Giving Back 2

Various writers have  emphasized the indifference or even hostility of many conservatives and business people to intellectual, linguistic,  and ideological notions and nuances as one reason for their frequent inability  to cope with attacks from the left. In recent times it has become common to hear the maladroit Republicans labeled the stupid party (often versus the Democrats as the evil party) partially for similar reasons by people who generally wish them  well.

A minor, though not trivial, example comes from the widespread use and acceptance of the loaded  term “giving back” which I have griped about before. TV is full of commercials bragging piously  about how some business or another and its employees give back to somebody. Local news programs regularly serve up fulsome features about someone giving back to one community or another.  Philanthropists often refer to their generosity in the same way.

Yet the notion of giving something back has the connotation of returning something to its rightful owners, and in this context implies that whatever is being given  is owed in some sense to the people  it is being given to and perhaps was acquired at their expense or even taken from them unfairly.  This has fairly obvious political implications, but as far as I can tell conservatives, business people, and Republicans who blather along with the rest about giving back haven’t noticed. They should know better.

The right way to respond to a solicitation or demand for giving back  is to reply that you never took anything that did not belong to you and so feel no need to give it  back to anyone. Giving out of generosity is a fine  thing.  “Giving back” concedes things which should not be conceded.

We’ll be doing some charitable giving  this Christmas season, but we dang sure won’t be doing any giving back.  Others should follow suit.