{"id":92185,"date":"2015-11-20T14:12:54","date_gmt":"2015-11-20T19:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=92185"},"modified":"2015-11-20T14:12:54","modified_gmt":"2015-11-20T19:12:54","slug":"doormat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2015\/11\/20\/doormat\/","title":{"rendered":"Doormat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While I was paying for a jute doormat, the salesman asked me if I\u2019d like to make a donation toward some children\u2019s charity.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, sure,\u201d I said. \u201cTwo dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n

He suddenly produced a string of jingle bells and started pealing it jubilantly. \u201cThank you!\u201d he screamed, as all his colleagues joined in with similar enthusiasm. I looked at the floor in shamed horror.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As he handed me the large plastic bag containing the prickly mat, I overheard the woman at the next register ask a customer if he, too, would like to make a donation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d the guy said, as casually as possible.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m fine.<\/em>\u00a0As if his well-being had ever been in question! And yet, she accepted his refusal without visible resentment. And maybe he\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0fine: fine with the decision to not give some nominal amount. Fine with who he is. Fine not being pressured. Fine not being celebrated, as if two dollars is real generosity. Maybe he chose to give differently. Maybe he was really selfish. Whatever: he was fine<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then, outside, there was a guy with a clipboard blocking my path. \u201cDo you want to end bullying?\u201d he demanded, seemingly without irony.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I wanted to say it, even then I wanted to say it: I\u2019m fine<\/em>. I wanted to be fine. I wanted to be fine coming out of a store with a large bag and still not helping to end bullying. I even wanted, maybe, to be the one with a jingle bell. But instead I turned to avoid him, and muttered, \u201cNo, thank you,\u201d and he turned on a man with a small child.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sadie Stein is contributing editor of <\/em>The Paris Review, and the <\/em>Daily\u2019s correspondent.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While I was paying for a jute doormat, the salesman asked me if I\u2019d like to make a donation toward some children\u2019s charity. \u201cUh, sure,\u201d I said. \u201cTwo dollars?\u201d He suddenly produced a string of jingle bells and started pealing it jubilantly. \u201cThank you!\u201d he screamed, as all his colleagues joined in with similar enthusiasm. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13115],"tags":[20291,12511,5398,6664],"class_list":["post-92185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-our-daily-correspondent","tag-charity","tag-city-life","tag-holidays","tag-shopping"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDoormat, or, A Story of Charity Season<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"November 20, 2015 \u2013 While I was paying for a jute doormat, the salesman asked me if I\u2019d like to make a donation toward some children\u2019s charity.\u201cUh, sure,\u201d I said. \u201cTwo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2015\/11\/20\/doormat\/\" \/>\n<meta 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