by Wonderkind Studios & Rule29 for Life in Abundance. I ruined more than a few shots and it would probably be a Kelsey Blooper reel. You can see me getting my key grip on at 29 seconds (look at that form!).

But seriously, my time in Kenya with the gang that made this film was amazing. I'll never forget it. I knew that if the documentary that resulted captured 1% of the vibe and energy and spirit of the slums it will change a little something in everyone who watches it. I think the film far exceeds this and I hope that you all get a chance to see it someday.

Here's a non-blooper behind the scenes look…

This Is My Normal Trailer with Behind The Scenes from Wonderkind Studios on Vimeo.

1 of 7 billion

They'll be 7 billion humans on Earth by the end of 2011. If you are able to watch the video below from the comfort of your home, you are one of the privileged few. I think that comes with some responsibility. I'll get to that in the near future.

National Geographic magazine is doing a series on world population. A piece by Robert Kunzig titled 7 billion begins with 17th century scientist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek examining his own semen. Despite the odd beginning, it's worth a read.

What giving away $520 taught me

Last year I gave away $10 every Tuesday.

Ten bucks might not seem like a lot, but I started the year as an unemployed writer. How cliché, no? I could've spent the money buying a new/fresh pair of sweatpants from Wal-Mart each week ($7), eating hot pockets ($3 with coupons), and watching the Price is Right. But the Price is Right sucks now that Drew Carey took over.

( My Why Price is Right sucks now theory: When Bob Barker was the host, the host, decor, and cheesy games all matched. But Drew Carey is a little too hip (and by too hip I mean that his hips haven't been replaced) and makes the games seem as dated as they actually are. Also, Carey seems like he's trying to fit into a role that's not him. I still love the mountain climber, though.)

The Big Give

I gave to big organizations like CARE and World Vision, and to smaller organizations like NURU, SeeKids Dream, Team Red, White, and Blue, Life in Abundance, and to local ones like the Muncie Mission, TeamWork for Quality Living, and Ball State's NPR channel.

There are loads of organizations out there. In fact, every 15 minutes a new non-profit registers with the IRS. Often my decisions were based on personal relationships: I knew someone familiar with the group or at the group. Sometimes I chose to give to a group that was at the heart of disaster relief, as was Partners in Health after the earthquake in Haiti.

Giving $10/week forced me to find new organizations. If you haven't found a charity or cause to support, I think completing your own $10 for Tuesday project is a great way to do it. And once you choose an organization to support, you'll become more familiar with them through newsletters and mailings, giving you an even better feel for them. After several months, you should have a pretty good idea of how you want to focus your giving.

An Army of One

I gave to individuals funding amazing trips like my buddy James heading to Liberia, and Kristi Scott who graduated from college and headed out to work at an orphanage in Trujillo, Peru. $10 probably didn't cover their expenses to the airport, but it connected me to their trips and experiences that were deeply important to them both. I check in on Kristi now and again and James and I talk Africa quite a bit. My $10 went a long way.

Your friends are doing some pretty amazing things; you should support them.

One week I posted that I would give $10 to someone, if they gave me a good reason. 100+ comments later, I learned how to shutoff the comments! Half of India turned out giving me their bank routing numbers and PayPal ID's. I informed them that I would send them $10 but first they would have to give me their credit card numbers.

The comments on the Free Money post captured the suffering of a nation. Almost outnumbering the foreigners looking for money were the American tales of woe – job loss, abuse, and fear. I gave to several of these individuals. Maybe they were just stories to get my money, but what if they weren't? Any time I gave, I tried to vet them as much as I could, at least to the point where the story was so specific and detailed that lying on that level would have been borderline psychopathic.

From a very selfish perspective, the comments weighed on me. The fact that someone with his or her world crashing down around them would stop and ask me for $10, broke my heart.

Giving isn't enough

Gifts should connect us to a cause that we're passionate about or an individual in which we believe and want to support. Caring isn't just writing a check or filling in the credit card field; it goes beyond that. This is where my $10 for Tuesday project fell short. Sometimes it would play out like this:

"Oh crap! It's Tuesday! I better give away $10." I would then frantically search for a group to give support, give up my credit card digits, and then get back to whatever I was doing.

It felt like a hollow gesture, and it probably was.

I've got some ideas how to give better, how much we should each give, and what we should do in addition to giving that I'll share soon.

But the #1 thing we should do when giving is ask ourselves, "What's important to me? What do I care about?"

You can bet that Bob Barker gave a lot of money to have dogs and cats spayed and neutered. He ended every show of the Price is Right with a PSA about his cause. Drew Carey has carried on the tradition, but it just doesn't seem right. I'd like Drew to find his own cause.

–

What's your cause? What groups do you support? How do you decide?

Our shrinking world{view}

I hopped on the stage and faced the crowd. A thousand students stared at me, laughing at my jokes, being pin-drop silent when they were supposed to be. Every one of them had read my book. I introduced them to the workers pictured on the 30-foot screen behind me who I had met on my Where am I Wearing trip. I talked about global poverty. I talked about the decade long journey that started with my first solo-trip to Australia, that led to writing, that led to my book, that led me here to this stage.

On the day I felt like I had made it, my parents lost everything. Every nut, bolt, truck, and piece of equipment that they built their business with over the past 36 years was auctioned off by the bank in an afternoon to the highest bidder (which wasn't all that high).

I was traveling the country talking about global poverty, but 95% of my thoughts and worries were set on our floundering family business.

Worldview Whiplash

I've been struggling with my worldview. Before my "Where Am I Wearing" trip travel had connected me more to the global community than my own community in Indiana. I was more of a global citizen than a Hoosier. I thought more about global poverty, than poverty in Muncie.

After one of my WAIW presentations someone asked, "Why should we care when we have so many problems right here?" I was taken aback by the question, and even more so by my inability to answer it.

Why should we care? And even if we do care, what can we do about it?

We're in the midst of a worldview crisis. Families face foreclosures, countries near bankruptcy, the poor are getting poorer and their numbers are growing. The closer to home the problems, the harder it is to see a world beyond them.

We struggle to see past the problems of our own family, city, county, state, and nation. We think, "We'll get our problems taken care of first and then we'll start thinking about others." I've been there. This is easy to do, but we must rail against this type of thinking.

My New Year's resolution is to be a better neighbor, a better resident of Muncie, Indiana, and a better global citizen. In 2010 I learned how to be a better local in Kenya. I learned how to learn from a crisis in Ireland. In 2011, I'm going to continue the journey, share these lessons and put them to use.

In the following weeks, I'll be talking more about what our local and global responsibilities are and give concrete ways of how we can meet them.

Did your world(view) shrink in 2010? Did you overcome any crises? If so, what did you learn?

2010

In order to retain my blogging license I'm required by law to recap all that was 2010.

Personal

Baby #2 is on the way. Pray for us! Annie is feeling great. We find out the gender on Tuesday!


Annie put up with me for another year, despite a 6-week trip to Africa, a few week-long speaking engagements, and a two week trip to NYC. However, my daughter was far less pleased with my absences. It's tougher to leave now, but doing what I do is important to me, so rewarding, and important to my family.


I gave away $10 every Tuesday for the entire year. (okay so I missed some Tuesdays but I always made up for them). I'll have a reflection and some news on this project later.


My brother had a baby, or I should say that his wife did.  I can't wait to take Max camping and teach him how to make a fire, spit, and cuss — all the things an uncle is supposed to do.


Professional

I stumbled on to a new career: speaking. I never enjoyed getting up in front of the class and talking when I was in school. But this year I talked in front of thousands of people and to my largest single audience ever – 1,000 students at Wingate University. I mainly talk at universities and high schools and really enjoy chatting with students. I now get emergency emails from teachers and professors. "Help! Our students are spoiled and don't realize how good they've got it." Or, "Our students don't have a lot and they probably won't get to travel much, could you bring the world to them?"


"Where Am I Wearing" was selected as a common reader at three universities and one high school. The only thing better than selling a couple thousand copies of your book at a time is interacting with the students in person, on facebook, and Twitter who are reading it. They've inspired and encouraged me so much to keep doing what I'm doing.


My book also continues to be adapted by sociology, business, and anthropology classes across the country. Instructors can get a free copy here.


Produced my first radio features.  One on SoleRebels, one on Jake Harriman/NURU, and another one on the runners of Iten is currently in the works.  This is tough stuff, but mostly fun.  I need better equipment and I've learned a lot of lessons about the type of audio I need to capture. I've had work air on the World Vision Report over 20 times now. In fact, this week my piece on Fantasy Kingdom in Bangladesh is airing on stations across the country.  Like speaking this isn't something I ever intended to get into. Funny how that happens.


Travel (Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ireland)

I was held hostage and raised over $25,000 in the process.


I ran with world-class Kenyan runners at 8,000' (see right)


Spent the night in a Nairobi Slum


Met an amazing Marine, named Jake Harriman who founded NURU. Two years from now his name will be mentioned in the same breath as Greg Mortenson. Mark my words.


Nothing Personal: I've had some questions lately about the Nothing Personal Project. I believe in the project, but for a number of reasons it lost its luster for me. So, last month I removed myself from it and wish Andrew the best.

I've got some really exciting things for 2011 in the works. I can't wait to tell you about them.

Worst bookstore ever

My local book store is a wreck. This photo is proof.  A photo biography of Johnny Cash (bottom right)  is in the business section with other "cash" related books.  Also note the Dale Earnhardt  commemorative Sports Illustrated (top left).  Hey, I guess "crash" is close to "cash."

This is exactly why I hate the lack of an independent bookstore in Muncie.  This is someone's job.  They aren't doing it because they love books or the alphabet or common sense.  They probably don't make much over minimum wage and their health plan consists of 10% off fruit smoothies at the cafe.

When big boxes win, we lose.