Forums → The Tavern → Your blood or your money?
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Which would you rather donate? I thought about this as I passed a blood donation drive, and saw quite a few people lined up. You never really see people lined up to donate money, do you? There are two likely reasons for this:
1) It takes more time to donate blood, and there are less places to do it. Hence, lines.
2) You don't have to spend as much conscious effort replenishing your lost blood compared to your lost money.
But, I still feel like people are much more okay with donating blood. Which is kind of weird, if you think about it. I mean, you literally need blood to live. Your life will be much more difficult without money, but losing money is much less lethal than blood loss. You are giving part of what enables you to live to some random stranger, and people (at least where I live) do this seemingly on the spur of the moment.
Furthermore, it can be quite uncomfortable and time consuming (depending on methods used). You can't start a conversation about blood donation without someone bringing up a story about how it took the technician 500 tries to find a vein. The blood loss also leaves you noticeably weaker. Some of my thinner friends can't engage in physical activities for quite a while after donating blood.
AND, while you are constantly replenishing your blood, you only have so much of it at any single moment. Its not like money, where there is no upper limit to how much you can possess. Sure, bigger people have more blood, but it isn't like people can be comfortably blood filled to the point where donating a gallon or so is no big deal. There are no super bloody people the way there are super rich people.
With blood, its like pretty much every healthy person is lower middle class. We can give up a little without dying, but there will be consequences.
It takes at least 4 weeks to replenish the blood cells lost during donation. Working for four weeks full time at a pretty low wage job, you can make about 1000 dollars. But, somehow, donating blood seems like it is a lot easier than donating 1000 dollars. Granted, you don't have to actively "work" for your blood, but you are still giving up something crucial that takes a similar amount of time to replenish.
So, which do you value more? Your blood, or your money?
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I would probably prefer to donate my blood, because donating blood is a more direct impact in people's lives. Every year, my high school has a blood drive and starting next year (when I'm old enough) I plan to donate.
Considering in many places you get paid to donate blood, I consider this thread moot.
You can easily do both, or neither no need to choose.
lolz
Well, I would donate my blood. The thing is, your blood cells come back, and at donations, they never take a lethal dose. Me Gusta Money.
I think its a pint of blood that can save three lives. Atleast, thats what the Drive posters at my school advertised.
I guess when people donate money to an organization, they don't really get to see the affects of it. You're 'told' that its going to such and such a cause, but for all you know, it may be going to the ends of the earth for no reason.
With blood, the only thing they can use it for is to save lives. So you know its going to be used well. Also, theres a demand for blood (atleast, in my area), so theres that.
For the first question, my answer would be donating money contrary to many opinions. If I donated blood, I would be physically weaker than I was, and I wouldn't be able to play soccer or as of right now run track as hard or even do them if I donated blood. Money wouldn't make me feel a thing, and money actually is easy to replenish. Just cut down on something if you really want to replenish it. Especially at a thirty dollar price.
For the second question, I think I would choose the tax. I think a lot of these reasons are the same I used for the first question. I really don't feel like restating them.
But, I still feel like people are much more okay with donating blood. Which is kind of weird, if you think about it. I mean, you literally need blood to live.
The amount donated is small enough to represent no risk at all, at least it should. So, I don't see why this should be a problem.
Furthermore, it can be quite uncomfortable and time consuming (depending on methods used).
They're organizing blood donations once or twice a year at university, just in the big court; they're setting up a few tables and so on, and voila. If you've got your drive, during those days you go there, they'll assign you to a station, you donate your blood, then stay a while on the station to recover a bit, they even give you a banana or something, and that's it.
You can't start a conversation about blood donation without someone bringing up a story about how it took the technician 500 tries to find a vein.
I do hope that the general personal is schooled correctly. Although certain persons simply have veins that are difficult to hit; but if it's not the case for you, there's no reason to panic
Some of my thinner friends can't engage in physical activities for quite a while after donating blood.
It takes at least 4 weeks to replenish the blood cells lost during donation.
What? Are you donating half of your blood at once or what?? As far as I know, it takes a few days, and just eat a few good meals (with the correct nutrients) to recover physical abilities faster. I think you can handle a few days a year.
The problem with money donation is, you don't know what is done with the money. If you give some to beggars, they'll use it for something short-termed, they usually don't think about long-term investments; it doesn't really help them out. If you donate to organizations, half the time the money gets lost somewhere on midway to the claimed destination and goes filling already-too-filled pockets.
I'm sure rate of success is much higher with blood donation than with money donation. The problem is with my allergies and all that I don't want to donate my blood simply because I do not trust it enough :P
What? Are you donating half of your blood at once or what?? As far as I know, it takes a few days, and just eat a few good meals (with the correct nutrients) to recover physical abilities faster. I think you can handle a few days a year.
It doesn't take very long at all to replenish the fluid lost, but it takes about a month replace the tissue (blood cells, platelets, etc). I think they have a minimum weight per height for donating, and if you are on the border, you can feel a little weak after donating. Nothing too serious. It probably also has something to with how prepared you are. I think you are supposed to eat and drink before getting your blood drawn, so maybe if you skipped breakfast you might feel the effects a little more.
The point was that there is some physical stress from donating blood, but none for donating money. No one seems to be answering my second question (which I thought was the more interesting of the two)...
I'm sure rate of success is much higher with blood donation than with money donation. The problem is with my allergies and all that I don't want to donate my blood simply because I do not trust it enough :P
This raises a good point. But I have to ask: why are you so sure? I think you are right, in essence though. While your blood could go to rapists, serial killers and the like, there really is no set demographic that will receive it. Its just going to go to some injured person.
AND, while you are constantly replenishing your blood, you only have so much of it at any single moment. Its not like money, where there is no upper limit to how much you can possess.
It all depends doesn't it? A rich man might be more inclined to donating his money, since he won't miss the amount he gives. A more hard up for cash person might prefer his blood, since his wallet contains nothing but loose change and spiderwebs.
And I disagree. You can possess as much money as possible at any moment, but most people don't. That's the truth.
I would donate both, since they're both helping different causes most of the time, and I would like to help as much as I can, however small that amount is.
This raises a good point. But I have to ask: why are you so sure? I think you are right, in essence though. While your blood could go to rapists, serial killers and the like, there really is no set demographic that will receive it. Its just going to go to some injured person.
I'm thinking he meant that blood will definitely go to a good cause; what's the use of a bag of blood other than giving it to those medically in need of it? On the other hand, the chances of money going into wrong hands has been rising over the years, with new charity scandals coming into the limelight one after another, like lamb to the slaughter.
The point was that there is some physical stress from donating blood, but none for donating money. No one seems to be answering my second question (which I thought was the more interesting of the two)...
Actually in my case donating money often leads to psychical stress and bad feelings, depending on the situation and the acceptor of course. I do get an acute feeling of getting ripped off when giving coins to someone who begs for money. On the other hand that one organisation I donate to regularly doesn't give me any bad feelings because I know it's 99% trustworthy.
But you're right of course. I just think that the physical stress of donating blood is marginal. It's true that it needs longer to replace the tissue, but you recover your physical abilities in only one or two days, and you'd replace the blood even if you wouldn't miss it. So the only additional stress is really the weakness after donation.
But I have to ask: why are you so sure?
It depends on the organisation. I would never, ever, donate money to a group that simply sends this money to the country in question; it would vanish in midway. Sadly it works like that. The only real way to donate is either you know the group goes itself to the place and helps with it's own funds (your donation); or you go there yourself which is a big time waste.
The way blood donation works makes it easier to supervise and thus more trustworthy. It can only help in a medicinal way while money donations can help in much more diverse way, however since it's currency it is much more delicate due to corruption and the like.
easy, i donated my blood more than once. and i will continue in the future.
why not donating money you ask? well, i dont know if the people use it for what i donated it while donating blood is used for what i donated it, helping others. i want to help others with my donation, but not to get more alcohol or drugs or to fool others to get rich.
Any I can donate, I can donate some of my blood and money to the one that need help. If you help person. Then you gonna have good karma return back to you.
Awww man, however much I detest people helping based on ''karma'' at least that's still help.....
Then you gonna have good karma return back to you.
Um are you joking or you actually believe in Karma?
The way blood donation works makes it easier to supervise and thus more trustworthy. It can only help in a medicinal way while money donations can help in much more diverse way, however since it's currency it is much more delicate due to corruption and the like.
I think that most of the time, well-known charities get the money there without losing it. I agree though that money can help in many different ways where blood can only help in one.
I think that most of the time, well-known charities get the money there without losing it. I agree though that money can help in many different ways where blood can only help in one.
Hopefully....we had a massive corruption scandal years ago, when the country's main kidney foundation's charity was uncovered. Turns out that the CEO was siphoning money to build, of all things, gold plated toilet seats.
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