The Pop-hiss...

Sometimes when you express unpopular opinions to people who prefer popular opinions, you get a little tired of constantly being told to go to hell.

But then again, sometimes a little bit of info makes you feel better about being "that guy".

So, about ten years ago, I worked at a summer camp. A very enthusiastic girl (who actually was a very nice person) started a contest among the kids. Collect the most pull-tabs from soda cans to give to charity, and you win a trip to McDonalds.

Naturally, children responded pretty well to this syrupy bit of group-think, and were chugging Coca-Cola products and dreaming of McRib sandwiches (or whatever).

I, being the one anarchist-minded soul at the YMCA camp, protested the contest, saying it was idiotic to get the kids full of sugar on dream of fast food for the tiny scrap of aluminum. I may have suggested a regular recycling drive instead.

I, being the one anarchist-minded soul at the YMCA camp, was told to shut it, because "we were teaching children the reward of doing good for others". At the expense their nutrition, and in drastic support of multi-national corporations, for a pittance in aluminum scrap, I responded. I think I even got in a pretty big fight about it with the very nice girl, who I'm sure has since used the event on resumes, and the like. Which I have since felt bad about. The fight, that is, not her potential resumes.

Anyway: I was right. The pull tabs are worthless--and while some charities do collect them by way of appreciating the effort, the idea that these are valuable is a complete rumor, the persistence of which causes us to speculate at the magpie-like unconsciousess of the soda-drinking liberal consumer.

Unfortunately, just like Mountain Dew Code Red, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I appreciate that yes, my teenage, pessimistic-but-realist logic was correct, but still, all of these people have deluded themselves into thinking they were doing charity when they were only buying soda.

It's a strange, carbonated world.