Althouse: ME: "People seem to think think they're being nice just when they're not being a complete asshole."

December 2, 2015

ME: "People seem to think think they're being nice just when they're not being a complete asshole."

"I'm reading this thing... I haven't blogged about it, but we're talking about it on Facebook, and people are acting like this particular thing is completely heartwarming when it's just a case of not being a complete asshole about something."

MEADE: "Are you talking about that woman with the autistic cake decorator?"

ME: "Yes."

26 comments:

Ann Althouse said...: Jesus said:

"Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you."; 12/2/15, 9:51 AM
BarrySanders20 said...: But would Jesus write Happy Birthday on a cake for a gay person named Mandy?

Such vexing theological questions.; 12/2/15, 10:15 AM
Robert Cook said...: Why do those who do not think this is heartwarming suppose that the woman who bought the cake was not being nice, but just "not being an asshole?" Frankly, she she would have had a right to complain about the cake, even if she had known the cake decorator was autistic. After all, it is the store's responsibility to see that only those capable of decorating cakes skillfully be permitted to do so.; 12/2/15, 10:29 AM
American Liberal Elite said...: Good thing the decorator didn't suffer from Tourettes.; 12/2/15, 10:34 AM
mccullough said...: So donating to charity privately is not an end in itself, according to Jesus. Do it because God will reward you. The moral philosophy of Jesus is often lacking.; 12/2/15, 10:40 AM
Annie said...: I was a cake decorator for some years. If you chose a cake to be written on after the bakery part of the store was closed, or while the decorator was at lunch, the results were the same or worse. Most people didn't care so long as they were warned.
One of the men who baked bread was dyslexic and some people would verbally abuse him when he refused. Something, perhaps, the autistic lady should have done.; 12/2/15, 10:42 AM
Jake said...: Ann - Your quote is the first thing I thought of.; 12/2/15, 10:48 AM
prairie wind said...: Not always accurate but a good test of asshole-ness is whether the person puts up a Facebook posts telling the heartwarming story of "how I wasn't an asshole this one time."; 12/2/15, 10:58 AM
Renee said...: That looks like my handwriting. (No joke)

Is the FB post a hoax, and the cake can be originally found on cake wrecks or something.; 12/2/15, 10:58 AM
SteveBrooklineMA said...: Kids don't care about these things, and the mom probably knows that. So there wouldn't be any benefit to making a stink about it. I write my daughters' names on cakes, and it doesn't look much better than this. The kids are happy anyway.; 12/2/15, 11:01 AM
Sydney said...: Is it cynical of me to think this isn't a true story, that this is a publicity stunt by the store? I am having trouble imagining Meijer employees even caring what the cake looked like at check out, let alone calling everyone over. It's a lot like WalMart IMHO.; 12/2/15, 11:13 AM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: They hired her because they thought she was "artistic".; 12/2/15, 11:35 AM
tim maguire said...: mccullough said...So donating to charity privately is not an end in itself, according to Jesus. Do it because God will reward you. The moral philosophy of Jesus is often lacking

Self-gain is the ultimate purpose of all charity. You get far more from that dollar you give a bum than the bum does. Feeling good about yourself as a citizen of the world is THE motivation for good works. What Jesus is saying is you can have your benefit now or you can have it later, and if you take it now, you're not going to get it later.; 12/2/15, 11:36 AM
Monkeyboy said...: Is the FB post a hoax, and the cake can be originally found on cake wrecks or something.

Renee that's an interesting theory. A lot of pictures get recycled into "glurge" on the internet. I can't get to the link, is there an appropriately diverse person in line behind her commenting? and an appropriate villain?
There should be an ugly old white woman going on about being "a good Christian" and who calls the decorator names, followed by an old gay couple who make a cutting passive aggressive remark to the nice Muslim man behind them.; 12/2/15, 11:49 AM
traditionalguy said...: I bet Trump would make fun of that cake. Autism is no excuse for him, since he has a touch of it too.; 12/2/15, 11:52 AM
Mary Beth said...: So donating to charity privately is not an end in itself, according to Jesus. Do it because God will reward you. The moral philosophy of Jesus is often lacking.

No. Being charitable is expected. The reward is for not telling everyone else how charitable you are.; 12/2/15, 12:03 PM
David said...: "Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you."

Take that Zuckerberg.

And you too Cake Lady.; 12/2/15, 12:35 PM
kjbe said...: From her story, it sounds like she kind of stumbled into being kind. Not that that's a bad thing, but I agree that she had every right to refuse the cake and not be labeled an asshole. Is she humble-bragging? Kind of, but no harm was done. I'm guessing that's ok with the big guy upstairs. Anyway, let him be the judge.; 12/2/15, 12:45 PM
Tari said...: "You meet an asshole in the morning - well, you met an asshole. You keep running into assholes all day - you're the asshole."

- Raylon Givens; 12/2/15, 12:51 PM
Fritz said...: One of several reasons I don't decorate cakes.; 12/2/15, 2:31 PM
mccullough said...: And what reward does God give for anonymous charity? 72 virgins?

There are people who are anonymously charitable because they believe it is the right thing to do, not because of some reward in the afterlife. This is morally superior to the view Jesus espouses in that passage. And the 72 virgins is at least a specific reward, so an adherent knows what they getting upfront.; 12/2/15, 3:30 PM
pious agnostic said...: Pffft. Running into someone who considers themselves morally superior to Jesus is an hourly occurrence on the Internet.

Try harder.; 12/2/15, 4:05 PM
Big Mike said...: I think the woman acted in a fashion that was charitable, but this atheist be a lot happier if our blog hostess would leave Jesus out of it.; 12/2/15, 4:10 PM
Jake said...: mccullogh -

You're better than everyone else. We get it.; 12/2/15, 4:49 PM
eddie willers said...: Who would have guessed that Cook would turn out to be the asshole of the thread?; 12/2/15, 5:15 PM
mccullough said...: Jake,

I'm not talking about myself. The issue is morality. If someone does something good because they expect to be rewarded in the afterlife its better than moral preening but not better than doing something good with no expectation of either social approbation or heavenly reward.

Jesus was a great moral philosopher but some of his moral teachings are subpar. This is one of them. No one bats 1.000; 12/2/15, 7:20 PM