Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/11/29/wealthy-people-are-the-most-li.html
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late stage capitalism weaponized into an economic prison poop-shiv
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Wait, people who have to worry about affording rent are less likely to spend money in ways with zero or negative utility? Who would have thought…
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Here’s the link to the article. There’s more information there than just spiteful gifts:
“Friends are the biggest culprits of unwanted gifts. More than 1 in 4 adults (27%) state that their friends give them the worst presents. Coming in second place are the ones who should know us best, with 16% of adults stating their parents give the worst gifts.”
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Definitely some reporting bias here: only 1% of respondents reported that “what they enjoyed most about the holidays” is “getting drunk”. I’m pretty sure the real number is higher.
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I think my parents have it right. Partially to save on shipping and partially cause Me the Mrs and the kid end up getting things we actually want they give us $$$.
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Not to be spiteful but to be a jackass my dad would send neighbors a postcard from our city whenever we were on vacation in other parts of the world. It always said ‘Wish you were here!’
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I wonder if the “spiteful” category needs some tweaking. Do you add a gift that you know the person will hate, because it’s a joke? Like, in addition to the “real gift(s)” you gave them, which you know they’ll love? Joke gifts were a thing in my family, and there was an art to giving someone the perfect, awful gift.
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Does spiteful gifts include giving noisy or messy toys to nieces and nephews? Because that’s how I perceived every gift my sister gave my kids.
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With batteries not included.
It’s an ancient tradition:
receiving a gift of a white elephant from a monarch was simultaneously a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because the animal was sacred and a sign of the monarch’s favour, and a curse because the recipient now had an expensive-to-maintain animal he could not give away and could not put to much practical use.
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I think perhaps one of the most spiteful(?) gift I ever got was self inflicted. I had asked for (and desperately wanted) the rpg Ultima IV. Well I got it Christmas morning under the tree. Problem was we were at Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a few days and five hours away from any computer I could play it on. So instead of enjoying my best present that year it sat there and mocked me.
I think I had the manuals (all of them) memorized by the time we got home.
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When I turned 13 my dad got me a Mickey Mouse & Friends Bowling Set meant for toddlers, but I think it was due less to wealth than drunk-shopping at Child World on the way home.
Now I’m trying to think of times where I bought thoughtless gifts.
For sure, I’ve bought “maybe this will inspire them” gifts (like Maker kits, or a Cartoon History of the Universe collection) that I suspect inspired nothing.
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One library where I worked had a gift exchange, and the traditional joke gift was ‘naked Santa’, which was a booby prize included in the first ever gift exchange. Since then it became a tradition for it to be palmed off on some poor unfortunate at the annual exchange.
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I think my mother could have a new career as a spiteful personal shopper. I think I best find someone else to make the recommendation though.
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As an aunt, godmother and friend without kids of my own, can confirm about half of the gifts I give to children are deliberately noisy and/or messy. Especially if I don’t like the parents (one of my siblings) or they’re particularly anal-retentive about mess/‘disorder’ (the same sibling). Hey, a kid’s gotta live a little (and they can always bring it to my place to use/play with/whatever)!
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I’ve been very lucky to have some hilarious friends over the years. My best friend (still, since schooldays) once sent us a really tacky postcard from Tijuana. It showed a donkey wearing a sombrero. He drew in an arrow pointing right at the donkey’s ass, with this message: “Wish You Were Here.” Took me a long time to stop laughing.
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